Outpatient PTSD Treatment Near You

If you’ve been through a traumatic event and are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is hope. Help is available at Rubicon Mental Health Center, where we provide comprehensive outpatient PTSD treatment for individuals from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. We provide trauma-informed care that is based on a whole-person, evidence-based approach to help patients with mental health disorders achieve balance and improved mental health. Learn more about PTSD and our PTSD treatment near you in Watchung, New Jersey.

Key Takeaways

• Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that is initiated by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event, such as a sexual assault, natural disaster, or combat.
• Symptoms of PTSD include intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions.
• Diagnosing PTSD involves a comprehensive clinical assessment that consists of a physical exam, medical history-taking, and a discussion of the patient’s symptoms and the traumatic event.
• Treating PTSD typically involves trauma-focused psychotherapies, such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), although medication may also be used.
• Rubicon Mental Health Center provides patient-centered, evidence-based outpatient PTSD treatment for individuals from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.

What Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health disorder that is initiated by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying, shocking, or dangerous event, such as an assault, natural disaster, combat, or death. Most people who go through a traumatic event have difficulty coping or adjusting for a short period afterward. However, if this difficulty lasts for months or years and comes with other symptoms, such as flashbacks or nightmares, the person may have PTSD.

Generally, the symptoms of PTSD are divided into 4 groups:

• Intrusive memories: These include intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks that are related to the traumatic event.
• Avoidance: This can present as actively avoiding people, environments, thoughts, or feelings that are connected with the traumatic experience.
• Negative changes in thinking and mood: This may include negative beliefs about oneself or the world, emotional numbness, pessimism, feeling detached, or having feelings of blame, guilt, fear, or anger.
• Changes in physical and emotional reactions: This can mean being more reactive to situations, like startling easily, or being irritable, on guard, or aggressive. It can also present as physical reactions like rapid breathing or shaking, or as self-destructive behavior.

These symptoms can severely impact daily functioning and overall quality of life. Fortunately, PTSD is highly treatable with the right care.

What Are the Causes and Risk Factors of PTSD?

The main cause of post-traumatic stress disorder is witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. This may be combat during a war, a mass casualty event, a rape or severe physical assault, a sudden, unexpected loss or medical trauma, or a natural disaster. There are also risk factors before, during, and after the traumatic event that can increase a person’s odds of developing PTSD. They include:

• Pre-trauma risk factors: These are certain characteristics or circumstances that are present before the traumatic experience that can increase a person’s vulnerability to PTSD. They include a history of other mental health conditions, childhood trauma, or certain genetic traits.
• Peri-trauma risk factors: The details of the traumatic event can also impact the risk of developing PTSD. Experiencing prolonged, repeated, or life-threatening traumatic events, getting injured during the event, or experiencing extreme panic or helplessness during the event can all increase the likelihood of PTSD.
• Post-trauma risk factors: Ongoing social stressors, substance use, and a lack of social support after the event can all increase the chance of developing PTSD.

People with known risk factors for PTSD should seek early intervention, such as trauma-informed care, after a traumatic event to prevent worsening symptoms.

How Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosed?

Diagnosing PTSD isn’t done through a simple blood test or brain scan, but rather through a comprehensive clinical evaluation by a mental health professional. It typically begins with a physical exam and a discussion of the traumatic event and the symptoms it is causing. To confirm a PTSD diagnosis, a patient must meet specific criteria that include:

• Exposure to a traumatic event, either by witnessing it or experiencing it firsthand
• Re-experiencing the trauma through flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts
• Avoidance of people, places, or thoughts that relate to the trauma
• Changes in mood or cognition
• Changes in physical or behavioral reactions
• Duration of symptoms of more than a month
• Significant distress or impairment of daily life

If these criteria are met, a diagnosis of PTSD will be confirmed.

Outpatient PTSD Treatment at Rubicon Mental Health Center in NJ

At Rubicon Mental Health Center, we provide comprehensive outpatient PTSD programs that are based on a trauma-informed framework. They include:

• Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): Patients have treatment for 6 hours a day, 5 days per week. The program generally lasts 30 to 45 days.
• Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): Patients have treatment for a minimum of 3 days per week, but they can attend for up to 5 days. Sessions run for around 3 hours a day and frequently last for 10 to 12 weeks.
• Outpatient Program: Patients have treatment for 1 hour a day, 2 to 3 days a week. The length of the program depends on the patient, but it often lasts for several months.

With our full continuum of care, we’re able to meet patients where they are, whether they need intensive daily support or check-ins a few times a week. Our master’s-level mental health professionals aim to create a comfortable, supportive environment where patients can receive whole-person care without judgment.

What Therapy Modalities Are Used for PTSD Treatment?

At Rubicon Mental Health Center, we use various evidence-based therapies and modalities to help people with PTSD and co-occurring conditions develop coping skills, regulate their emotions, and improve their overall quality of life. Treatment modalities that may be used in PTSD treatment include:

• Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): This is a subset of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that helps patients recognize and challenge unhelpful beliefs related to their trauma to reframe how they view it.
• Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy: Also a type of CBT, PE therapy helps patients slowly address trauma-related memories and situations they have been avoiding to help them reduce fear and emotional distress.

We may also use other techniques, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), group therapy, family counseling, motivational interviewing (MI), and more, to complement trauma-focused psychotherapy. When clinically appropriate, we also provide medication management services for patients with PTSD. This helps ensure proper dosages, manage side effects, and adjust medications as needed.

When Is Outpatient PTSD Treatment the Right Fit?

Outpatient treatment is typically the standard option for PTSD treatment. Although some severe cases may require inpatient care, outpatient treatment is generally effective at reducing symptoms and improving well-being. Outpatient PTSD treatment may be ideal for you if:

• Your symptoms are mild to moderate, but still impact your daily life
• You can function independently
• You need structured support, but still need to manage other responsibilities like work or caring for children

At Rubicon Mental Health Center, we provide a comprehensive clinical assessment for each new patient to understand whether outpatient care is the right option for them and determine which level of care is most suitable. With 3 different levels of care, we can accommodate most patients.

Co-Occurring Conditions

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder often have another mental health or substance use disorder (SUD), known as a co-occurring condition. These dual diagnoses can make diagnosis and treatment more complex, so they require a specialized care team with experience in treating co-occurring conditions.

At Rubicon Mental Health Center, we work with our sister center, Rubicon Recovery Center, to provide dual diagnosis treatment for individuals with co-occurring mental health disorders and SUDs. This integrated care model helps address the symptoms and complexities of each diagnosis to provide complete treatment.

Insurance and Admissions

If you’re wondering if your insurance will cover PTSD treatment, you’re not alone. Coverage of outpatient PTSD treatment ultimately depends on the particular provider, plan, and benefits. However, under federal mental health parity laws, health insurance providers must cover mental health conditions at the same level as physical health conditions. This means that most insurance plans will cover at least part of the cost of treatment.

At Rubicon Mental Health Center, we accept many major private insurance plans, including UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and more. We offer a simple insurance verification process to help you determine your coverage, benefits, and probable out-of-pocket costs. For more information on insurance or admissions, reach out to our Admissions Department at admissions@rubiconbhc.com.

Find PTSD Treatment Near You in NJ, PA, & NY

If you’ve been struggling with flashbacks, nightmares, or other symptoms of PTSD, you can access comprehensive outpatient treatment at Rubicon Mental Health Center. Located in Watchung, NJ, we serve individuals from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York with compassionate and non-judgmental mental health treatment.

Our team includes clinicians, case managers, therapists, and psychiatric advanced practice nurses (APNs) who are passionate about helping patients improve their mental health, restore balance and stability, and enhance their quality of life. At Rubicon Mental Health Center, wellness is just a phone call away, and we’re here for you 24/7. Contact us online or call (908)-678-1870 today to learn more about our outpatient PTSD treatment near you in Watchung, NJ, or to check your insurance coverage.