Welcome to the board Eggshells.... You can join as many groups here as you'd like....

The Anxiety group is also active with some great people as is here..... big hug.....xo

Welcome aboard this DS lifeboat Eggshells. It is a busy site. Yes, PTSD loves to have friends, so most here have a variety of other diagnoses. For most, the other diagnoses preceded the PTSD one. When I first joined, I read lots of posts and replies. Many replies include tools we use to help during the PTSD, and other, moments. You may find that this shifts from an assignment to a healing place. Welcoming hugs.

Welcome eggshells. Triple hugs of support.

simpsonsok ~

I was definitely hoping to start with an assignment and move onto healing. I never considered online support and did not really know of its depth. I am looking forward to participating in my own healing and helping others if that be a happy accident.

SunCloudJD and EvergreenDreamer ~

Thank you so much, all of you, for the warm welcome and well wishes. I am looking forward to participating and hopefully learning some more about my disorder(s). I am going to focus on just one right now which seems to cause me the most trouble as I cannot yet recognize when the problem is my baggage and when it is a "real" problem.
Any education is welcome.
Thank you again.

Welcome. I really dont mean this in a horrid way but im majorly shocked you dont know much about these mental health disorders if ur studing family therapy. I assumed people may come to you because they suffer with some these disorders and its impacting their marraige?

Anyway welcome, i hope it helps.

Welcome from me, too, Eggshells, this is a healing place. Glad you found us.

Aspie, all the psychology branches do study the various mental health issues. Most are also called the "Wounded Healers", because of their own issues. Book learning is one thing; understanding what they look like in a person and how best to help each person is another. I think Eggshells teacher is giving those students the opportunity to see the healing power of support groups outside the one hour a week with a therapist. You are correct that these issues do impact marriages and serious relationships. Hugs to all.

Thank you, SimpsonsOK and Aspie! You are both correct and very accurate with your statements. There is, no doubt, a difference in self-healing and helping others to heal.
Aspie ~ I see where you could be shaking your head at me wondering what the heck I am doing in this field if I "don't know" about mental health. I am a juvenile crisis counselor and in my last year or two of my master's program. I was reading back through my posts and, maybe I am missing it, but I don't see where I said I don't know much about mental health or disorders. I am not offended. I think it is completely appropriate to question why I am in this field.
I am much more able to help others, notice connections for others to their symptomology and how those symptoms are interferring with their life (marriage, family dynamics, and otherwise). Do you ever have that "ah-ha moment" where you find you were terribly upset, and then later in the day or later in the week found yourself realizing that you had possibly over-reacted to something, that you could have handled a situation with more emotional balance, or that you just simply were triggered and did not notice it at the time? I think this is mostly where I fit in, except I am much better these days at recognizing my signs earlier rather than hours or days later when I reflect on a situation. These are key things I need to make sure I am aware of - to the best of my ability - when I work with others in my current position and upcoming years of practice. If I am working with someone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide (which is often) I have to be able to recognize my own thoughts and feelings so as to not make their problem my problem (boundaries), and to be able to identify when someone else's life story may sound like my own experiences, and then to be able to check myself that I am fully present for the other person without losing focus on the goal, which is to help the person in front of me get through their moment of either crisis or a personal challenge as it relates to symptomology.
I definitely appreciate your candor and directness. It challenges me to be honest with myself about my own issues so that I may provide the best possible care for others in a "safe" manner.

SimpsonsOK ~

Thank you for adding your thoughts on the topic. I have never heard the term "wounded healers" but I find that to be terribly accurate. Not only with myself, but with every other professional with which I work. Some of the professionals I work with have been in domestic violence and have found ways to help others break away from those relationships even if the "healer" still has ongoing trauma. It is quite impressive!
You are also correct in that our instructor is having us experience three different types of groups. One is relationship/family issues, one is addiction/recovery support, and the other is a self-reflection/personal issue support. We then have to identify certain aspects of each group (such as if there is a specific therapeutic method used such as Adlerian approach, for example). With the seven other meetings I attend, there is a focus, too, on the position of the leader of the group and the intervention techniques he or she uses.
This self-reflection group is also to provide us the opportunity to be hones with ourselves and our instructors to review for safety and the ability to display personal insight. I found myself pleasantly challenged by Aspie's question. Another goal is to hone my knowledge of the many types of therapy models so that I may work better with symptoms of mental health. Interventions are imperative.
I do have healing left. I have experienced traumatic events. Mental health is so much more than symptoms, though.
Thanks for being supportive

Eggshells, you will learn to separate your professional and personal self. Community Leaders here keep an eye out for folks who are advertising or violating the Rules of the Road to keep the sites safe. Addiction/recovery 12 step groups have a leader, which changes regularly. to simply make sure the protocol is followed and there is a topic, and all have a chance to share if they choose. Speaker meetings are based on the healing power of story telling, and let's those listening relate to it to enhance a sense of belonging. I think you shall do well in your chosen profession. Hugs.

Hi, again, SimpsonsOK. I spent years in AA and NA. I don't know if I could have made it this far without those 12 steps and support as a foundation. I was a mess. I thought that was it. I was "just an alcoholic", just "a junkie". Then I got sober. For real sober. And for lack of a better term: it was sobering....cheesy, right? Well, then comes the pain (for me). I had always had an image or two of my grandfather in my head, a specific image. Later on in years -- like about 15 -- I was fortunate enough to participate in EMDR therapy. I was terribly challenging, but the payoff has been worth it. Later on about 7 years later, I had the opportunity to participate in art therapy. Again, most challenging, but great payoff. I am just coming to terms with the fact that my PTSD is not just from CSA, but from an incredibly abusive and toxic relationship in my 20's that I had no idea what that looked like, and just now can see the connections between CSA and my first marriage that ended me up a widow (don't worry, he died from natural causes) --
I look forward to participating in this support group, although, I must admit, I don't know exactly what I am doing. I guess I just write stuff, and leave it for someone to respond....? Is there a more interactive area than this posting responses back and forth?

Years for me in Alanon paved the way for me to come here, Eggs. They also paved the way for me to become a hospital chaplain, that approach to a Higher Power being so helpful and openly inclusive. As for responses, besides the open board, members also "friend" folks to be able to read their DS journal and comment there, too.

Eggshells, these boards/groups allow people to give and get support. Community Leaders make sure the site stays safe. Nobody has ever come up with a theory that connects with 12 step groups. DS is similar. It is people sharing as peers who are dealing with the same issues. It does help to accept that each person's normal is what it is for what they are dealing with, and we are not alone. Just be you, and share away. It is not a class with a grade, just a group of kindred souls. Yes, recovery is about connecting the dots. Hugs.

Thank you, SimpsonsOK. I just posted my first journal entry. Honest, real, and what it is for my journey. Thank you for the support you have provided, it is making a difference.