What is trauma therapy in Toms River, NJ?

During the first year of the VA’s new program giving veteran service members access to acute suicide crisis care, 49,714 veterans have used the service, saving thousands of lives. The program, which began on January 17th, 2023, has had immense success in preventing veteran suicide and connecting veterans with crisis mental health care when they need it.

In 2024, Toms River, NJ, is looking to increase its access to crisis mental health services for veterans by opening its own VA clinic. The new Veterans Administration clinic opened in the spring of 2024 after two years of working on it. Before, veterans had to travel to Brick's James J. Howard Outpatient Clinic, which they said was chronically understaffed with limited parking, leaving many veterans to travel even further to have their needs met.

Veteran’s mental health is of crucial importance in the states. Serving in the military comes with an increased risk for mental health issues, including suicide. An estimated 22 veterans die by suicide every single day, a horrific number that is prompting the need for better trauma therapy and veterans assistance across the United States.

What are the mental health issues of Veterans?

Veterans who have served in the military often leave with worse mental health than they started with. This is especially true for those who served combat roles and experienced war, violence, injury, and death.

Veterans are at a higher risk for mental illnesses such as:

They are also more likely to experience homelessness and joblessness after they return home.

The Veterans Administration (VA) is an organization built to assist veterans in their transition to civilian life, which includes supporting their mental health. However, until recently mental health aid was lacking, as shown by the high rates of mental illness and suicide among vets.

Veterans Administration New Suicide Crisis Care

In 2023, the VA started a new program that strengthens the crisis and acute mental health care afforded to vets. This program detailed that vets experiencing suicidal crises can go to any VA or non-VA healthcare facility for free emergency care.

This program increases the reach of the VA, making it so veterans who aren’t currently enrolled in the VA but still meet the criteria of veterans receive high-quality emergency mental health care.

The benefits of this program include:

Emergent suicide care is provided by, paid for, or reimbursed by VA.
Expanded access and eligibility (Individuals do not need to be enrolled in the VA system to use this benefit).
Assurance that they will not be responsible for costs associated with emergency suicide care, including emergency transportation.
Referral for appropriate VA programs and benefits they may be eligible for following the period of emergent suicide care.

All a veteran has to do is go to any ER or VA, tell the staff that they are covered by this policy, and the staff will alert the VA while treatment is being given.

In the last year, this policy has helped around 50,000 veterans with acute suicidal emergencies.

Now, veterans will be able to receive this life-saving care right from Toms River’s new VA center, cutting down on travel time and cost and getting veterans the quality suicide prevention care they deserve.

Why is Trauma Therapy in Toms River so Important?

Many of the veterans helped by this program are dealing with trauma. Trauma is defined as emotional, psychological, and physical response to an incredibly distressing event. War, deployment, and violence are all events that classify as traumatic and can cause severe reactions known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

Symptoms of PTSD include:

Intrusive memories: Distressing, vivid memories, often in the form of flashbacks, nightmares, or distressing thoughts related to the traumatic event.
Avoidance: Efforts to avoid external reminders of the traumatic event, including people, places, conversations, or activities that may trigger distressing memories.
Negative changes in thinking and mood: Persistent negative beliefs about oneself or the world, distorted feelings of detachment or estrangement from others, and markedly diminished interest in activities previously enjoyed.
Changes in emotional reactions: Experiencing ongoing emotional numbness, lack of positive emotions, or heightened feelings of fear, anger, or irritability.
Hypervigilance: Persistent and heightened state of alertness, often leading to difficulty concentrating, irritability, and experiencing an exaggerated startle response.

For veterans, PTSD can be incredibly detrimental and lead to suicide. Some veterans may also develop complex PTSD, although that disorder is more commonly found in survivors of child abuse. Trauma therapy is one way that people can heal from PTSD.

Trauma Therapy in Toms River is available in many different ways. For veterans, they can go through the new VA center to find affordable (and sometimes free) trauma care. If you have a trauma therapist and are experiencing crisis suicidal thoughts, either go to your local VA clinic or an ER or call 988 (and press 2 to be connected to the veteran hotline).

It’s important to note that trauma therapy, although yielding great long-term results, is not a crisis service, meaning it cannot deal with immediate, life-threatening crises. (Although the VA’s new program is a crisis service.)

Trauma therapy works in steps. You won’t be expected to confront your trauma right away unless you’re ready to. Instead, your therapist will slowly help you confront the harmful symptoms and memories of the trauma while working on healthy coping mechanisms. How trauma therapy works precisely is determined by the type of trauma therapy or modality you choose.

Trauma therapy works by:

Creating a safe environment: Trauma therapy begins by establishing a safe and supportive therapeutic environment where you can openly discuss your experiences without judgment or shame.
Building trust with a therapist: Developing a strong client-therapist relationship is crucial in trauma therapy. A skilled and compassionate therapist at Lifebulb will strive to understand your unique needs and challenges, offering empathy and validation.
Education and normalization: Your therapist will help you better understand the effects of trauma, its impact on your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. This knowledge can be a source of empowerment and reassurance, as it helps normalize your experience.
Processing traumatic memories: Trauma therapy typically involves techniques like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or exposure therapy to help process and reframe traumatic memories, reducing their emotional power.
Developing coping strategies: With the guidance of your therapist, you'll learn practical coping strategies to manage distressing symptoms such as anxiety or flashbacks. These techniques may include relaxation exercises, mindfulness, grounding techniques, and stress management strategies.
Addressing negative beliefs: Trauma often leads to negative beliefs about oneself or the world. Your therapist will help identify and challenge these negative beliefs, replacing them with healthier and more adaptive thoughts.
Gradual exposure: Gradual exposure to triggering stimuli, under the guidance of your therapist, helps desensitize you to distressing reminders of the traumatic event, reducing their impact over time.
Processing emotions: Trauma therapy allows space for you to explore and express a wide range of emotions associated with your trauma. Your therapist will provide support, validation, and guidance throughout this process.

what is trauma therapy?

Remember, trauma therapy is a journey that respects your unique needs and healing process. Lifebulb's dedicated therapists are committed to walking alongside you as you navigate the path toward living your brightest life. You have the resilience and strength to heal, and we're here to empower and support you every step of the way.

If you are looking for affordable, online trauma therapy in Toms River, Lifebulb Counseling can help. Although we are not a crisis center we do offer trained, effective trauma therapy for those struggling with PTSD or the aftermaths of trauma. Call our team to learn more.

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