Description

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Your trauma doesn't need to define you. In The PTSD Survival Guide for Teens, trauma specialist Sheela Raja--along with her teen daughter Jaya Ashrafi--offers evidence-based skills to help you find strength, confidence, and resilience in the aftermath of trauma.

If you've experienced trauma or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the world can seem like a very frightening place. You may even question your own deeply held beliefs, as well as the motives of others. It's important for you to know that you aren't alone, and there isn't anything wrong with you. Many teens have suffered traumatic events, and there are solid skills you can learn that will help you recover. So, how can you begin healing and start building the life you were always meant to lead?

In this compassionate guide, you'll find skills based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you tackle anxiety and harmful avoidance behaviors; manage negative emotions; cope with flashbacks and nightmares; and develop trusting, healthy relationships--even if your trust in others has been shaken to the core. You'll also learn more about the diagnosis and symptoms of PTSD and understand what kind of help is available to you.

Whether you've been diagnosed with PTSD or are simply living with the aftereffects of a traumatic event, you shouldn't have to suffer alone. This book will help you to find strength within so you can move forward.

This book has been selected as an Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Book Recommendation--an honor bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

About the Author

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Sheela Raja, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, author of Overcoming Trauma and PTSD, and coauthor of The Sexual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls. Raja is an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she researches the impact of trauma on health. Raja completed her internship and postdoctoral training at the National Center for PTSD in Boston, MA. She is a highly sought-after national and international speaker, a blogger for Huff Post, and a frequent contributor to various print and television media outlets. Sheela's daughter, Jaya Raja Ashrafi, is a high school student who is passionate about social justice and treating children and teens with dignity and respect. She is an honors student and was the recipient of a civic action scholarship, where she learned about how tweens and teens can become involved in the fight against poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, and discrimination.