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As the Executive Director of ADAA, I am always thrilled when we realize our work is making a difference and that we are reaching farther and wider. So, when the Hadassah Foundation, a mental health organization in Cameroon, contacted ADAA with a request to access our free member-created, publicly available, evidence-based resources, we not only acquiesced, we collaborated.  

"At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself overwhelmed with anxiety. I was rightfully worried about the transition of over 500 individuals and families to telehealth... To my very pleasant surprise, my anxieties did not come to fruition." Read Dr. Rosmarin's findings about how in person and telehealth therapy helped prevent patient's anxiety during the pandemic.

Aleiia Asmundson might just be the youngest person to have ever attended an ADAA conference. Her father, renowned Canadian psychologist and professor, Gordon J. G. Asmundson, PhD, brought his daughter to ADAA conferences when she was a toddler, which may have influenced her decision to follow in her father’s footsteps.

Telehealth allows for increased access to care, providing a flexible option for families, and allows for exposure work in the home setting where compulsions may be the strongest. Yet, telehealth does not come without challenges.

In 2009 I decided to step out of my comfort zone and open a solo private practice. I’ve enjoyed the last 15 years in private practice, and looking back, there are some choices I made that were on point, some that were errors in judgements, but all were learning experiences.

Firearm ownership is undoubtedly a risk factor for suicide. While it is not the only risk factor, it is a significant one and certainly the most lethal. Firearms are a common method of suicide in veterans with high rates of gun ownership.

How can we process inconceivable events and go about living our day to day lives? As a trauma and anxiety therapist, I am here to tell you that while it is extremely difficult, it is possible. Here are some suggestions for how to cope during these difficult times.

Fear is one of the six basic human emotions, with a clear evolutionary purpose: to help us respond to danger and survive. In Exposure Therapy, providers create a safe environment to intentionally “expose” their clients to objects, activities, or situations they fear.

Many years of research (much of which has been conducted by the authors of this post) have shown that people who try to avoid memories and reminders of difficult experiences have more symptoms of PTSD and depression, and other problems over time.

What happens in PTSD, is that the brain goes into the fight and flight mode and is constantly on alert to protect the person from recurrence of the highly dangerous experience. But the problem is that it cannot come down from that state of heightened arousal, even after leaving the dangerous situation, and coming back to the safe life environment. 

If you’re wondering whether you or a loved one might be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are some important things for you to know.