June Simon Stoelzel Lmft

Ptsd Quick Read: Understanding & Coping with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder June Simon Stoelzel Lmft

Publisher Marketing: As a child, I was told that I thought "outside the box." This was not meant to be a com- pliment. My main interest was to be a detective to uncover why people did things and acted in interesting ways. I received my first B. S. Degree in Art and Science. My sculp- ture teacher placed a large block of wood at each student's workstation. I was used to the additive process of welding and had never experienced the carving away process. His presentation was, "In this block of wood there is a magnificent piece of sculpture. Now, cut away everything else!" Years later, I received an MA in Psychology and trained at U. C. Medical Center in San Francisco to become a Certified Sex Therapist. For over 30 years, I treated clients with PTSD related mostly to sexual trauma and general sexual dysfunction for which there was no organic cause. In addition, I worked at hospitals, clinics, abused women's cen- ters, the welfare department, and inner-city boys clubs. These experiences gave me in- sight that there truly was not a "one size fits all" approach. Cognitive Behavioral Theory enables the Therapist to facilitate coping skills that are appropriate for what each client is going through. Symptoms can make sense once the underlying causes are identified, and the negative emotions were brought into the realm of logic. I never found that magnificent piece of artwork but I never forgot, "Now cut away every- thing else." I designed these worksheets to make sense of symptoms and provide a structure for applying new coping skills based upon underlying issues. At last, this was the detective work that had always enticed me!