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General News: Post-Traumatic Stress Counseling
November 24, 2008
From St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital
The Hudson Valley Center for Development, located at the medical pavilion on the grounds of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital’s Cornwall campus, is offering counseling services for combat veterans and civilian emergency service personnel who are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The services are being provided by Major Joseph Geraci, M.Ed., a graduate of the United States Military Academy and Columbia University and a two-tour combat-arms veteran of the war in Afghanistan.
“Our studies indicate that up to 8,000 of the combat veterans in Orange County may be suffering from symptoms of PTSD and related disorders, and that the majority of these individuals have not sought treatment,” said Major Geraci. Officials estimate that there are 27,000 war veterans in Orange County, 1,400 of which are returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
PTSD can develop in an individual after a frightening experience that typically involves the threat or actuality of physical harm. Individuals with PTSD often suffer flashbacks of the traumatic events, are anxious and can be startled easily, and often will feel “numb,” leading to withdrawal from friends and loved ones. Sleep can become disturbed, and the rates of alcohol, drug use and depression are significantly higher in those who are diagnosed with PTSD.
Major Geraci added, “We also offer assistance to family members of those suffering from PTSD, as they may often have difficulty understanding and managing such dramatic behavioral changes in their loved ones. Our hope is that, by offering such services in a private-practice setting, we will encourage those who are reluctant to seek treatment.”
Director of the Center, Barry Shrem, Ph.D., who was involved in the recovery efforts at the World Trade Center post-9/11, noted, “Major Geraci brings to the experience of counseling something that most civilian therapists cannot – actual experience in combat. This increases his ability to identify and empathize with his patients. He is a valuable asset to our counseling team and our community.”
For more information, or to schedule an appointment with Major Geraci or arrange other individual/family counseling and education services, call the Hudson Valley Center for Development at (845) 458-4557.
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