“Jose’s” Story
“Jose” began using alcohol again to avoid pain and grief after his partner, “Ana,” the mother of his child, was killed by a drunk driver. After losing his home, Jose re-entered substance use treatment and met with a therapist who recognized that Jose was experiencing symptoms of PTSD in addition to loss and grief. Jose had nightmares about the death of Ana, felt depressed, and had withdrawn from his daughter. Jose shared how Ana had been a support for him, and how he felt like a failure because he could not protect her. Jose’s therapist educated him about PTSD and focused on support as he was approaching the one-year anniversary of Ana’s death. Then Jose’s therapist had the opportunity to receive training by the Gavin Farrell Foundation in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), a first-line, evidence-based treatment for PTSD.
CPT taught Jose to examine and challenge his unhelpful thoughts about the trauma, to process his grief and loss, and to realize that he was not to blame and could not have stopped this tragic event. As treatment progressed, Jose developed the ability to notice these unhelpful and inaccurate beliefs, recognize when he started to blame himself, and remind himself that it was a terrible accident and that he couldn’t have predicted or prevented it. After 11 sessions of CPT, Jose was able to re-engage in life, feel joy, and start to share positive memories about Ana. CPT even offered an opportunity for Jose to process another trauma—the traumatic loss of his brother. Jose continues to maintain his sobriety and attends counseling for his substance use. He has moved forward and is now able to parent to his daughter again and support her grieving the loss of her mother. He is seeking employment to better their future.