OMAHA, Neb. (June 27, 2017) – June 27 is National PTSD Awareness Day, providing an opportunity for communities to become more educated about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), its causes and treatment options. PTSD is a mental health problem that can happen to anyone who has been exposed to dangerous or deadly events, including military combat. Since 2009, the Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) At Ease program has provided confidential, individualized counseling services and support groups for active military, veterans and their loved ones to treat the effects of trauma, including PTSD. Working in collaboration with At Ease USA, last year LFS helped more than 1,334 active military members, veterans and their loved ones throughout the state of Nebraska, including many with PTSD.

Paul Greenwell, the LFS At Ease Clinical Supervisor and an Army National Guard Member, believes anyone struggling to cope with trauma can have PTSD. “I think people need to know that PTSD and mental health issues in general are not a sign of weakness,” Greenwell says. “What we’re discovering is that PTSD is the body’s way of dealing with extraordinary circumstances. We see this on a neurological level; we see this on a psychological level.”

According to Greenwell, those suffering from PTSD often struggle alone. They turn away from society, friends and family, and often turn to drugs and/or alcohol to cope with feelings of depression, anxiety, flashbacks or nightmares.

Air Force veteran Kim Jones counsels individuals and families through the LFS At Ease program. Jones says that family members can take the first step towards treatment by getting help themselves. “Getting support for family members of a loved one with PTSD is crucially important,” Jones says.  “It doesn’t just impact the veteran or the person with the trauma, it impacts the entire family.”

Both Jones and Greenwell want PTSD Awareness Day to serve as a reminder to be patient and provide support to anyone who may be suffering from PTSD, but they also would like those suffering from PTSD to realize that there is hope.

“On PTSD Awareness Day, I would like people to know is that recovery is possible,” Jones says. “We often hear about the negative effects, and rarely hear about successes. But the success stories are out there. People recover. Marriages are saved. Families are kept together. Recovery is possible.”

LFS helps those suffering from PTSD with confidential, individualized counseling services for veterans and their loved ones, regardless of the ability to pay. For more information about At Ease or other Lutheran Family Services programs, please visit www.LFSneb.org or call 402.292.9105.

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About Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc.

Established in 1892, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) is a faith-based, not-for-profit, multi-service human care agency with locations across Nebraska and an office in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The LFS mission is “to express God’s love for all people by providing quality human care services that build and strengthen individual, family and community life.”

LFS demonstrates its mission through three broad service areas:

• Behavioral Health Services, including outpatient mental health services and therapy, substance use treatment, sexual abuse/incest treatment, 24/7 mobile crisis response, peer support, At Ease therapeutic support for active military, veterans and their loved ones, Health 360 Integrated Care in Lincoln and specialized counseling for children, adolescents, adults and families;
• Children Services, providing parenting support and prevention/early intervention programs; RSafe^® treatment for children and families impacted by sexual abuse; infant, international and foster care adoption services and searches; Right Turn^® post adoption services; foster care; pregnancy counseling; maternal health care and family support services; youth diversion services; and
• Community Services, providing refugee resettlement services, immigration legal services, interpretation services, case management, and education and employment services for new populations.

2017 marks the 125th anniversary of LFS’ founding as two orphanages in Fremont and Omaha, Nebraska.

LFS is accredited by the Council on Accreditation and an accredited charity by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), receiving an Integrity Award in 2013. LFS is a Nonprofit Association of the Midlands Guidelines and Principles Best Practices Partner; a recipient of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce Greater Omaha Business Excellence Award in 2014 and 2015, and the 2016 recipient of the Omaha Bar Association Public Service Award.

To learn more visit. www.LFSneb.org.