| Studies show that 97% of rape survivors
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| | they may keep their feelings bottled up.
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| will experience PTSD. Almost 50% of
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| | But talking with a counselor can help.
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| survivors still meet the criteria for
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| | Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one
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| PTSD even three months after the rape.
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| | type of counseling. It appears to be the
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| Nearly 1/3 of people with addictions have
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| | most effective type of counseling for
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| been raped. For many people, alcohol and
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| | PTSD. There are different types of
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| drugs helps them sleep and numb the
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| | cognitive behavioral therapies such as
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| memories of the rape. So while many
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| | cognitive therapy and exposure therapy.
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| people can heal and move forward, a large
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| | There is also a similar kind of therapy
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| percentage of survivors simply cannot. We
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| | called eye movement desensitization and
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| all know that rape is not about sex. It
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| | reprocessing (EMDR) that is used for
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| is about power, control, and
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| | PTSD. Medications such as antidepressants
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| intimidation. Rape is a violent crime
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| | have also been shown to be effective.
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| which produces painful psycho- and
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| | Additionally, telemental health has also
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| physio-logical reprecussions. Every
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| | been shown to be helpful for some
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| person that is raped expresses fear for
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| | patients who would not ordinarily be
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| his or her life whether or not a weapon
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| | willing or able to seek services. What is
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| is used. Rape trauma syndrome usually
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| | telemental health? Telemedicine, also
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| goes through three relatively
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| | known as telehealth, uses electronic
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| predicatable phases. The first phase
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| | communications to provide and support
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| "impact and disorganization" involves a
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| | healthcare when distance separates the
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| great deal of chaos in the victim's life
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| | participants (Field, 1996). Telemedicine
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| as a result of the rape. Victims often
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| | uses various communication methods to
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| cannot concentrate, make decisions and
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| | connect clinicians and patients - in lieu
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| their short term memory is usually poor.
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| | of them meeting in person. The term
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| Going to the grocery store or other
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| | telemental health services typically
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| mundane activities are very difficult.
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| | refers to behavioral health services that
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| Fear, anxiety, guilt and anger may be
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| | are provided using communication
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| prominent. During the second phase,
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| | technology. These services include
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| reorganization, the victim begins to
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| | clinical assessment, individual and group
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| organize his or her lifestyle. A change
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| | psychotherapy, psycho-educational
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| in activities including changing
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| | interventions, cognitive testing, and
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| residences, hobbies and beginning to have
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| | general psychiatry. The term telemental
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| nightmares, and phobias are likely during
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| | health describes the overall situation in
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| this period. The third phase, "resolution
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| | which a clinician uses various
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| and integration" involves the victim
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| | technologies to deliver mental health
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| begining to re-establish her emotional
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| | care to a patient who is miles away. The
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| equilibrium and regains her adapted
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| | major benefit of telemental health is
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| lifestyle. One of the immediate problems
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| | that it eliminates travel that may be
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| that a victim may experience is the
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| | disruptive or costly. In addition,
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| difficulty sleeping. This problem may be
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| | telemental health is a useful tool in
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| heightened if the person was home asleep
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| | situations, where the patient cannot get
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| when he or she was attacked or if the
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| | to the clinician. Telemental health also
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| rape took place within the home. A large
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| | allows mental health providers toconsult
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| number of the victims will move after
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| | with or provide supervision to one
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| they have been raped, as the fear that
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| | another. Telemental health may utilize a
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| the man knows who they are and may
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| | variety of technologies, and is still
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| return: some will resort to moving out of
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| | considered an untapped opportunity for
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| town or out of the state and not just
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| | many psychologists, social workers, and
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| across town. Another commong post-rape
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| | counselors (Maheu, Whitten, & Allen
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| emotion that people experience is fear.
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| | 2001). Telemental health can make use of
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| There may be a general fear of people or
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| | electronic mail (e-mail), electronic
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| of men as the person struggles with
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| | administration of psychological tests,
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| learning to trust people again. A victim
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| | online self-help groups, chat rooms,
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| may also experience a period of time
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| | blogs, and websites. Telemental Health
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| immediately after the rape when he or she
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| | and PTSD While preliminary research has
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| unwilling to come into contact with
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| | shown that a variety of telemental health
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| anyone,even family and loved ones. A
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| | modalities are feasible, reliable, and
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| mother may notice a sudden change in her
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| | satisfactory for general clinical
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| behavior and reactions with her children.
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| | assessments and care (Frueh et al., 2000;
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| Many parents suddenly become
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| | Hilty, Marks, Urness, Yellowlees, &
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| over-protective of their children. They
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| | Nesbitt, 2004), much less is known about
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| may also have difficulty with
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| | the clinical application and general
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| irritability and exaggerated anger
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| | effectiveness of telemental health for
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| responses to situations in which they
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| | the assessment or treatment of PTSD. For
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| perceives a threat to their child(ren).
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| | individuals with a history of trauma
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| Victims will often try to justify to
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| | exposure, the first step in getting the
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| themselves that everything is alright. By
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| | necessary treatment is to have an
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| doing this they often suppresses their
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| | accurate assessment of psychiatric or
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| feelings. One way of relieving these
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| | psychological symptoms, related problems,
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| suppressed feelings is by daydreaming or
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| | and factors influencing functioning. The
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| adopting a dangerous lifestyle doing
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| | accuracy of a PTSD diagnosis is important
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| things that they would not ordinarily do,
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| | for both treatment implications and
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| just to prove to themselves that they are
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| | benefit claims. If possible, the initial
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| not afraid and can still do whatever they
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| | assessment should be done face-to-face or
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| want. Eventually, survivors realize that
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| | at least via video conferencing. After
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| they cannot go on without facing these
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| | that, treatment may occur via telemental
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| feelings and dealing with the reality of
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| | health. Based on early pilot studies,
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| the situation. They may drastically
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| | telemental health appears to be a
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| change their lifestyle at this point by
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| | promising way to offer skills-training
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| moving, getting a dog, acquiring a
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| | and assessment from a distance to
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| roommate or lover, or by limiting or
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| | individuals with PTSD. Clinical
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| increasing physical activity. Most rape
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| | considerations Using telemental health
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| victims experience strong feelings of
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| | for clinical work requires planning and
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| guilt. This is often one of the most
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| | preparation. It is important to consider
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| difficult parts of the rape to deal with.
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| | logistics, such as preparation of the
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| Victims of aquaintance rape or "date
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| | room and equipment, and to be sure there
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| rape" can be even more traumatized than
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| | is technological and clinical backup
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| with other types of sexual assault
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| | support. It is also important to consider
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| because feelings or shame, guilt, fear,
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| | the patient's convenience, privacy and
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| disbelief, and lowered self esteem are
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| | access to emergency services. It is
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| often very strong. It becomes hard for
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| | recommended that trauma-focused
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| the person to know who he or she can
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| | interventions, such as exposure therapy,
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| trust. Because the perpetrator was a
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| | not be provided using a telemental health
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| trusted person may cause the victim may
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| | technology. There is a great possibility
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| initially deny the experience as if
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| | that the client will experience intense
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| nothing happened. Whatever the victim's
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| | emotional distress with this type of
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| feelings are after the assault, it is
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| | treatment, and it may be very difficult
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| important that he or she be able to talk
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| | to manage the discussion and contain the
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| about them to someone who is willing to
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| | situation when providing remote services.
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| let her express his or her feelings and
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| | Since telemental health is offered (in
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| who will not make personal judgements or
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| | most cases) because there is not adequate
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| decisions about how he or she is reacting
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| | or specialized services at the patient's
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| or how he or she should have handled the
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| | site, it is unethical to delve into
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| situation. The amount of support and
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| | traumatic experiences without having the
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| understanding that a survivors receive
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| | necessary clinical backup available.
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| from their family and friends is of
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| | However, telemental health can be used to
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| critical importance in their recovery and
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| | successfully provide clinically
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| restoration to their prior level of
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| | significant interventions such as basic
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| functioning. Treatment of PTSD It is
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| | PTSD education, symptom management,
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| important for all counselors and
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| | coping-skills training, and stress
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| addictions professionals to be aware of
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| | management.
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| how rape affects people and the
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| | Dr. Snipes received her PhD in Counseling
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| treatments available. Once a patient has
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| | and Education from the University of
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| confided in you, he or she may not want
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| | Florida. She is an ordained Christian
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| to switch to a victim advocate or other
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| | minister . Currently she runs two online
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| therapist to treat the PTSD. Today, there
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| | continuing education sites Continuing
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| are good treatments available. Patients
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| | Education for Engineers and online
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| who have PTSD can (and usually will) find
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| | continuing education for counselors,
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| dealing with the past can be hard.
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| | addictions professionals and social
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| Instead of telling others how they feel,
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| | workers.
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