Managing PTSD For Health and Social Care Professionals: Help for the Helpers, Jan Smith

I have been involved in both health and social care for almost fifty years and throughout that time I have witnessed both the highs and lows of the profession. It can be a thoroughly rewarding career, but unfortunately at times, extremely stressful. Health and social care staff often experience high caseloads, long hours and sadly at times a toxic workplace environment. That stress can manifest itself in many ways, including fatigue, anxiety and sadly, post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can be easily recognised and diagnosed by a professional, but not always by the person who is suffering from the condition. I say this from experience because I was diagnosed with PTSD a number of years ago as a result of a serious road accident that left me hospitalised for many months and having to learn to walk again and now living with a lifetime physical and mental health disability as a result.

I found this book by Dr Jan Smith to be extremely helpful. It is written in a style that is easy to follow with helpful advice and beneficial coping strategies. I have read a number of publications covering the topic of PTSD but what I personally like about this publication is the fact that it gives you lots of useful and practical exercises that you can carry out yourself. I also like the holistic approach to mental healthcare featured throughout the publication.

Dr Jan Smith also covers in her book trigger points and stressful situations that can impact on your personal mental health and well-being.

The book is full of useful advice and observations including being aware of negative people, learning to say no and finding your own voice. Of course, this is easy to say if you are a confident person but not so easy if you are under stress and finding it difficult to cope.

On a personal level, I wish I had been given a copy of this book many years ago, because I am sure it would have helped me cope with my experience of PTSD and given me the much-needed advice for self-management and how to avoid stressful situations.

Dr Jan Smith’s publication covers both the medical model of PTSD care and the psychosocial model.

An added bonus is the ability to make personal notes within the book itself. With its clever size, making it easy to carry and store, I am sure this book will be a valuable tool for the profession.