PTSD Worksheet

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.
Step 1
Psychological debriefing.
Is a formal version of providing emotional and psychological support immediately following a

traumatic event; the goal is to prevent development of PTSD and other negative situations.
Psychological debriefing sessions last 1-3 hours in a single session immediately after a traumatic
event.
Debriefing psychological methods and alternatives.
What a debriefing session may achieve.
 Allows victims to talk freely about their emotions/feelings

 Clear up misconceptions regarding incident
 Provide victims with information concerning anxiety disorders
 Identify victims who need additional psychological support.
Tasks:
Educate and inform on symptoms/nature of PTSD assure that they can be handled- DONE
Possible symptoms: Avoidance, headaches, fear, anxiety, isolation, irritability, anguish and
depression.
Triggers: smells (gasoline, smoke, fire, metal, gases), sirens, picking up car keys, driver’s seat,
act of driving, being a passenger, driving on road where accident happened,
Actions to take while continuing PTSD treatment.
1. Stay connected: Spend time with supportive/caring people. Family, friends etc.You
don’t have to talk about what happened if you don’t want to. Sharing time with loved
ones can help with the healing
2. Mindfulness: yoga, deep breathing, muscle relaxation and meditation.
3. Break the cycle: When you feel anxious, take a break- brisk walk, jump into a hobby to
refocus.
4. Take care of yourself: Enough rest, healthy diet, exercise, take time to relax. Avoid
caffeine, nicotine-worsens anxiety.
5. Consider a support group: Look for support groups related to PTSD or stress.
6. Learn about PTSD: Knowledge can help you understand your feelings/develop coping
strategies.
7. Don’t self-medicate: Turning to alcohol/drugs to numb feelings isn’t healthy, even
though it may be a tempting way to cope. May interfere with treatment/prevent
healing.
8. Follow your treatment plan: It may take a while to see the benefits of therapy but it can
b effective and most people do recover. Remind self that it takes time. Follow treatment
plan and routinely communicate with your mental health professional.
Things to note: Symptoms cluster around three areas.

i. Reliving the event via nightmares/vivid images with reactions such as
shaking/chills/palpitations.
ii. Avoidance: emotional withdrawal/detachment from friends or activities
iii. Being hyper aroused/easily startled/irritable/ difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
Worksheet 1. How am I coping?
Purpose: To think about how you are coping with stress and determine whether my coping
mechanisms are healthy or unhealthy.
Instructions:
 Think back to how you have dealt with stress this past week.
 Write down a few sentences about how you have been feeling and what you have done
to cope with those feelings.
 Then take a look at what you have written, and try to decide what is adaptive and what
is maladaptive coping- that is, what is healthy or unhealthy?
Example:
What happened, how I felt, and how I coped:
On Monday I felt really tired after my boss yelled at me at work. The way he was disrespecting
me reminded me of how my ex-husband used to treat me. It brought back all the memories of
hitting and screaming. I felt so awful—I smoked a few cigarettes on the way home. I ordered a
pizza for dinner, watched TV, and didn’t pick up the phone when my daughter called. On
Thursday I was feeling a lot more upbeat. I actually went out to lunch with my friend—which
was really nice. It was good to laugh.
Healthy coping: getting support from my friend, humor and laughing.
Unhealthy coping: eating greasy food when I wasn’t that hungry; smoking; isolating myself
Worksheet 2
Your goals should have a time frame and an activity as below.
MY WORKSHEET.
GOAL: My goal is to do some stretches and ten pushups for ten minutes each morning three
times this week.
Activity practice session 1.
Level of anxiety before activity.
{0=not anxious-10=extremely anxious} 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Body sensations before activity:
{feeling tired, butterflies in my stomach, heavy chest}
Level of anxiety after activity.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Body sensations after activity:
{I feel less tired, no butterflies in my stomach, lighter chest}
You can go to 7 times a week or any number of days. Start small and progress as you start to
get used to the exercises.
Worksheet: Progressive Muscle Relaxation.
Purpose: To understand the difference between tension and relaxation in your

body, so you can stop muscle tension before it builds up.
Instructions: Start in a comfortable position, sitting in a chair. Tense and relax each muscle
group according to the guidance below. In each set of muscles, pay special attention to the
difference between the feelings of tension and the feelings of relaxation. Hold each tense
position for a count of ten. Release slowly and hold for ten seconds. Notice the differences in
your muscles when tensed and when released.
Rate your anxiety level before and after each practice session.
i. Tense your toes by curling them inward toward the soles of your feet. Release by letting
them come back to their normal position.
ii. Tense your ankles by bringing your toes up toward the ceiling while your heels stay on
the ground. Release by letting them drop back to the floor.
iii. Tense your calves and quadriceps (thigh) muscles by squeezing them. Release them
completely.
iv. Squeeze the muscles in your gluteus together. Release.
v. Tighten your stomach muscles by sucking your stomach in as far as you can. Release
your stomach to its normal position.
vi. Tense your back muscles by taking in a deep chest breath. Release as you exhale.
vii. Tighten your shoulders and upper back by pushing your shoulder blades together.
Release.
viii. Tense your neck and shoulders by pushing your shoulders up toward your ears. Release
as you let them droop to a comfortable position.
ix. Clench your fists. Release by letting your fingers come back to a natural, but somewhat
curled position.
x. Tighten your biceps by extending your arms and “making a muscle.” Release by letting
your arms go.
xi. Tense your facial muscles by lifting your eyebrows up as far as they can go. Release.
xii. Close your eyes until your face is “scrunched up,” and feel the muscles around your
eyes. Release and open your eyes.
xiii. Pucker your lips (an exaggerating “kissing” face). Relax as you let go of the muscles
around your lips and jaw.
Example:
PMR Practice Session 1
Level of anxiety before PMR (0=not at all anxious; 10=extremely anxious):
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Level of anxiety after PMR (0=not at all anxious; 10=extremely anxious):
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Notes on thoughts, feelings, and body sensations: I didn’t even realize that I was
tensing my shoulders most of the time. The difference between when they feel
loose—way below my ears—and when I hold them at close to my chin is amazing. I
feel a little bit nervous being this relaxed. My jaw still feels somewhat tight. I think
I need to practice with this muscle group.
PMR Practice Session 1

Level of anxiety before PMR (circle one: 0=not at all anxious; 10=extremely anxious):
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Level of anxiety after PMR (circle one: 0=not at all anxious; 10=extremely anxious):
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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What are some common symptoms of PTSD?

What are some common triggers that may exacerbate PTSD symptoms?

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

Is a formal version of providing emotional and psychological support immediately following a

 Allows victims to talk freely about their emotions/feelings

Things to note: Symptoms cluster around three areas.

Healthy coping: getting support from my friend, humor and laughing.

Purpose: To understand the difference between tension and relaxation in your

PMR Practice Session 1

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