AMFM (A Mission for Michael) meets those laboring through PTSD and trauma with compassion, clinical concern, and integrative treatment. To understand PTSD—post-traumatic stress disorder—is to understand where it starts, why it gets some more intensely than others, and how we develop the resilience that keeps us going. This page takes you through the causes of PTSD, risk factors, what contributes to building resilience, and how AMFM makes all of it possible.
PTSD is a learnt mental disorder that follows exposure to or witnessing of a traumatic event: near-death crashes, natural disasters, rape, violence, or combat. Symptoms are re-living the trauma with flashbacks and nightmares, avoidance of reminders, negative thoughts and mood changes, and hyperarousal (easily startled, easily irritable). Symptoms disrupt daily functioning, work, and interpersonal relationships.1
Most people who have been exposed to trauma do experience initial reactions of stress—fear, mourning, anxiety—but not everyone develops PTSD. It is a matter of risk, exposure, biology, and support for which cruelty, chaos, or crisis become chronic PTSD in some (but by no means all) individuals.
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If we are not an appropriate provider for care, we will assist in finding a care provider that can help.
An estimated 6.8% of American adults will have experienced PTSD at some time during their lifetime; lower but still substantial in adolescents. Nearly half of all U.S. adults report having had one or more traumatic experiences during their lifetime, but exposure is not synonymous with PTSD.2
Exposure to trauma is common, but PTSD doesn’t affect everyone in the same way, which underscores the role of risk and resilience factors in determining who develops long-term symptoms.
By following thousands of cases, researchers have come to understand some of the predictors that increase the likelihood of developing PTSD after trauma:
Previous mental illness—e.g., depression, anxiety disorders— can weaken coping mechanisms and enhance vulnerability to PTSD.
PTSD interferes with in concrete ways:
These symptoms disrupt work, school, parenting, and self. Clients come in with physical health issues as well as mental health issues—heart rate and chronic pain—all overlapping.7
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Complete the form to receive a prompt call back from a member of our experienced and compassionate admissions staff. All communication is 100% confidential.
Risk does not equal fate. Most individuals who are exposed to trauma recover or adapt well due to resilience factors that serve as protective buffers against PTSD:
At AMFM, we don’t treat the diagnosis, we treat the whole person. Here’s how we combine the science of risk and resilience into real professional mental health care near you:
We begin by learning about the traumatic experiences you’ve been through—including their severity, frequency, and impact on your life. We also explore your mental health history, social context, and current challenges.
When appropriate, we offer psychiatric support, including SSRIs and other medications to help manage anxiety, depression, and other co-occurring symptoms.
We foster community by offering structured support groups and connection with peers who understand what it’s like to live with trauma.
We teach mindfulness, stress regulation, grounding techniques, and help clients rebuild confidence and autonomy.
Complete the form to receive a prompt call back from a member of our experienced and compassionate admissions staff. All communication is 100% confidential.
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PTSD isn’t a life sentence. It’s the delayed aftershock of something that blew by your nervous system’s natural capacity to handle it. It’s your body and brain trying their best to survive something that shouldn’t have occurred in the first place. But PTSD doesn’t appear exactly the same in everyone—and it doesn’t signal the end of your story. So many people who felt broken by trauma now find themselves remodeling, rebuilding, and rising because of resilience. At AMFM, we understand what pushes someone toward PTSD and what leads them out. If trauma is taking over your life—or someone’s you care about—AMFM is here to help you, step by step.
We don’t just treat symptoms—listen to the story behind them. At AMFM, our trauma-informed therapists near you know how PTSD weaves its way into every area of life: your sleep, your relationships, feeling safe. That’s why our treatment combines evidence-based therapy, personalized care, and support systems that enable actual healing. Regardless of whether you’re coping with flashbacks, avoiding triggers, or just making it through the day without your brain getting swamped to the point of suffocation, we invite you to join us. You’re not “too much” or “too broken”—you’re getting by. And if you have the proper tools, support, and safe haven to heal, you can do better than get by. You can rebuild.
U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” nimh.nih.gov, accessed September 13, 2025, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/post‑traumatic‑stress‑disorder‑ptsd National Institute of Mental Health
PTSD: National Center for PTSD. “Resilience and Risk Factors After Disaster Events.” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Last modified March 26, 2025. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/disaster_events/for_providers/resilience_risk_factors.asp
National Institute of Mental Health. “Traumatic Events and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. Last reviewed December 2024. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Child Trauma.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Last updated 9 months ago. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/trauma-violence/child-trauma.
Halligan, Sarah L., and Rachel Yehuda. “Risk Factors for PTSD.” PTSD Research Quarterly, no. 11, no. 3 (Summer 2000). The National Center for PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/rq_docs/V11N3.pdf.
Olff, Miranda. “Sex and Gender Differences in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: An Update.” European Journal of Psychotraumatology 8, no. sup4 (2017): 1351204. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2017.1351204
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed., Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, 2022.
Southwick, Steven M., and Dennis S. Charney. Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
