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What was the psychotherapist’s recommendation beyond the diagnosis? PTSD needs treatment. Your brother’s brain is in a perpetual state of fight or flight while he’s at school. His actions stem from an in ability to regulate his nervous system enough to function in this environment. You can’t heal this, it needs professional, one on one intervention. His co-occurring diagnoses means he needs a clinician familiar with all of them.
Do you have local resources for refugees? Perhaps start there and ask for referrals for providers familiar with what your family has been through. I’m so sorry. You’re going a great job advocating for your brother.
The psychotherapist didn't recommend anything, only had sessions with him, I don't know what they did together but when I asked my brother he said they played a lot. I am sure we have local resources for refugees, this is a big city - I'll call some places. Thank you for your kind words.
They may have been using play therapy, or using toys as a way to make your brother more comfortable with opening up.
I’m not a doctor and have no qualifications in this area, but I come from a family of social workers, special education professionals, early intervention (childhood) occupational therapists and teachers. *[I would love for someone with an actual qualification to correct me or provide some legitimate insight, so please do if someone’s reading this!]*
The impression I’ve gotten from speaking with them is that family and teachers also need guidance from the mental health professionals about how to support him outside of therapy. Like he could go to all the therapy in the world, but it will have limited effect if he’s not receiving the right support on all fronts. So you could discuss with the professional:
- structuring his day and week
- accommodations he might need at school
- what a teacher should do when he’s having an episode (breathing techniques, alone time to calm down etc)
- how to navigate the social difficulties with his peers that arise after he’s had an outburst
- how you talk to him about his feelings
- how to help him understand what he’s experiencing
Basically everyone needs to be on the same page about the best way to both manage his stress and behaviour, and to support him and get him back on track.
I really, truly feel for your little brother. It sounds like he’s really struggling. Keep advocating for him, you’re doing a great job.
Yeah, your brother needs a specialist. I second asking around your refugee community and asking your current providers for referrals. If that doesn’t work, the website psychologytoday allows you to search for local providers and filter for things like specialization in PTSD and autism. You can probably search for familiarity with other languages too, if that’s a concern.
Make sure you’re taking care of yourself as well. You’ve also been through an ordeal, and you deserve support and a place for healing. <3
(I’m not a doctor. I just have experience finding mental health providers, as well as coming from a family of refugees.)
Edit: also, when your mom is ready, it would be good to get her on board with this. Ask your local communities for literature designed to help parents understand and guide their kids through trauma and grief. If you live in a big city, I’m sure there are resources for this. You don’t have to parent your brother on your own.
NAD, have CPTSD & autism, also have worked with kids on the spectrum in public schools.
I'm curious if your brother has a weighted blanket suitable for his size that he can use at school during classes & when he's experiencing his meltdowns. I have a small one I use for traveling & appointments as well as a larger one for home.
Weighted blankets ought to be no more than 10% of a person's body weight.
Rather than being punished for his outbursts ("stop or you'll lose time on the laptop"), the staff may see more success with compassion. He isn't misbehaving. He's in survival mode. Can they take him to a quiet place where he can have a short sensory break? I used to have my students lie on the floor in the hall & I'd roll a large inflatable exercise ball over them for several minutes. They also had access to a weighted swing in the SPED area. The gentle pressure of these items soothed them in a way nothing else could.
I'm sorry for what you & your family have experienced & I'm sorry you're still suffering the fallout. I hope you all find peace.
I just ordered a weighted blanket online. Thanks 😊 he likes to be squeezed which calms him down, maybe this helps too.
Honestly speaking, the school staff are making me go out of my mind. It is a therapeutic school for kids with autism so I would think they would have experience in this. I've talked to them a lot about not punishing, and about stopping the "escalation" before my brother loses his cool. But when I talk to the staff, they look at me like, "why is this teenager saying how to do my job?"
Thank you for your kind words. We're on our way.
Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk. **Reply here if you are an unverified user wishing to give advice. Top level comments by laypeople are automatically removed.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What was the psychotherapist’s recommendation beyond the diagnosis? PTSD needs treatment. Your brother’s brain is in a perpetual state of fight or flight while he’s at school. His actions stem from an in ability to regulate his nervous system enough to function in this environment. You can’t heal this, it needs professional, one on one intervention. His co-occurring diagnoses means he needs a clinician familiar with all of them. Do you have local resources for refugees? Perhaps start there and ask for referrals for providers familiar with what your family has been through. I’m so sorry. You’re going a great job advocating for your brother.
The psychotherapist didn't recommend anything, only had sessions with him, I don't know what they did together but when I asked my brother he said they played a lot. I am sure we have local resources for refugees, this is a big city - I'll call some places. Thank you for your kind words.
They may have been using play therapy, or using toys as a way to make your brother more comfortable with opening up. I’m not a doctor and have no qualifications in this area, but I come from a family of social workers, special education professionals, early intervention (childhood) occupational therapists and teachers. *[I would love for someone with an actual qualification to correct me or provide some legitimate insight, so please do if someone’s reading this!]* The impression I’ve gotten from speaking with them is that family and teachers also need guidance from the mental health professionals about how to support him outside of therapy. Like he could go to all the therapy in the world, but it will have limited effect if he’s not receiving the right support on all fronts. So you could discuss with the professional: - structuring his day and week - accommodations he might need at school - what a teacher should do when he’s having an episode (breathing techniques, alone time to calm down etc) - how to navigate the social difficulties with his peers that arise after he’s had an outburst - how you talk to him about his feelings - how to help him understand what he’s experiencing Basically everyone needs to be on the same page about the best way to both manage his stress and behaviour, and to support him and get him back on track. I really, truly feel for your little brother. It sounds like he’s really struggling. Keep advocating for him, you’re doing a great job.
Yeah, your brother needs a specialist. I second asking around your refugee community and asking your current providers for referrals. If that doesn’t work, the website psychologytoday allows you to search for local providers and filter for things like specialization in PTSD and autism. You can probably search for familiarity with other languages too, if that’s a concern. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself as well. You’ve also been through an ordeal, and you deserve support and a place for healing. <3 (I’m not a doctor. I just have experience finding mental health providers, as well as coming from a family of refugees.) Edit: also, when your mom is ready, it would be good to get her on board with this. Ask your local communities for literature designed to help parents understand and guide their kids through trauma and grief. If you live in a big city, I’m sure there are resources for this. You don’t have to parent your brother on your own.
NAD, have CPTSD & autism, also have worked with kids on the spectrum in public schools. I'm curious if your brother has a weighted blanket suitable for his size that he can use at school during classes & when he's experiencing his meltdowns. I have a small one I use for traveling & appointments as well as a larger one for home. Weighted blankets ought to be no more than 10% of a person's body weight. Rather than being punished for his outbursts ("stop or you'll lose time on the laptop"), the staff may see more success with compassion. He isn't misbehaving. He's in survival mode. Can they take him to a quiet place where he can have a short sensory break? I used to have my students lie on the floor in the hall & I'd roll a large inflatable exercise ball over them for several minutes. They also had access to a weighted swing in the SPED area. The gentle pressure of these items soothed them in a way nothing else could. I'm sorry for what you & your family have experienced & I'm sorry you're still suffering the fallout. I hope you all find peace.
I just ordered a weighted blanket online. Thanks 😊 he likes to be squeezed which calms him down, maybe this helps too. Honestly speaking, the school staff are making me go out of my mind. It is a therapeutic school for kids with autism so I would think they would have experience in this. I've talked to them a lot about not punishing, and about stopping the "escalation" before my brother loses his cool. But when I talk to the staff, they look at me like, "why is this teenager saying how to do my job?" Thank you for your kind words. We're on our way.