PTSD and Trauma Therapy in Coral Springs, Florida

What PTSD is

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after you experience, witness, or learn about a traumatic event — such as a serious accident, assault, combat, natural disaster, or sudden loss. Not everyone who lives through trauma develops PTSD, but for those who do, symptoms persist for more than a month and interfere with work, relationships, and daily life.

PTSD symptoms fall into four clusters:

• Intrusion — flashbacks, nightmares, and distressing thoughts that pull you back into the moment of trauma.
• Avoidance — steering clear of people, places, conversations, or activities that remind you of the event.
• Alterations in mood and cognition — negative beliefs about yourself or the world, guilt, shame, emotional numbness, and feeling detached from others.
• Arousal and reactivity — hypervigilance, an exaggerated startle response, irritability, trouble sleeping, and difficulty concentrating.

Onset can be delayed. Some people feel fine for weeks or months after a trauma, then develop symptoms later — this is called delayed-onset PTSD. Car accidents are a common trigger; read about the risk of PTSD after a car accident and how to recover. If past trauma is resurfacing now, our article on when past trauma resurfaces may help.

PTSD also affects people whose work exposes them to trauma — veterans, first responders, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics — at higher rates than the general population. See our pages on mental health treatment for first responders and TMS for first responders.

When to seek care for PTSD

Consider professional care when trauma symptoms last more than a month, are severe enough to disrupt sleep, work, or relationships, or lead to avoidance that shrinks your life. Flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, emotional numbness, and persistent negative beliefs about yourself are all signs that what you are experiencing may meet the criteria for PTSD.

You do not need to wait until symptoms become unbearable. Early trauma-focused care can prevent symptoms from becoming more entrenched. A consultation gives you a clear diagnosis and a plan — no obligation to begin treatment.

Telehealth is available for some visits, such as therapy and follow-up appointments, for patients located in Florida.

The trauma therapy ladder at NWCOA

We present trauma therapy in Coral Springs as a ladder, starting with the first-line options that carry the strongest evidence and the fewest risks, and adding advanced options only when earlier steps have not worked. A consultation decides where you enter the ladder — most people start with therapy, medication, or both.

1. Trauma-focused psychotherapy — EMDR, CBT, and trauma-focused CBT.
2. Medication management — psychiatric prescribing and monitoring.
3. Prism™ neurofeedback — FDA-cleared add-on for PTSD symptoms.
4. Advanced options when PTSD comes with depression — TMS, SPRAVATO®, IV ketamine, and SAINT® (for the depression component).

Trauma-focused therapy

Trauma-focused psychotherapy is the first-line, evidence-based treatment for PTSD. At NWCOA, licensed clinicians offer eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which uses guided eye movements to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they become less distressing; cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and trauma-focused CBT, which help you identify and change the thoughts and beliefs that keep trauma active; and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which builds skills for managing the intense emotions that often follow trauma. EMDR intensives are also available for patients who want focused, longer-format trauma work.

Trauma-informed therapy means the clinician understands how trauma affects the brain and body, and adapts every part of care — from intake to session structure — to avoid re-traumatizing you. Choice, collaboration, and safety are core principles in every session. Learn more on our psychotherapy page.

Medication for PTSD

Psychiatric medication management uses prescription medicines to reduce PTSD symptoms. Two medications are FDA-approved for PTSD: sertraline and paroxetine, both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Other medications may be prescribed off-label based on your symptoms, history, and any other conditions. Your prescriber chooses based on your needs and adjusts the plan over follow-up visits.

We do not recommend starting, stopping, or changing any medication on your own — that is a decision made with your prescriber. See our medication management page for how evaluations and follow-ups work.

Prism™ neurofeedback for PTSD

Prism™ is a prescription EEG neurofeedback device FDA-cleared in March 2023 as an add-on (adjunctive) treatment for symptoms associated with PTSD in adults. It works differently from therapy or medication: a soft cap with sensors reads your brain activity, and you learn to regulate the patterns associated with your PTSD symptoms — in real time, with a clinician guiding you. A typical course is about 15 sessions of roughly 45 minutes over about eight weeks, with booster sessions available if needed.

A key feature: Prism does not require retelling your trauma. Nothing about the sessions is trauma-based, which makes it an option for people who find exposure-based therapy difficult. It works alongside your existing care — it is not a replacement for therapy or medication, and it is not a standalone cure. In a multi-center study, 67% of patients showed clinically significant improvement and 90% completed the course (Fruchter et al., Psychiatry Research 2024). Individual results may vary.

Ketamine for PTSD

IV ketamine is not FDA-approved for PTSD; it is used off-label for PTSD that has not responded to standard care. Some patients report rapid relief from flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance, but the evidence is limited and individual results may vary. Ketamine works on the glutamate system in the brain, which is different from how SSRIs work.

We offer IV ketamine and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) as one option within a full treatment plan, not as a standalone cure. Learn more on our ketamine for PTSD page.

When PTSD comes with depression

PTSD and depression often occur together. When they do, the advanced options below may become part of your plan — but each is cleared or approved for the depression component, not for PTSD on its own. If past trauma is resurfacing alongside depression, read when past trauma resurfaces.

• Standard TMS — FDA-cleared for major depressive disorder (MDD); certain devices are also cleared for OCD and for anxiety symptoms that occur with depression (FDA clearances in 2018 for OCD and 2021 for anxiety symptoms in adults with depression). TMS is not FDA-cleared for PTSD.
• SPRAVATO® (esketamine) — FDA-approved for adults with treatment-resistant depression (on its own or with an oral antidepressant) and for depressive symptoms in adults with MDD who have acute suicidal thoughts or behavior, taken with an oral antidepressant. Given in the clinic under a REMS program with at least 2 hours of observation; no driving until the next day after a restful sleep. Not approved for PTSD.
• IV ketamine / ketamine-assisted psychotherapy — not FDA-approved for depression, anxiety or PTSD; used off-label.
• SAINT® Neuromodulation System — FDA-cleared for MDD in adults whose depression has not improved enough on prior antidepressants; NWCOA treats adults 22+. SAINT® is not for PTSD.

Is TMS used for PTSD?

TMS is not FDA-cleared for PTSD. Any use of TMS for PTSD on its own is off-label and investigational. Small studies have explored TMS for PTSD symptoms, but there is no pivotal trial supporting clearance, and the evidence is not strong enough to recommend it as a standard PTSD treatment.

When PTSD occurs with major depressive disorder, TMS is cleared for the depression component — not the PTSD itself. For the full condition-by-condition breakdown of TMS indications, read our TMS for anxiety, OCD and PTSD page.

VA coverage and first responders

Veterans and first responders face higher rates of PTSD than the general population. We are proud to be an in-network provider with the Veterans Administration and Medicare, and we also accept TRICARE. TMS and SPRAVATO® are covered benefits under these programs for eligible patients. Coverage for SAINT® and other accelerated protocols is reviewed case by case. If you’ve served — in uniform or on the front lines of your community — call us and we’ll verify your benefits at no cost.

Ask our team whether your VA Community Care authorization includes Prism™; we verify benefits for free. If you are a veteran, see our VA CCN insurance page. If you are a first responder, read about mental health treatment for first responders and TMS for first responders.

Serving Broward and south Palm Beach from Coral Springs

Our only clinic is in Coral Springs, at 9734 W Sample Rd, 2nd Floor, Suite B. We serve adults from across Broward County and south Palm Beach County from this single location — including patients searching for PTSD treatment in Pembroke Pines, Hallandale Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Tamarac, Margate, Pompano Beach, Coconut Creek, Parkland, and Deerfield Beach. There is no second office.

If you are looking for trauma therapy near you, a free consultation is the first step. We verify your insurance benefits for free before you commit to any plan.

PTSD treatment options compared

Frequently asked questions

Cited research

1. Fruchter E, et al. "Amygdala-derived-EEG-fMRI-pattern neurofeedback for the treatment of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder: a prospective, multicenter, multinational study evaluating clinical efficacy." Psychiatry Research. 2024;333:115711. doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115711
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) clearance, Prism (GrayMatters Health) — prescription EEG neurofeedback device, adjunctive treatment for PTSD symptoms. accessdata.fda.gov
3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs & Department of Defense. VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder. 2023. healthquality.va.gov
4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "FDA approves new nasal spray medication for treatment-resistant depression; available only at a certified doctor's office or clinic." FDA news release, March 5, 2019. fda.gov
5. Bradley R, Greene J, Russ E, et al. "A multidimensional meta-analysis of psychotherapy for PTSD." American Journal of Psychiatry. 2005;162(2):214–227. doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.2.214