What PTSD can look like day to day
Post-traumatic stress does not always look like the dramatic flashbacks shown in movies. For many people in The Colony, it shows up in quieter ways: jumping at a slammed door, avoiding a stretch of road where an accident happened, lying awake replaying a conversation, or feeling detached from family at the dinner table. Some people stay constantly busy so there is never a quiet moment for memories to surface.
Common signs include:
- Intrusive memories, nightmares or flashbacks
- Avoiding people, places or topics linked to what happened
- Feeling on guard, easily startled or unable to relax
- Irritability, anger or emotional numbness
- Trouble sleeping or concentrating
- Guilt, shame or a changed sense of who you are
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911. Dr. Audrey's practice is not a crisis service.
PTSD and complex PTSD: why the difference matters
PTSD often follows a single event, such as a serious car crash, an assault, a sudden death or a medical emergency. Complex PTSD develops after harm that was repeated or prolonged: childhood abuse or neglect, years in a violent or controlling relationship, or growing up in a home where safety was never reliable.
The distinction shapes treatment. With single-event PTSD, therapy often centers on the memory of what happened and the fear attached to it. With complex PTSD, the work is broader. It includes how a person sees themselves, how they handle emotions, and whether they can trust others. Dr. Audrey Kteily treats both, and she tailors the plan to which one, or which mix, a person is living with.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers general information on how trauma and stress affect health, which some clients find helpful to read alongside therapy.
How Dr. Audrey treats trauma
Her approach moves in three broad phases, and the pace is set together with the client.
- Stabilization. The first goal is feeling safer in your own body and daily life. That means practical tools for sleep, panic, triggers and overwhelming emotions. Dr. Audrey is C-DBT certified and uses skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, such as distress tolerance and emotion regulation.
- Processing. Once there is enough steadiness, therapy turns to the traumatic experiences themselves. This is done gradually, so memories can be understood and integrated rather than avoided or relived.
- Rebuilding. The final phase focuses on relationships, boundaries, self-worth and the parts of life that trauma pushed aside.
Many people worry that trauma therapy means being forced to retell the worst moments of their life in the first session. It does not. You decide what to share and when, and Dr. Audrey checks in often about whether the pace feels manageable.
Why the body is part of trauma treatment
Trauma is not only a set of memories. It changes how the nervous system reacts, which is why someone can know they are safe and still feel their heart pound in a crowded store or a dark parking lot. Ignoring that physical side often leaves people frustrated, because insight alone does not calm a body that is braced for danger.
Dr. Audrey helps clients notice early signs of activation, such as a tight chest, shallow breathing or a sudden urge to leave, and practice ways to settle before reactions spiral. Over time, these skills make everyday situations more manageable: driving past a reminder, sitting through a tense meeting, or staying present during a disagreement with someone you love. Sleep often improves as the system learns it can stand down.
Trauma care for teens and families in The Colony
Teens can experience PTSD too, after events like a car accident, an assault, bullying, the sudden loss of someone close, or witnessing violence. In teens it can look like irritability, falling grades, withdrawal from friends, risky behavior or self-harm. Dr. Audrey works with teens ages 12 to 18 and coaches parents on how to respond. Her adolescent issues page and her post on teen counseling in the Coppell area describe that work in more detail.
Trauma also affects the people closest to the person who went through it. Partners may feel shut out; children may not understand why a parent is jumpy or distant. Because her doctoral specialty is family systems counseling, Dr. Audrey often includes family members so they understand what trauma responses look like and how to help. Her article on what a family counselor does explains how those sessions work, and parents can read about how parent counseling supports better parenting.
She also works with adults recovering from domestic violence and sexual assault. See her other specialties for related areas, including grief, depression and addictions.
Online PTSD therapy from The Colony
The Colony sits on the eastern shore of Lewisville Lake in Denton County, and many residents commute on the Sam Rayburn Tollway or State Highway 121 to jobs across the metroplex. Fitting weekly therapy around that commute is hard, and for someone with trauma, extra driving, crowded parking lots and unfamiliar waiting rooms can raise anxiety before a session even begins.
Dr. Audrey's practice is entirely online. Sessions take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video that opens in your browser, so you can meet from a quiet room at home where you feel safe. After a hard session, you are already home rather than facing a drive. Under her Texas Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor license, sessions are scheduled in Central Time, and you need to be physically in Texas, New Jersey or New York during each session.
Many families in The Colony attend Lewisville ISD schools, and teens can join a session after school from their own room without missing activities.
Dr. Audrey's training
Dr. Audrey Kteily holds a PhD in Family Studies and a Bachelor's in Psychology from Texas Woman's University and a Master's in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University. She has been a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor since 2001 and a Supervisor since 2004, and she is also licensed in New Jersey (LPC) and New York (LMHC). She is a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations, is C-DBT certified through Evergreen Certifications, and is a published author on family dynamics, with more than 20 years of clinical experience.
Ethical standards for counselors are set by the American Counseling Association, and national counselor certification is overseen by the National Board for Certified Counselors. Consumer guidance on finding trauma-informed care is also available from the National Association of Social Workers. Learn more about Dr. Audrey on her biography page and the practice overview, or send a general question through Ask Dr. Audrey.
The practice is LGBTQ+-friendly and LGBTQ+-owned, aligned with GLSEN and the Human Rights Campaign.
Starting PTSD therapy
Reaching out can be the hardest step. Use the appointment request form on the home page, or text the practice. Texting is easiest; please keep details about your trauma or health out of the text. You will hear back within one business day, and the first session will focus on getting to know you and building a plan, not on recounting everything at once.
Dr. Audrey is an out-of-network provider and provides a superbill you can submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Check your out-of-network mental health benefits before you begin.
Request an appointment, or text or call (917) 905-3183. You can also email [email protected].