Trauma Awareness Month

FAQs for Veterans, Reservists and Families

Every April, Trauma Awareness Month encourages people to talk openly about trauma, understand its effects, and take action. For many veterans and their families, that conversation is long overdue. This page answers the questions we hear most often, and explains how to get free, effective help through PTSD Resolution.

What is Trauma Awareness Month?

Trauma Awareness Month is observed throughout April each year. It began in the United States and has grown steadily in the UK as an opportunity for individuals, employers and communities to better understand trauma, reduce the stigma around seeking help, and point people towards the support they need.

Why is this month particularly relevant to veterans and their families?

Military service asks people to absorb experiences that would overwhelm most of us. Many veterans manage well for years, only to find that symptoms creep up later, sometimes long after they have left service. The structure of military life can hold things together; when that structure goes, the feelings often surface. This month is a good moment to recognise that what someone is going through is not weakness, it is an injury, and it can be treated.

What are the most common signs of trauma in veterans?

The signs vary from person to person, but the most common ones include flashbacks and intrusive memories, recurring nightmares, sudden anger or irritability, difficulty sleeping, feeling cut off from family and friends, a constant sense of being on alert, and avoiding anything that brings the past back. Many veterans also notice changes in how they drink, or find themselves withdrawing from the people closest to them.

Does trauma always show up straight away?

No, and this is something many veterans find confusing or even embarrassing. Symptoms can take months or years to appear. Some people cope perfectly well during service and only begin struggling once they are out. Others notice something is wrong but put it down to stress, tiredness or just "the way I am now." Delayed trauma is entirely normal and just as treatable as anything that appears immediately.

What is the difference between everyday stress and trauma?

Stress eases when the pressure lifts. Trauma is different. It is what happens when an experience is so overwhelming that the brain cannot process it in the usual way. The memory gets stuck, and the emotional and physical response it triggers keeps firing long after the event has passed. Small things, a smell, a sound, a date on the calendar, can set it off. That is why trauma needs proper treatment rather than simply waiting for time to do its work.

What does PTSD Resolution offer, and is it genuinely free?

PTSD Resolution (Charity No. 1202649) provides free, confidential, one-to-one therapy to veterans, reservists and family members anywhere in the UK. There is no GP referral needed, no diagnosis required and absolutely no charge to the person receiving treatment. Sessions are available locally in person, by phone or online. The charity pays for everything through donations.

What is Human Givens Therapy and why does PTSD Resolution use it?

Human Givens Therapy is a practical approach to treating trauma that does not require people to talk through exactly what happened to them. That matters to a lot of veterans who are reluctant to go over the details of their experiences. Instead, the therapy works by helping the brain to reprocess the stuck memory in a calm state, breaking the connection between the memory and the intense reaction it causes. Most clients work through their issues in an average of seven sessions.

Do family members qualify for help too?

Yes. Living alongside someone with untreated trauma takes its own toll, and PTSD Resolution has always recognised that. Partners, children and other close family members can access the same free therapy through the charity's FAITH programme (Family Assistance & Intervention for Trauma Healing). No referral is needed for them either.

What is Trauma Awareness Training, and can my organisation get involved this April?

TATE stands for Trauma Awareness Training and Education. It is an evidence-based training programme from PTSD Resolution designed for line managers, HR teams and anyone who supports colleagues or clients. Participants learn to recognise the signs of trauma, understand why people behave the way they do, and know what to say and where to signpost help. Sessions are available as a half-day or full-day workshop, online or in person, and are consistently rated five out of five by attendees.

"TATE's proven methodology and consistent results make it an essential tool for any organisation committed to mental health awareness and support."

Charles Highett, CEO, PTSD Resolution

How do I get help from PTSD Resolution?

Call 0300 302 0551, visit www.ptsdresolution.org or email contact@ptsdresolution.org. There is no form to fill in first, no referral to chase and no long wait. You can self-refer at any time of year.

What veterans say about PTSD Resolution

About PTSD Resolution

PTSD Resolution (Charity No. 1202649) provides free, prompt and confidential mental health treatment for UK Armed Forces veterans, reservists and their families. Founded in 2009 and accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to the Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health Services, the charity operates through a nationwide network of Human Givens therapists.