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PTSD treatment at Quest Wellness Center is structured outpatient care for post-traumatic stress disorder, delivered through partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient programs. We use the trauma-focused therapies with the strongest evidence, including Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and EMDR, with medication and dual-diagnosis support. Care is available in person or online. We work with most PPO plans.
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, when the brain stays locked in a state of threat long after the danger has passed. It can follow combat, assault, a serious accident, a disaster, sudden loss, or abuse, and it is a recognized medical condition, not a sign of weakness. Most people have some stress reactions after trauma, and for many these fade within weeks; PTSD is diagnosed when the symptoms persist for more than a month and interfere with daily life. PTSD differs from complex PTSD, which follows repeated or prolonged trauma and is treated through a phased approach; this page focuses on PTSD that follows a discrete traumatic event, though the two share many treatments. PTSD is highly treatable, and trauma-focused therapy helps most people significantly reduce or resolve their symptoms.
PTSD symptoms fall into four groups, and a diagnosis involves symptoms from each. The first is intrusion: unwanted memories, flashbacks, and nightmares that bring the trauma back as if it is happening again. The second is avoidance: steering clear of the people, places, thoughts, or reminders connected to the trauma. The third is negative changes in thinking and mood: persistent fear, shame, guilt, or numbness, distorted beliefs about oneself or the world, and loss of interest in things that once mattered. The fourth is changes in arousal and reactivity: hypervigilance, being easily startled, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating. These symptoms often come with physical effects and can make ordinary life feel unsafe. When they persist for more than a month and disrupt work, relationships, or daily functioning, they point to PTSD and to treatment that can help.
PTSD needs professional treatment when symptoms last more than a month, return without warning, or interfere with your ability to work, sleep, or feel safe. Trauma symptoms that linger rarely resolve on their own, and avoidance, the natural urge to push the memories away, tends to keep PTSD going rather than easing it. Treatment is the right step when flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness are shaping daily life, or when you are using alcohol or substances to cope. PTSD also raises the risk of depression and thoughts of suicide. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, you are not alone and help is available right now: call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7, or call 911 in an emergency. Quest treats PTSD alongside the depression, anxiety, and substance use that so often accompany it, so the whole picture is addressed rather than one piece.
PTSD is treated most effectively with trauma-focused therapies, and Quest uses the three with the strongest evidence. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) helps you identify and change the painful, distorted beliefs the trauma created about yourself, others, and safety, and it is a first-line treatment recommended by the VA and APA. Prolonged Exposure (PE) helps you gradually and safely approach the memories and situations you have been avoiding, which reduces their power over time. EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they stop triggering the same intense response. Alongside these, CBT and DBT skills help with the anxiety, sleep, and emotion regulation that PTSD disrupts, and group therapy reduces the isolation trauma creates. Most clients receive a combination matched to their symptoms and what they are ready for, because trauma work moves at a pace that keeps you stable.
Medication can be an effective part of PTSD treatment, and Quest’s medication management is led by a board-certified psychiatrist. Certain antidepressants are FDA-approved for PTSD and can reduce the intensity of intrusive symptoms, anxiety, and depressed mood enough to make trauma-focused therapy more effective, and other medications can help specifically with the nightmares and sleep disruption PTSD causes. Medication is paired with therapy rather than used on its own, because trauma-focused therapy is what produces lasting change, while medication helps stabilize symptoms so that work can proceed. For clients who prefer to start without medication, treatment can begin with therapy and revisit the question later. The decision is made together, based on your symptoms, history, and goals.
PTSD is common among veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders, whose work exposes them to repeated trauma, and the same evidence-based treatments apply. Combat, line-of-duty incidents, and the cumulative weight of high-stress service can all lead to PTSD, sometimes years after the events. The trauma-focused therapies Quest uses, CPT, Prolonged Exposure, and EMDR, are the same approaches the VA recommends and uses in its own PTSD programs. Quest treats PTSD in adults from these backgrounds alongside the depression, substance use, and sleep problems that often come with it, in a structured outpatient setting that fits around work and family. For service-connected care specifically, the VA also offers dedicated PTSD programs, and our admissions team can help you understand your options.
PTSD rarely stands alone, so Quest treats it alongside the conditions that grow out of it. Depression and anxiety are common, and many people use alcohol or other substances to numb trauma symptoms, which creates a cycle that worsens both the PTSD and the substance use. Sleep problems, chronic pain, and difficulty in relationships also frequently accompany PTSD. As a dual-diagnosis provider, Quest treats PTSD and any co-occurring mental health or substance use condition in one coordinated plan rather than addressing them separately. Treating the trauma while leaving the depression or substance use untouched is a common reason recovery does not hold, which is why integrated care is central to how Quest works.
The most effective treatments are trauma-focused therapies: Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and EMDR, all recommended by the VA and APA. Quest delivers these through structured outpatient care, combined with medication and dual-diagnosis support when needed.
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Quest’s PTSD treatment is built for adults whose trauma symptoms are disrupting daily life but who do not need round-the-clock hospitalization. You can keep up with work, school, or family while attending a structured program, and you return home at the end of each treatment day. People typically start here when flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, or avoidance have taken over, when earlier therapy has not been enough on its own, or when PTSD is tangled up with depression, anxiety, or substance use. The right level, from PHP down to outpatient, is set during an assessment so the support matches how much PTSD is affecting you. If symptoms are severe enough that staying safe is the immediate concern, our team helps arrange the right level of care and connects you with crisis support.
Yes. Gambling disorder is a recognized diagnosis in the DSM-5, the standard diagnostic manual, and it is the only behavioral addiction grouped with substance use disorders because it affects the brain’s reward system similarly. It is treatable with evidence-based care.
PTSD usually follows a single traumatic event, while complex PTSD follows repeated or prolonged trauma and includes additional difficulties with emotion regulation, self-concept, and relationships. Both are treatable; complex PTSD treatment is phased. Quest treats both and matches the approach to your history.
PTSD symptoms fall into four groups: intrusive memories and flashbacks, avoidance of reminders, negative changes in thinking and mood, and heightened arousal such as hypervigilance and sleep problems. A diagnosis involves symptoms from each, lasting more than a month.
Yes. Certain antidepressants are FDA-approved for PTSD, and other medications can help with PTSD-related nightmares and sleep. Quest’s psychiatrist manages medication when appropriate, always paired with trauma-focused therapy rather than used alone.
There is no fixed timeline, because PTSD treatment moves at a pace that keeps you stable while processing trauma. Structured outpatient care provides consistent support and steps down through the levels as symptoms ease. Length is set by clinical recommendation, not a calendar.
Yes. Quest is a dual-diagnosis provider and treats PTSD alongside substance use, depression, anxiety, and other co-occurring conditions in one coordinated plan, which gives recovery a durable foundation.
Yes. Quest treats PTSD in adults from military and first-responder backgrounds using the same trauma-focused therapies the VA recommends, CPT, Prolonged Exposure, and EMDR. For service-connected care, the VA also offers dedicated programs, and our team can help you understand your options.
Quest provides PTSD treatment in person at our facility and through secure telehealth across California, so you can attend on site or from home. Call (818) 275-9810 to get started.
Call (818) 275-9810 or verify your insurance to start PTSD treatment at Quest Wellness Center.
Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, MA
Medically reviewed by Verta Keshishyan, AMFT (Associate Marriage and Family Therapist), registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and supervised by Ari Labowitz, LMFT. Verta has three years of experience with the Department of Mental Health supporting low-income families and families in crisis.
We specialize in treatments for mental health issues and co-occurring disorders.
We concentrate on mental health treatments and co-occurring conditions.
We provide a personalized approach to care.
We possess many years of relevant experience and a strong track record of success.
Our partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs provide choices for morning, afternoon, or evening sessions.
We offer case management grounded in clinical evidence.
Experience a secure setting that allows you to concentrate on healing and maintaining a healthy way of life.
We provide opportunities to engage with individuals at every phase of recovery.
We accept a majority of private and corporate insurance plans.
Quest treats PTSD through a structured outpatient continuum, matching the intensity of care to how much symptoms are affecting your life. Partial Hospitalization (PHP) is the most intensive level, with several hours of treatment on most weekdays, suited to people whose PTSD is severe enough to disrupt daily functioning or who need close support to begin trauma work. Intensive Outpatient (IOP) steps down with fewer weekly hours while keeping strong clinical support, often the right level for active trauma processing. Outpatient (OP) is the lightest level, for consolidating gains and maintaining progress. This structure is the difference between Quest and a single weekly therapy hour: PTSD treatment depends on consistent support and a team that can adjust the pace of trauma work, and most clients step down through the levels as symptoms ease. Every level is available in person or through secure telehealth.
We accept almost all private and commercial insurance plans. Verify your coverage now!
