Women's Stress
Disorders Treatment
Program
William S. Middleton
VA Hospital
2500 Overlook Terrace
Madison, WI  53705

Phone: 608-280-7084

Women's Stress Disorders Treatment Program

What's New

The September 11th terrorist attacks of 2001 increased Americans' awareness of the ways traumatic events can impact lives. The Department of Veteran Affairs has been aware of these effects for many years and has been caring for the veterans who are experiencing problems related to trauma. Recently the focus has broadened to include attention to the particular ways in which women are affected by extremely stressful or traumatic events. Specialized programs have been formed across the country at VA Hospitals and Vet Centers to help women veterans who are experiencing these problems.

The Mental Health Service of the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital and the Women's Stress Disorders Treatment Program (WSDTP) are pleased to launch this website as part of that specialized programming. The WSDTP is based in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Veterans Administration Hospital, with part of the clinical team stationed at the Veterans Administration Hospital in North Chicago, Illinois. Team members can provide an initial evaluation for veterans who are having difficulties they think may be related to their experiences with traumatic or extremely stressful events. Typically, the team works with women who have experienced sexual trauma in the military (for example, rape or sexual harassment), combat-related trauma (such as a SCUD attack), or other trauma related to their military experience (e.g., emergency nursing situations, or non-combat disasters like fires or explosions which occurred at a duty station).

Group or individual counseling may be recommended and a meeting may be scheduled with a psychiatrist to determine whether medications may be of help.

This website was developed as an additional way to help women and those who care about them learn about the effects of trauma, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and to present some of the skills most commonly focused on in treatment. We hope that you will use the information on this site as a way to begin this journey, or to reinforce and build on the steps you are taking to better cope with and move beyond difficulties you have experienced due to trauma.