Going Back To School...

[deleted]

In 2013 I was at school when we had a school shooting. I had already had a major trauma in my life two years prior and was in no way able to handle this on top of that. I somehow lasted the rest of the semester until my school counselor recommended I try online school since I had been having so many panic attacks and "episodes" at school and was going home early almost every day or just not coming at all. It's been great and has allowed me to focus on the larger trauma from earlier in my life. I've put off taking the ACT and this week is my last chance (I'm a senior now). I'm terrified of going back to a high school setting. Its not the same school but I'm still really anxious and if I have a panic attack and have to leave the room I won't be able to finish the test and won't be able to apply to college (which is a whole other matter as far as going back to school but I'm trying not to think about that until I absolutely have to).

Any advice? :)

 

[Friday]

Small steps, in advance.

Drive by the school.
Walk around it.
Go inside.
Walk around inside.
Get to know your way around (find bathrooms, exits, offices, the test room, parking lots).
Go in and just sit for awhile. Listen. Smell. Get comfortable.
Have something to eat, pee, make it familiar territory.
Bring a practice test with you and do the practice test there.

Plan on at least a day for each of those. Maybe several. In theory, there may be absolutely nothing triggering for you at all, only the stress of the test, and you may do all of that in 1 day and be perfectly fine :) Or you may start spiking, and need to back away, and come at it again in a few hours, another day or three, etc. At each step.

To know : PTSD is covered under the ADA (Americans w Disabilities Act). Part of that covers accommodation for testing.

You may well find that you can breeze into the new school just fine! :cool: If so? No worries. But if you start having a panic attack at a certain step & there's simply not enough time to condition yourself sloooooowly to be comfortable instead of spun up? Thunk down the ADA (and your IEP/504) & get off site moderated testing somewhere you are comfortable. :D

 

[deleted]

Small steps, in advance.

Drive by the school.
Walk around it.
Go inside.
Walk around inside.
Get to...

I wish I had the time to do that but the test is Saturday and I'm totally booked between now and then!
I forgot to mention this to my therapist in our session today and I don't know if I should call him since its not technically an emergency. I very recently switched therapists and I've only had 2 sessions with him so I'm not solid on his boundaries for calling. I don't want to accidentally push boundaries or come of as needy an weak but I don't know what else to do.