Happy New Year 2026!

In 2018 I launched Service Dog Strong, the nonprofit that paired rescue dogs with Survivors of sexual assault and military sexual trauma (MST) diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In 2023 I left the nonprofit to finish writing my book and embark on a new mission. My new mission is to educate on an international level and expand a wider reach on the ways to heal from PTSD. Not only raising awareness on service dogs, but all productive therapies for PTSD. Educating the public that your past does not have to dictate your future and PTSD is treatable. This new passion has brought joy into my life and helped me in my own healing journey. I am excited at how far I have come since getting my service dog Gunner in 2017. He has since retired from being my service dog, but with my ability to speak in front of thousands of people on a global scale, attests to his service and help that he has been to me and my PTSD.

Gunner was not the only solution for me and my PTSD as much as I'd like to say it was that easy. The reality is, the service dog was the icing on the cake and the ending of my immense healing journey. I had tried many, many other forms of therapy and healing modalities before Gunner and after him. Healing is not a one stop shop and is not a steady uphill climb. It can ed and flow and you can have good and bad days. I have reached a point in my life where in order to keep my promise to myself of continual self-improvement and healing, I decided I had to continue to share my story and the things that worked for my PTSD.

PTSD is a real issue for so many, for sexual assault Survivors, military sexual trauma survivors, gun violence survivors and survivors from any form of trauma. It can be devastating if it goes untreated. I found hope and healing in my own life and that is why I share it with others. PTSD does NOT have to be a life sentence. Recovery is found for those who are brave enough to ask for help and put in the hard work to find solutions that work for them. The media does not cover enough stories of recovery, so for many with a diagnosis, it can feel overwhelming.

I believe that Service dogs can hold an important healing key to PTSD. Service dogs can be an amazing choice for some but there are many other solutions to PTSD as well. I believe there are many other modalities that help overcoming PTSD symptoms. I write in detail on the latest and most effective therapies, traditional and non-traditional in PTSD and What Helped Me. I share personal insights on the therapies I have tried and have a comprehensive list on therapies for PTSD you may not have heard about. My book is NOT a memoir and does not go into trauma details; instead, it focuses on solutions and readers have said it is very encouraging because it is written from someone who has been there and been in your shoes. I have been in the depths of PTSD trauma and have made it out alive and happier. This is why I share my hope and knowledge with the world, to encourage and share solutions to PTSD.

With a new year upon us I want to thank you for your continued support, partridge and bravery to combat PTSD.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting Survivors and service dogs!

THANK YOU FOR BEING STRONG WITH ME! NEVER GIVE UP! PTSD IS TREATABLE! Happy New Year 2026!

Photo by Ricky Barnett Phtography