Hello all,

my name is Joshua Ehlke, I am a resource room paraprofessional at a high school. I live with my brother and our cats.

I was recently formally diagnosed with CPTSD in the middle of 2024 when starting therapy I am currently in Prolonged Exposure therapy as well as DBT.

I have learned over the course of starting therapy how much trauma I had buried without realizing it, telling myself that I had moved on and that there must be other reasons I am depressed. I had been misdiagnosed with Bipolar disorder when I was younger, and learned that it is a common misdiagnosis with CPTSD.

This has been the toughest journey of my life and it has affected every other aspect of it.

The biggest impact has been on my job. When I started I was put on Intermittent FMLA allowing me to take unpaid time off from work as needed when dealing with episodes of anxiety and flashbacks. However, it is still difficult for me to both go to work and have therapy and group on the same days. I had tried working on a schedule that would make it easier for me to do both, it was ultimately futile. I had a meeting with my boss and the head of Special Education for the district in which I work, and they were incredibly kind, understanding, and accommodating for what I was experiencing. It was discussed that my schedule would temporarily be altered while I'm going through therapy. The solution was three and a half days per week of scheduled work along with the Intermittent FMLA being used as needed. This has resulted in a large cut in my paychecks. While I am able to just barely get by it makes unexpected expenses hit very hard.

I have family helping me with the therapy bills and it helps a lot. I was also recently put on a new med that my insurance will not cover until I meet my deductible. This med is to help with my pre-diabetes and sleep apnea.

The last thing I have to add for this is that last week I had a major unexpected expense; I spun out on the highway slamming my car into a guardrail, causing significant damage to my rear driver side corner panel

(pictures will be included).

I've worked with my brother and mom as much as I've been able, and they've helped as much as they can. But between the cost of the deductible, the rental (so my brother and I can continue to work as we have to share a vehicle at the moment), and my meds for the next couple months, we've stretched ourselves as much as we can.

I know I can't expect anyone to help, but I would be incredibly grateful for anyone who would be willing to do so.

This is my last resort, and I don't know where else to turn.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you have a wonderful day/week/month/etc...