PTSD Psychiatrist for East Haven, CT — What Happened to You Was Real, and So Is the Way It's Stayed With You

East Haven sits right on the coast, working-class in the best sense — people here know how to take care of each other, and they don't make a lot of noise about what they're carrying. But carrying things quietly has a cost. PTSD from assault, from years inside a relationship that hurt you, from violence you witnessed or survived — it doesn't resolve on its own just because you don't talk about it. It lives in your body. It changes how you respond to things that feel threatening, how you sleep, how much of yourself you're able to give to the people and the life you still have. You deserve care that meets the reality of what you've been through — not a lecture about resilience, not a waitlist, not a provider who makes you explain yourself. Sindhia Shyras, APRN is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with nine years of experience in trauma-informed psychiatric care. She sees East Haven residents via telehealth anywhere in Connecticut and in-person in New Britain.

What Trauma From a Relationship Does to You

If you were hurt by someone you trusted — a partner, someone who said they loved you — the damage is specific. You don't just walk away from that and move on. You carry a hyperawareness into the next relationship, into friendships, into interactions with strangers. You're reading subtext all the time. A raised voice, a certain tone, a door closing too hard — your body responds before your mind has a chance to think it through. And often there's a layer of complicated feeling underneath the fear: something that looks like self-blame even when you know, rationally, that none of it was your fault. Sindhia doesn't require you to be past that. She meets you where you actually are, and she helps you understand what PTSD is doing in your nervous system so you can start to separate what's real from what the trauma taught you to expect.

Assault Survivors and the Long Aftermath

Assault leaves a particular kind of mark. The event itself may have lasted minutes. The aftermath can last years — avoidance of certain places, people, times of day. Difficulty being touched, even by people you want to be close to. A sense of your own body as something that was violated and never quite given back to you. These aren't signs that you're broken. They're signs that your nervous system is doing exactly what trauma does to a nervous system. The good news — and there is good news — is that PTSD responds to treatment. SSRIs are a first-line option. Some people find that medication reduces the intensity of everything enough that they can actually engage in healing work that felt impossible before. Sindhia can walk you through what the options look like and let you decide what you want to try.

You Don't Have to Go Somewhere New to Get Help

For a lot of survivors, leaving home to see a provider — a new office, a waiting room, an unfamiliar building — creates its own anxiety. Telehealth removes that barrier entirely. You can meet with Sindhia from your own space, on a device you already have. The appointment is private, secure, and just as thorough as if you came in. If you'd rather be in person, the New Britain office is accessible from East Haven. But if the idea of telehealth means you'll actually make the appointment instead of finding a reason not to — then telehealth is the right choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. You set the pace. Sindhia is a psychiatric provider, not a trauma-processing therapist — her job is to understand your symptoms and how they're affecting you, not to reconstruct the event itself. You can share as much or as little as you're comfortable with. What matters most is what's happening in your life right now and what you want to change. The story of what happened can come out gradually, or not at all if that's not what serves your care.

Yes. Sindhia works with people in all kinds of circumstances. Telehealth means you don't need reliable transportation or a fixed location — just a phone or device and a private moment. We accept Medicaid and Husky Health, so cost doesn't have to be a barrier. If you're not sure what your insurance covers, call 860-515-8689 and someone can help you figure it out before you book anything.

That's more common than you might think, and it doesn't mean treatment can't work — it often means the previous approach wasn't the right fit. Different medications, different providers, different timing — all of these change outcomes. Sindhia will ask about what you've tried before and why you feel it didn't help. She won't just start from scratch and repeat something that already failed. If you're willing to try again, that takes real courage, and she takes that seriously.

Serving East Haven, CT and all of Connecticut via telehealth.

Call 860-515-8689 or book online below.

Book an Appointment
Elite Health LLC