PTSD Psychiatrist Serving New Haven, CT

New Haven is full of people carrying more than they let on. Students navigating campuses far from home and family. Residents who've lived through violence they couldn't control. Survivors of assault who haven't told most people in their lives what happened. Complex PTSD — the kind that builds up over years rather than one clear moment — is something Sindhia Shyras, APRN takes seriously and treats with real care. She's a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with nine years of experience, and she understands that trauma doesn't always announce itself clearly. Sometimes it just shows up as exhaustion, emotional numbness, or the slow withdrawal from a life you used to recognize.

Complex PTSD — When It Wasn't Just One Event

Maybe it wasn't one thing. Maybe it was years — a childhood that wasn't safe, a relationship that wore you down, exposure to ongoing danger or instability that nobody on the outside could really see. Complex PTSD develops differently than the single-event kind, and it can be harder to name. You might feel chronically disconnected from yourself — like you're watching your own life from behind glass. Or you swing between emotional numbness and moments of feeling completely overwhelmed, with not much in between. That's not a personality flaw. That's what prolonged trauma does. And there's real treatment for it. You don't have to keep managing it alone.

For Survivors of Assault or Violence

Sexual assault, physical violence, robbery — these experiences fundamentally change how safe the world feels. For a lot of New Haven residents, that threat wasn't theoretical. You've had reason to be afraid. And now, even when you're technically safe, your body and brain don't always believe it. You might have become hypervigilant — constantly scanning, tense, unable to fully relax. You might avoid certain neighborhoods, certain situations, certain people who remind you of what happened. You might not have told many people at all, and carrying that in silence has its own weight. Sindhia works with assault survivors with genuine sensitivity, not clinical detachment. You deserve that.

Students and Young Adults Living with Trauma

New Haven's college community is large, and PTSD doesn't check your enrollment status. Students who've experienced trauma before college often find it resurfaces in a new environment — the structure that used to hold things together isn't there anymore. If you're a young adult trying to function academically and socially while also dealing with the weight of something you've never fully processed, that's a real collision. Sindhia offers telehealth appointments that fit around schedules and don't require you to navigate the city just to see a doctor. She sees people across all of Connecticut, and getting started is easier than most people expect.

What a First Appointment Looks Like

Your first visit is a full psychiatric evaluation — about an hour. Sindhia will ask you about your history, what you've been through, how your symptoms show up day to day, what you've tried before. She's not reading from a script. She's actually trying to understand your situation so she can build a plan that fits. That plan might include medication — SSRIs are widely used for PTSD and can make a significant difference — along with supportive therapy. She accepts Aetna, Cigna, Husky Health, Medicaid, United Healthcare, Anthem, ConnectiCare, and self-pay. Telehealth is available anywhere in Connecticut; in-person visits are at the New Britain office, about 30 minutes from New Haven.

Frequently Asked Questions