From Crystal:
When I was a child, my grandfather would sit me on his knee and watch movies with me. I remember how strong and stoic he was. One day, while watching a movie with him, I watched him shed a tear. In my childhood, I had only known my grandfather as a man who was quiet and did not share emotion. I remember it was quite extraordinary to notice that tear rolling down his face.
My grandfather served in World War II and post missions. He served in the British Royal Airforce as a warrant officer.
He suffered from PTSD. I am very proud of my grandfather. He was a good man who suffered in silence. He pulled up his bootstraps and carried on. In his day there was little to no help for PTSD. He had no choice but to suffer in silence.
Before I became a therapist, I obtained my fine arts degree in theatre. I acted and directed in stage plays. Further, I worked on films as an actor, co-director and script supervisor. It was the craft of acting that inspired me to want to understand human behaviour. This motivated me to work in the social services field.
