Plenaries, PMIs Promise Impressive Lineup for 2005 Annual Meeting

Norah C. Feeny and Lori A. Zoellner
Annual Meeting Co-Chairs

Come early, hone your existing skills, and gather new skills and knowledge! The ISTSS 21st Annual meeting theme, “Dissemination: Transforming Lives Through Transforming Care,” highlights the importance of communicating knowledge gained through years of systematic research and accumulated clinical experience in the traumatic stress field.

Among the many anticipated conference features, the plenaries always draw a large attendance. Two of the plenary speakers featured in Toronto will be Edna Foa, PhD, who will present “Dissemination of Effective Treatments for PTSD: Successes and Challenges”; and Charles Nemeroff, MD, PhD, presenting “The Neurobiological Consequences of Early Life Stress: Treatment Implications.” Pre-Meeting Institutes (PMIs) also are an important means of sharing knowledge.

PMIs provide intensive introductory, intermediate or advanced training on topics related to traumatic stress, presented in half- or full-day programs at the annual meeting. PMI Program Deputies Heidi Resnick, PhD, and Lucy Berliner, MSW, have pulled together a stellar lineup of PMIs this year. Following are some of the many exciting and clinically relevant PMIs scheduled for November 2–3.

Full-Day PMIs

• Evidence-Based Treatment for Complicated Grief in Children and Adults: Kathleen Shear, MD, and Judith Cohen, PhD
• Implementing Prolonged Exposure with Challenging PTSD Patients: Edna Foa, PhD, Elizabeth A. Hembree, PhD, and David S. Riggs, PhD
• Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: Patricia Resick, PhD, and Candice Monson, PhD
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy—Treating PTSD: Robyn Walser, PhD, Jennifer Gregg, PhD, Darrah Westrup, PhD, and Dorene Loew, PhD
• Challenges in Treating Clients with Complex Trauma: Laurie Pearlman, PhD, and Christine Courtois, PhD

Half-Day PMIs

• Treating Acute Stress Disorder: Richard Bryant, PhD
• Using Medications to Treat PTSD: Randall Marshall, MD, and Judith Cohen, MD
• How to Implement a Manual-Driven Treatment for Preschool PTSD: Michael Scheeringa, MD, MPH
• CBT for Substance Use Disorders and Co-Occurring PTSD: Scott Coffey, PhD, and Julie Schumacher, PhD
• Closing the Quality Chasm in Child Abuse Treatment: Charles Wilson, MSW, and Benjamin Saunders, PhD
• Culturally Aware Community Program Following Conflict or Disaster: Beth Hudnall Stamm, PhD, Livia Iskandar-Dharmawan, MA, Craig Higson-Smith, MA, Amy Hudnall, MA, and Lynne Cripe, PhD
• Breakthrough Series Collaborative—Disseminating Child Trauma Practice: Cassandra Kisiel, PhD, Lisa Amaya-Jackson, MD, MPH, Jan Markiewicz, MEd, and Benjamin Saunders, PhD
• Assessment of Historical Child Abuse: Clinical and Forensic Issues: David Wolfe, PhD
• Strategies for Screening and Responding to Trauma in Primary Care: Sherry Falsetti, PhD

You are encouraged to pre-register for PMI workshops, as many of them fill early. Check the conference Web site at www.istss.org/meetings/index.htm and the preliminary program for the full PMI program and other conference updates. We look forward to seeing you November 2–5 in Toronto, Canada’s cultural and entertainment capital.