Annual Meeting Highlights: Special Mass Trauma and Treatment Track, Clinician Master Series

ISTSS

Annual meeting program chair Eve B. Carlson states, "Diagnosing, treating, and studying those who have experienced complex traumas is quite challenging. Complex trauma survivors might experience a number of difficulties, including posttraumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder, dissociation, depression, complicated grief, somatic symptoms, substance abuse, self-destructiveness, aggression, eating disorders, affect dysregulation, relationship problems, low self-esteem, guilt, shame and personality disorders."

The meeting will examine and discuss the range of psychological disturbances that can arise from complex traumatic events and evaluate the implications of these responses for the treatment of trauma survivors.

September's terrorist attacks brought to the forefront a renewed interest in trauma and its effects. In light of 9/11, a special track at the 18th annual meeting will address responses to intentionally caused mass trauma and treatment, with emphasis on the timing, content, and structure of interventions and the phenomenology and treatment of traumatic grief.

New conference features will include a series of Clinician Master Sessions, in which expert clinicians will demonstrate the application of a particular therapeutic approach to a client with symptoms related to complex trauma experiences.

In addition to the excellent lineup of keynote and plenary presentations, there will be symposia, panels and forums, 18 Pre-Meeting Institutes and more thorough workshop training opportunities than ever before. Poster sessions will be grouped by content tracks and scheduled throughout the meeting, providing more opportunity to discuss posters with their authors.

Special Joint Meeting Arrangements
The morning session of Sunday, Nov. 10, will include presentations jointly sponsored by ISTSS and the International Society for the Study of Dissociation. Those who register for both meetings will receive a $25 discount on their ISTSS meeting registration fee.