The ISSTD Annual Awards Committee would like to extend our deepest thanks to all committee members and volunteers who gave their time and care to review nominations for each award. Your thoughtful attention and dedication to recognizing excellence in our field make each award truly meaningful.
We are also delighted to welcome two new members to the committee this year!
- Shae Nester, University of North Carolina
- Betty Snell, Queensland Institute of Technology
Both are doctoral candidates and rising stars in the field of trauma and dissociation, bringing fresh perspective and enthusiasm to our committee’s work. Welcome, Shae and Betty!
Congratulations to Our 2025 Award Recipients
We celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of last year’s honorees, whose scholarship, clinical excellence, advocacy, and creativity continue to advance our mission and inspire the field!
- Richard P. Kluft Best Article Award – Rebecca Campbell, Jasmine Engleton, Katie Gregory, Rachael Goodman-Williams, & McKenzie Javorka
“It Made Me Feel Like Someone Wasn’t Doing Their Job:” Sexual Assault Kit Victim Notifications and Institutional Betrayal by the Criminal Legal System
(Runners-up: Jennifer Gómez & Robyn Gobin; Erika Sigurdsson & Etzel Cardeña) - ISSTD Fellows – Dawn Hinton and Holly Maddy
- Media Award: Audio-Visual – Lisa Danylchuk, How We Can Heal Podcast
- Cornelia B. Wilbur Award – Suzette Boon
- Therese O. Clemens Advocacy Award – SAMVAD: Support, Advocacy & Mental Health Interventions for Children in Vulnerable Circumstances
- Sandor Ferenczi Award – Warwick Middleton & Martin Dorahy
Contemporary Perspectives on Freud’s Seduction Theory and Psychotherapy: Revisiting Masson’s “The Assault on Truth” - Pierre Janet Award – Charles A. Benincasa, Seini O’Connor, Nicholas Pierorazio, Sarah Wentling, Bethany Brand, Benjamin Israel, & Hygge Schielke
“Inpatient outcomes following admission to stabilization-focused complex trauma- and dissociation-specific unit” - Outstanding Student Awards – Xi Pan & Nicholas A. Pierorazio
- David Caul Memorial Award – Audrey Zatopek
- Frank W. Putnam Award – Joanne Twombly
Trauma and Dissociation Informed Internal Family Systems: How to Successfully Treat Complex PTSD and Dissociative Disorders - Distinguished Achievement Awards – Farnsworth Lobenstine & Sheldon Itzkowitz
- President’s Award – Brad Foote
- Staff Spotlight Awards – Krista Behrens, Jennifer Madere, & Fern Banner
- Lifetime Achievement Awards – Laura S. Brown, Christine Courtois, & Joyanna Silberg
Congratulations again to our 2025 Award winners!!!
Introducing the Courage Award (Debuting 2026)
We are thrilled to announce the creation of a new award: The Courage Award, debuting in the 2025–2026 awards cycle.
This award will recognize up to one individual and one organization for the demonstration of courage and exceptional bravery within the field of trauma and dissociation. It honors those whose courageous acts have advanced awareness, support, research, and healing for people affected by complex trauma and dissociation – particularly in light of our field’s often turbulent history and the challenges of confronting institutional betrayal.
The Courage Award acknowledges that healing – both personal and systemic – depends on acts of integrity and bravery, on those who are willing to speak truth, advocate for change, and hold space for others to do the same. In doing so, this recognition will celebrate not only excellence, but the moral strength at the heart of trauma-centered work.
Nominations for the 2026 ISSTD Annual Awards and Fellows is currently open and will be closing on November 17. Further information about award categories and the submission process is available here. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to celebrate your colleague’s hard work by nominating them for an award!
With gratitude,
The ISSTD Annual Awards Committee