Lifetime Achievement Awards
Dr Lynette S Danylchuk, PhD
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest recognition given to an individual or individuals who have contributed over a generous span of time to the field of dissociation and/or trauma and the ISSTD. This year the award went to Lynette Danylchuk and Ira Brenner.
Dr Lynette S Danylchuk, PhD
Lynette has been working in the trauma field since mid-80, starting with Vietnam Vets and people with DID. She served 12 years on the original Board of Directors of Survivorship, and then worked for the Board of the Star Foundation for several more years. She continues to be active in private practice, in teaching and in providing consultations to other professionals.
Lynette has been an active society member since 1996. She has volunteered countless hours in support of the ISSTD and her care, warmth and energy is well known to most of us. She has worn the hat of ISSTD President, Board Member, PTP Program Chair, Volunteer Chair, and Chair of the UN Task Force, among others. She has chaired the Volunteer Committee, and the Professional Training Program. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors, the Conference Committee, the PTP Task Force, the EMDR/PTP Task Force, and Chair of Certificate Program Committee, and the UN Task Force.
Professor Ira Brenner, MD
Ira is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia where he was formerly the Director of the Adult Psychotherapy Training Program. Ira is currently in private practice with a special interest in psychological trauma. He lectures across the country and internationally, and has authored over 90 publications, including five books.
When it comes to the world of organized psychoanalysis, Ira, who is both a child and adult analyst, and a training and supervision analyst, is the preeminent voice for the sophisticated study of dissociation and trauma. He addresses the major national and international meetings, psychoanalytic and otherwise, and teaches world-wide on a regular basis on the subjects of trauma, dissociation, disaster psychiatry, transgenerational trauma, and psychoanalytic studies on genocide and ethnic and international conflicts. Ira was unable to be at the conference to receive the award.
Distinguished Achievement Awards
The Distinguished Achievement Award is given to individuals who have distinguished themselves within the ISSTD.
Dr Marilyn Korzekwa, MD, FRCPC
Marilyn completed medicine at the University of Toronto in 1982 and psychiatry at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1986, where she is an associate professor (part-time). She has published in the area of dissociation and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). She has completed both levels of training in DBT, EMDR and Lifespan Integration.
Andreas Laddis and Marilyn Korzekwa
She is a fellow of the ISSTD and has been a member since 1992. She has been on ISSTD’s scientific committee since 2011. Marilyn essentially formed and then chaired the ISSTD Webinar Committee, which she has led as Chair since 2015. Working with headquarters staff, her collaborative efforts and organisational skills have transformed the ISSTD Webinar program to offer well-scheduled regular webinars covering a large range of topics and greatly improving the profitability of this program. Currently she is devoting her time to the committee that is developing the curriculum for ISSTD’s EMDR course.
Dr Andreas Laddis, MD
Andreas is a general psychiatrist, with a fellowship in neurology. He has drawn his professional satisfaction mainly from psychotherapy for patients with trauma-related disorders, which began with his psychiatric training at the Sheppard-Pratt Hospital in Towson, Maryland. For many years later, he has cultivated the practice of psychotherapy in government-sponsored psychiatric agencies, mainly in community mental health centers.
Andreas has led the development and solidification of the ISSTD’s clinical E-Journal, Frontiers in the Psychotherapy of Trauma and Dissociation, and is now the sole editor. He has generously dedicated many, many hours to the development of this important publication, drawing on his clinical connections to have articles in the E-Journal on a monthly basis. Through his hard work is the reputation of Frontiers is building.
The President’s Award
Sandra Baita and Andrea Calleja with Awards Show Hosts and ISSTD President Christine Forner
The President’s Award is given to an individual, or individuals, who have given outstanding service to the Society.
Sandra Baita, Andrea Calleja, and Mariana Graña
Sandra, Andrea and Mariana have been honoured for their work in translating course materials for ISSTD Child and Adolescent Professional Training course into Spanish. Their work has allowed us to provide trainings to more international students in their native language and ensure that this Society remains a true International resource. The first offering of the new Spanish Child and Adolescent course was wildly successful with nearly 40 participants from around the world.
Karen Hopenwasser
Dr. Karen Hopenwasser, MD
Karen has also been honoured for working to ensure ISSTD has an international voice. Karen serves tirelessly as ISSTD’s representative at the United Nations. Karen’s work as the ISSTD representative to the NGO Committee on Mental Health has been instrumental in expanding ISSTD’s reach and recognition, enabling the Society to continue to grow and educate the international community on complex trauma and dissociative disorders.
And Introducing our New Fellows
Each Year at the Annual Conference ISSTD awards some members the status of Fellow. To be considered for ISSTD Fellow status, a person must have at least five years’ membership in ISSTD and must present evidence of outstanding contributions to the field of dissociation in two or more of the required categories. This year the Award Recipients are:
Dr Ericha Hitchcock Scott, PhD, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
Ericha has 34 years of experience in the trauma and dissociation field. Her research and clinical work has been published in book chapters and peer review journals in the United States and abroad. She is also an award winning addiction and trauma therapist and artist. She has been recognized for her decades of dedication to the field of trauma and dissociation, as well as her continued efforts to further the mission of the ISSTD through workshops, including presentations at ISSTD Annual and Regional Conferences.
Dr Heather Hall, MD
Heather is a board certified adult psychiatrist, practicing in Northern California. Before establishing her private practice, she was an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at UCSF and then UC Davis. She is currently on the board of directors of the ISSTD and specializes in the treatment of complex trauma.
Heather is being recognized for her service on the Board of Directors and the Annual Conference Committee, as well as the Public Health Task Force. Her continued devotion to diversity and inclusion is invaluable to ISSTD, and her dedication to advancing the fields of trauma and dissociation is outstanding.
Our new Fellows: Sandra Bouabjian, Rochelle Sharpe Lohrasbe, Garrett Deckel, D Michael Coy, Heather Hall, and Ericha Scott
D. Michael Coy, MA, LICSW
Michael is a clinical social worker in private practice, whose treatment interests include pre-verbal and attachment trauma/wounding, addictions/compulsions, and complex trauma and the dissociative disorders. He is also an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. In 2017 Michael began collaborating with ISSTD member Jennifer Madere and Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation developer Paul F. Dell, PhD, in 2016 to overhaul the MID Analysis and MID Manual.
Michael is being recognized for his tireless work to advocate for the fields of trauma and dissociation, and his willingness to put his time and effort into ensuring that ISSTD continues to be at the forefront of the field, both in treatment modalities and technology. He currently serves as our Treasurer and Webmaster and is Co-chair of its EMDR Therapy Training Task Group, which is in the midst of developing ISSTD’s own, home-grown EMDR basic training.
Dr Garrett Deckel, MD, PhD
Garrett is Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, where she teaches psychiatric residents in the areas of Complex PTSD and Dissociation. She is also currently in private practice in Manhattan and White Plains. She frequently gives invited talks, lectures and interviews on Trauma and Dissociative Disorders.
Garrett is being recognized for her continued dedication to ISSTD in her various volunteer roles, including the inception and organization of this year’s inaugural Psychiatric Resident’s Track at the annual conference. Garrett also serves on the ISSTD Conference Committee, is a Moderator for the ISSTD Book Club, and has presented at ISSTD Regional Seminars.
Dr Rochelle Sharpe Lohrasbe, PhD
Rochelle has over 30 years of clinical experience in the areas of post-traumatic stress, attachment trauma and developmental wounding. In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Sharpe Lohrasbe teaches regionally, nationally and internationally as a faculty member at the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. She provides consultation services for clinical cases, educational design and organizational support in Canada and abroad. Rochelle has presented at EMDR and Trauma and Dissociation conferences, including the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. Her approach to mental health and well-being incorporates a keen interest in Integrative Mental Health, drawing on a strengths-based approach and guided by cross discipline research in neurobiology, neuropsychoimmunology, philosophy, integrative medicine, psychology and the social sciences.
Rochelle is being recognized for her contribution to the world of trauma informed education. Rochelle has educated and trained practitioners on almost every continent regarding trauma, complex trauma, and dissociation. Rochelle is part of the ISSTD/EMDR training group and has been part of the ISSTD pre-conference training for many years. Rochelle’s unique ability to assist practitioners in understanding the sensory impact of trauma on the body has helped many thousands of people recover from their trauma wounds.
Sandra Bouabjian, MA
Sandra is a licensed psychologist with a Masters in Counselling Psychology from McGill University and is in private practice in Montreal. Sandra has been an active member of the Montreal Study group in Trauma and Dissociation for over 15 years and contributes as both an organizer and a member of the group. In addition, she offers consultation and supervision to other mental health professionals working with these challenging clients. Sandra has also been teaching in ISSTD’s Professional Training Program for several years and is currently the Chair-elect of the PTP Committee.
Dr. Jan Ewing, PhD
Jan is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society (FAPS), with specialist endorsements in both
Jan Ewing
clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology. She has specialised for over thirty years in the medico-legal evaluation of closed head injury and the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic syndromes, particularly those relating to military service and childhood maltreatment. In addition to private practice, she lectures widely on the neurobiology and treatment of psychological trauma across the lifespan and the assessment of feigning and exaggeration in clinical and medicolegal practice. Jan has been providing training on the assessment and treatment of dissociative disorder in Australia for many years. She has been a member of the ISSTD for many years and was on the 2015 Sydney regional ISSTD conference committee. She also presented an invited workshop on the treatment of complex trauma and dissociative disorders at the Brisbane regional ISSTD conference in 2017 and the hugely successful Hobart regional conference in 2018. Jan was unable to be at the conference to receive her award.