ISSTD Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide ISSTD members with information and support targeted to specific areas within the trauma and dissociation field. Developed by members, for members, they are open to all ISSTD Members who share that interest. Members of our current SIGs report finding these forums a valuable source of education, information and collegiate support.
ISSTD is pleased to announce that several members have put forward exciting proposals for future SIGs. However, in order to move ahead with these ideas we need to determine the level of interest among members. If you are interested in participating in any of these new SIGs, please email the contact for the group.
Veterans’ Special Interest Group
The mission of the Veterans’ SIG is to advance the knowledge, research, and treatment of military related trauma spectrum disorders. Post traumatic stress presentations in Veterans are often complex and unique, and their needs for recovery do not always fall within the scope of a traditional PTSD diagnosis or manualized therapies; However, treatment can often be limited by systemic barriers. Thus the need for creative approaches, new ideas, and advocacy for both Veterans and their providers are important. This SIG would provide an environment of support, feedback, and creative strategies to enhance the care and understanding of military related trauma.
SIG Contact:
Heather N. Kacos, Psy.D.
Heather.kacos@va.gov
Couple and Family Therapy Special Interest Group
I am interested in starting a Couple and Family Therapy SIG to bring together clinicians and researchers who work with couples and families in the context of trauma. What I have found over the past many years is that those of us who do couple and family work find ourselves divided–we attend couple and family conferences and continuing education sessions, and we attend trauma conferences but rarely do the two areas intersect. It would be the mission of this section to bring together clinicians and researchers working with traumatized couples and families to bridge that gap and develop opportunities for networking, continuing education and research that are specifically geared to trauma focused work with couple and family systems.
Of course, the mission of the group will be developed with SIG members, but I can see us working to develop a listserv to share resources, discuss clinical issues and engage in journal watch type activities; collaborative workshops and symposia at the conference; developing a special issue for JTD or Frontiers on couple and family work and generally providing support and community for those of us who straddle these two worlds.
SIG Contact:
Heather MacIntosh,
heather.macintosh@mcgill.ca
Transitional Age Youth Special Interest Group
The mission of the TAY Special Interest Group (transitional age youth being 18-24 years old) is to create a space where mental health clinicians who work with this population can connect and collaborate around effective assessment, research, and treatment in the areas of trauma and dissociation as it applies to TAY. It is also a space where clinicians who are new to working with this age range and the specific areas of difficulty that TAY often navigate can gain support as well as guidance in their work. In addition, the group will discuss ways to promote awareness among clinicians and other care providers of the unique ways in which trauma and dissociation manifest among TAY.
SIG Contact:
Katie Keech, LMFT
Katiekeechmft@gmail.com
Interested in starting a Special Interest Group? Click here to learn more about the guidelines and registration process.