Ever wonder who is working behind the scenes handling all things membership related? Meet Jasmine Butler. As ISSTD’s Membership and Engagement Coordinator, Jasmine is the primary staff contact not only for general membership, but also for the Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Regional Online Communities (ROCs), Student and Emerging Professional Group, and the Virtual Book Club. So, what exactly does membership support entail? In addition to processing new and renewing memberships, Jasmine responds to all general calls and emails, handles registration and technical support for our Virtual Book Club, maintains member resources in ISSTDWorld, and manages the distribution list for the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. Jasmine also coordinates many aspects of the Annual Conference, and does the important work of tracking the trainings that members attend through the Center for Advanced Studies (CFAS) for certificate program credits. She also provides support with fundraising events, administration for grants awarded, and handles much of the internal reporting related to tracking registrations for our educational activities, as well as doing SIG & ROC membership management and reports. Read on to learn more about Jasmine.
Q: What drew you to ISSTD? How long have you been here, and what do you enjoy about working here?
I joined ISSTD in June 2023. What drew me to ISSTD was the opportunity to work with volunteers. I have volunteered at my local animal shelters for the past 12 years fostering bottle-fed kittens, and often work very closely with volunteer case managers. Seeing the kind of work they did made me passionate about helping other volunteers. ISSTD, being a Society directed towards assisting a community of therapists, resonated with me personally as I am a huge advocate of therapy and self-healing. I also enjoy the tasks others might find mundane—like all the spreadsheet tracking, assisting with emails, and other organizational activities.
Q. What is something you would really like our members to know about your role?
One thing I’d love for members to understand is that it might not now seem like it, but membership and volunteer segments are handled by one person. Try to think of everything members might need and put it in a nice knapsack on my back; that’s my job. So, when something needs attending to in these areas, including on our sister website the Center for Advanced Studies, it may take a while to handle because I am just one person (of a three-person staff).
Q: What do you enjoy in your time off from work?
During my downtime time I enjoy studying for my Anthropology Degree and reading about various historical contexts that have long been forgotten.
Q: What is a favorite quote of yours?
My favorite quote currently is from the poem “The Ghost Farm” by Iain S. Thomas (pen name: pleasefindthis) from his collection I Wrote This For You #4: “To you it was just picking flowers, to them it was a massacre.”