As a first-term board member, I have been amazed at all the goings on behind the scenes. The ISSTD Board is a busy group of people who meet every month for 90 minutes, to oversee the activities of the Society and drive many projects to help our Society grow and develop. This quarter has been thrilling, with many new developments ongoing. The Board has been overseeing our growing conference program and planning well-ahead for a busy schedule. In the past year, we have had regional conferences in Anchorage, Alaska; Brisbane, Australia; Denver Colorado; Syracuse, New York; and Baltimore, Maryland. There are planned regionals in 2018 in New York City and Chester, United Kingdom. Although you are hearing about the upcoming Annual Conference in March of 2018, we are already planning for the plenary speakers and venue for the 2019 Annual Conference in New York City. It is amazing the intricacies involved in planning something so large. As the 2018 conference is our 35th, the Board and conference committee have also been interviewing past presidents to gauge the history of the ISSTD over the last 35 years. The project has resulted in videos which will be played at our conference as well as available later to members unable to attend the conference. Very recently the Board has been dedicated to implementing a code of conduct for all members, to foster collegial communication and protect the dignity of all members. This has been emailed to all members and a copy is here. The Board, especially the President, has also been working to bring closer ties between the ISSTD and our European sibling, ESTD. A memorandum of understanding has been signed where the president of each organization, or their representative, will attend the others’ conference. Our president recently attended the ESTD conference in Bern and met with the ESTD Board to provide updates on current joint projects, most pressingly the joint research task force. The board has also been excited to oversee the development of a new EMDR training module. This is just one part of our expanding Professional Training Program which has been adding faculty members to the program. We now will have a much further reach, providing professional development to clinicians around the world. We have both in-person training, as well as teleseminars and asynchronous online courses. Our webinar program is expanding to include all-day programs such as the recent Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, Organized Abuse (RAMCOA) Webinar. If you missed it, you may access the recording for special member pricing by following these instructions: Log in to Member’s Corner. About halfway down the left side of the page, click on “Webinar Library”. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and all of the RAMCOA sessions are listed in Series VII. In addition, the Board has been active in improving our links to the United Nations. We are now recognized by the United Nations as a consultative member. Together, we have a voice in the international community, regarding traumatic issues in current events. Lastly, we have been able to over-see the expansion of our Virtual Book Club, which this year has studied several books as well as articles. The Board has also been delighted to launch ISSTD’s new clinical e-journal Frontiers in the Psychotherapy of Trauma & Dissociation. If you have not already done so, check out the latest edition by logging in to Member’s Corner and clicking on the Frontiers image at the top right of the page. These are the latest headlines of what the Board has been working to provide. We are striving to offer a rich and multifaceted array of educational opportunities to trauma clinicians around the world. Our last Board meeting of the year will be December 16th. I wish everyone a happy holiday season. Warm Regards, Willa
