Dear ISSTD Community,
Welcome to the August 2025 edition of ISSTD News, which you are reading in early-September! I initially planned to reflect upon the preceding month, but then I realized that September is ISSTD’s Student and Emerging Professional (SEP) Month. So, rather than look to the past in this letter, I have decided to attend to the present (and near-future). Because I want to be sure you have time to read all the other great articles in the News this month, I’m going to keep this month’s letter short and sweet.
First, thanks to all of you for your continued membership. Without you, there is no ISSTD.
Second, I want to give a shout out to our SEPs. (And for those of you reading who are not SEPs, you know you too were once a student and an emerging professional, so please consider sending some warm, supportive vibes in the direction of someone(s) you know who currently is.) Although we dedicate the month of September to you, I hope you know that you are important every month. You are the future of this Society and the dissociative disorders field. In recognition of this, we have all sorts of goodies lined up for you this month, including:
- Free access to four recorded presentations within the Center for Advanced Studies. A different presentation will be made available each week within the SEP Forum in ISSTDWorld.
- A discount code, which will be provided to you in the SEP Forum, to attend an Ask the Expert session with Richard Loewenstein, MD. There are two sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening (Eastern US time). Free access will be limited to the first fifteen people who use the discount code for each of these sessions. (Not yet familiar with Dr. Loewenstein’s work? You can learn about his publications here.)
In additional to the freebies, you can expect to hear from ISSTD HQ about volunteer opportunities, right-sized for busy SEPs. These include 2026 Annual Conference Ambassadors (Portland, Oregon!), 2025 Australia-New Zealand Regional Conference Ambassadors (in beautiful Aotearoa-New Zealand*), Social Media Marketing roles, and Annual Conference Committee Marketing volunteer positions. These are not heavy lifts, are time-limited commitments, and will give you the chance to make new personal and professional connections and (bonus!) a new addition to your resume. *There’s still plenty of time to register for the Wellington Regional Conference, which takes place in late-October 2025.
Even with all that’s unfolding in the US and the World, ISSTD News and I will be back to check in with you again next month. No matter where you are in your career, and where in the world you happen to be, I hope the coming month offers you just what you need.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Sincerely yours,
Michael