Happy February ISSTDWorld! Thank you for stopping by to read about what the Virtual and Regional Conference Committee (VRCC) was up to in 2024 and our plans for the 2025 year! The goal of the VRCC committee is to support the continued growth of ISSTD’s regional and virtual trainings. As a group, this committee includes both ISSTD staff and volunteers who meet to recommend locations for future conferences, brainstorm and develop conference themes and their corresponding branding, and support marketing initiatives to get the word out to the regions where conferences will be held. This committee also works closely alongside the Webinar Committee to create continuity between regional conferences and the yearly webinar series, and with the Education and Training Oversight Committee to ensure continuity and cohesion with the overall education components across ISSTD training and education.
The VRCC was up to a lot in 2024, planning the following virtual and regional conferences:
- The Washington, DC Regional Conference (October 25-26, 2024), titled “Subjugation, Mind Control, and Cultural Betrayal: Attachment Healing through Relational Connection,” featured presentations by Jennifer Gómez, PhD, Daniel Shaw, LCSW, & Richard J. Loewenstein, MD.
- An EMDR Virtual Seminar (July 12-13, 2024) titled “Complexities of Complex Trauma, Dissociation, and EMDR therapy,” featured presentations by Jennifer Madere, MA, LPC-S, D. Michael Coy, LICSW, & Marilyn Korzekwa, MD.
- The 2024 Virtual Conference (November 9-10, 2024), titled “Attachment and the Therapeutic Relationship,” featured plenary presentations by Benedetto Farina, MD, & David Elliott, PhD.
Missed the EMDR Seminar or the 2024 Virtual Conference? Great news! The EMDR Virtual Seminar can be purchased within the ISSTD Center for Advanced Studies here, and the 2024 Virtual Conference will become available for recorded purchase within the next several months! As we shift into 2025, the VRCC is working hard to plan for the upcoming virtual and regional conference offerings. We are pleased to share that this year’s Regional Conference will be in Chicago from July 18-19, 2025, the themed Seminar Days will focus on both Ethics (May 2025) and an Introduction to the Psychodynamics of Dissociation (December 2025), and the Virtual Conference will be on September 27-28, 2025. Please stay tuned for email and ISSTDWorld updates containing information about the conference dates and presenters, and how to submit a proposal to present at the 2025 Virtual Conference!