Hello ISSTD Members, I welcome everyone to our first newsletter of 2019. I cannot convey enough how honoured I am to be leading this amazing organization into the next decade. This will be my ninth year as a board member. I have been able to watch this society go through some tough times, witness some growing pains and reach a place of pleasant stability. I often reflect on what got me and us here. One thing that is clear to me is that we are all leaders, shakers and pleasant rebels. I, as many of you will know, have spent a career fighting for the truth to be known. I have spent endless hours explaining and debating the merits and truths of dissociation. I have been told and accused many times of being wrong. I am okay with this. Examining whether I am wrong or not has made me a better clinician. I have been made to check to see if what I am doing is causing harm or not. In this critical examination I have had to check in with myself, and others in the field. With this deep investigation I know that what I do and what the ISSTD does is benefiting the human condition.
We are breaking ground all the time. We are challenging the status quo. I would encourage all areas of mental health to analyze themselves with the same intensity as they analyze us. There is a pride that comes with the deep investigation, as we continue to find evidence that supports what we see, hear, witness and experience in our offices and in our research. The people we serve are not bad, broken or deviant. They are humans who are doing the human thing as best as they can, with what they know. This pride is a tangible feeling that has been the hallmark of my experience within the ISSTD.
Thank you for allowing me the privilege to lead the most amazing group of humans I have ever met. I am excited about the new members to the Board. We have a lot of individuals who bring with them a vast amount of experience and leadership skills. By having several individuals from the UK, Australia, South Africa and Canada, the board is expanding and diversifying. I am excited about where this particular Board will lead us in the years to come. This year one of our largest focuses will be on communication and inclusion. We are in the process of examining how to improve communication amongst our members, committees, SIGS, component groups and the Board.
Expect to see information that helps us communicate to you in a more efficient manner. The ISSTD is growing. I am happy to say that we have stabilized for quite some time now. In this year of growth we are launching a new website, adding in regional conferences to areas that we have not been before within the US and traveling to New Zealand. We are continuing our relationship with the ESTD by highlighting their conference in Rome in the fall and we are also pleased to have an ESTD representative join us in New York. I look forward to hearing from many of you. Warmly, Christine