Online Submission

25th Anniversary International Fall Conference

Call for Proposals

Pre-conference Workshops: Friday, November 14, 2008

Conference: November 15-17, 2008   Holiday Inn Mart Plaza Hotel     Chicago, IL

Updated Submission Deadline: May 15, 2008

We are excited to invite you to submit proposals for our special 25^th anniversary annual conference. The theme of the conference is "Advances in Understanding Trauma and Dissociation: Personal Life, Social Process, and Public Health." This topic highlights our quarter century of endeavors to understand and treat the complex issues that can result from traumatic experiences and dissociation. This has been accomplished, in part, due to the clinical and research endeavors of our own ISSTD members. It is your presentations that have always made our conferences especially stimulating and useful, and have contributed to the tremendous advances of our field in the past 25 years. The integrative mix of both clinical and research presentations is an especially popular and helpful feature of our conference, with encouragement of clinicians and researchers to dialogue and network.

We again encourage you to submit both clinical and research proposals. We particularly welcome our international colleagues and first time presenters to submit. You are invited to submit proposals that address, but are not limited to, the theme of the conference. Clinicians are encouraged to submit presentations regarding theory, diagnosis, comorbidity, treatment innovations, and instructive case studies. We are interested in the entire spectrum of trauma-related disorders and symptoms, particularly dissociation and the more complex trauma-related disorders, including Complex PTSD and the dissociative disorders. Proposals may include individual, group, inpatient, day treatment and health care settings, among others, and may focus on children, adolescents, adults, and various clinical populations. Submissions on ethical, cultural, and diversity issues related to trauma and dissociation are also encouraged. Researchers should submit studies on clinical, psychobiological, social, and public health concerns related to trauma and dissociation.

Submissions should be original and of interest to the scientific, clinical, administrative, policy, or theoretical work of ISSTD members. They should be presented in an interesting and informative manner by highly qualified individuals who represent a diversity of professional disciplines and cultural and national backgrounds. Because few proposals fill all of these criteria, each will be rated on its unique strengths and limitations by using multidimensional criteria. Proposals should be well-written, with no spelling or grammatical errors. They should be coherent, with sentences having a logical and progressive flow. Non-native English speakers are encouraged to ask a native speaker to assist with these issues, or request support from ISSTD several weeks prior to submission.

Proposals should be developed by using scientific, clinical, and intellectual methods that are thorough, principled, and creative. Formats include workshops (mini [90 minutes] and half day), symposia, panels, forums, papers, or posters. Information on each of these formats will be available on line and each format has its own submission form. Proposals may be submitted online only through the ISSTD website at http://www.isst-d.org.

Last year, the rejection rate for submissions (35% overall, 50% for workshops) increased significantly. This rejection rate is similar to, or even a bit lower than that of comparable conferences. Rejections last year occurred for three reasons: (1) the volume of submissions increased, (2) we set new limits on the number of presentations, and (3) we implemented a more objective rating system for proposals to ensure quality and diversity. Increased rejections rates are actually a sign of health and growth in our field, so do not get discouraged if you have had a proposal turned down: Try again!

Information About Submissions

• The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2008, 11:59 PM EST.
• All presenters, including invited and plenary speakers, and pre-conference workshop speakers must submit proposals using the online process below. Proposals that are faxed or sent by mail will not be accepted.
• All presenters must register for the meeting. There will be a limited number of travel bursaries available by application. Submission of a proposal implies a commitment to attend the conference if the proposal is accepted.
• Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
• All proposals must designate a person who can be contacted regarding the submission. Normally, this would be the first author/primary presenter.
• We suggest that one individual gathers all the required information and submits online if there is more than one presenter.
• Prepare a word processing file containing your submission information in advance to save time online and to ensure that you have a backup copy of all of your information.
• Presentations should be original contributions, i.e., they have not been published prior to the date the abstract was submitted.
• A complete CV of each author must be submitted online (in MSWord or Adobe Acrobat). This may be uploaded as a part of your online submission.
• Abstracts are limited to a maximum of 200 words, with two exceptions: (1) Symposium summary abstracts have a 50 word maximum, and (2) Pre-conference workshop and plenary abstracts have a 300 word maximum.
• Abstracts will be published in their original form in the Conference Proceedings Book. Any case material, including any biographical material, must be disguised to avoid revealing the identity of the patient/client. For videos of clients, you must fill out a Patient Informed Consent Form.
• Presenters are asked to be aware of potential for audience distress in their presentations, and take precautions. For example, distress may be caused by graphic videos or descriptions of abuse, participation in experiential, hypnotic, EMDR, body, or imagery exercises, or role play. Therefore, speakers should warn participants at the beginning of a presentation about any graphic content, and should make explicit that participation in any experiential exercises is entirely voluntary.
• All proposals must be submitted online at http://www.isst-d.org. If you do not have internet access, are unable to access the online submission form, or have difficulties with the submission process, please contact Therese Clemens, Program Manager, e-mail tclemens@isst-d.org or phone: 703-610-9037.
• An individual may not be listed as a presenter, co-presenter, chair, or discussant in more than three submissions, excluding posters.
• All presenters must download and complete the following forms: (1) Financial Disclosure, (2) Presenter Attestation, and (if applicable) a Patient Informed Consent Form. Your submission will not be considered if these forms are not completed and received by Headquarters. The forms can be accessed online during your submission process. Email is not acceptable, as your original signature must be on file. Fax or mail the completed forms to:
ISSTD
Therese Clemens, Program Manager
8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300
McLean, VA 22102
Fax: 703-610-9005
Email:

Skill Level: All presentations must designate the knowledge/skill level required of the participant as Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced. Of course, these are only very general guides, since participants have quite diverse experience and training.

• Basic: Any professional participants (including students) should be able to fully understand and appreciate this presentation. It includes basic knowledge, techniques, or skills.
• Intermediate: Requires participants to have at least some work experience in order to gain maximum benefit from the presentation.
• Advanced: Participants require a high-level of training, and substantial experience in the topic. Such presentations are geared to specialists and those in advanced stages of their career.

Abstract Length: All conference abstracts should be 200 words or less, with the exception of Pre-Conference Workshops, which may be a maximum of 300 words. A symposium submission must include one abstract for each discussant/presenter.

Text: Abstracts of research presentations should include the purpose, methods, findings and conclusions. All other abstracts should include an introduction to the topic, relevant populations discussed, relevance to conference theme, if any; and main points to be covered. Authors of submissions who are non-native speakers of English, or who are unaccustomed to writing abstracts will probably find it helpful to have another individual edit their abstracts for conciseness, style, and grammar. Non-native English-speakers may request editorial support from the Program Committee, but all such requests must be made at least two weeks before the submission deadline of April 15, 2008. Contact Therese Clemens at 703-610-9037 or tclemens@isst-d.org.

Learning Objectives: Three learning objectives are required for each proposal. You MUST choose from a provided list of acceptable verbs that describe observable and measurable behaviors. You will find this list as part of the online submission form.

Citations: Each submission must include 3 -5 references in American Psychological Association format, and which are relevant to the objectives of the presentation.

Patient Informed Consent: In order to comply with ethical standards, you must obtain informed consent from patients who will be seen or heard in audio or video presentations, whose cases are discussed without disguise, or whose written or art work is distributed to participants. All other case material must be disguised sufficiently such that an individual cannot be identified.

Statement of Ethical Standards: All work presented at ISSTD must conform to national and/or professional ethical standards for each discipline represented by the presenters.

Presentation Formats

Single paper or case study
Research, theoretical, clinical, or case studies; Maximum length: 20 minutes; one or more presenters. Authors of unaccepted submissions may be offered the opportunity to present their paper as a poster. (See Posters below)

Symposium
An organized collection of individual papers around a theme; total length: 90 minutes; usually 3-4 presentations. Each presentation discusses: (a) a particular aspect of the Symposium topic, (b) an integrated perspective on related topics, or (c) several components of a research project.
Note: One 50 word summary abstract describing the overall topic must be submitted by the moderator, along with a 200 word maximum abstract from each presenter on his or her specific contribution.

Panel Discussion
An organized and coordinated discussion among expert panelists of a particular theme. Total length: 90 minutes; usually 3-4 panelists, including a moderator. A single abstract is required for a panel.

Forum Discussion
Total length: 90 minutes (a total presentation time of 30 minutes, followed by 60 minutes of moderated audience discussion); 2-4 presenters, including the moderator. Forums may address any clinical issue or research topic relevant to trauma and dissociation. A single abstract is required for a forum.

Workshops
Mini workshops: 90 minutes. Half-day workshops: two 90 minutes blocks. Full day workshop: four 90 minute blocks. Workshops should include both didactic and practical or experiential components.

Posters
Presentations in poster form. Posters will be displayed during the conference. Awards will be presented to the authors of the best 3 posters.

Any submissions not accepted for oral presentation will be considered for poster presentation at the discretion of the Program Review Committee.

Proposals are rated according to:

• Format : paper, mini-, half day, or full day workshops, symposium, panel, forum, or poster
• Speaker Qualifications:
  • Master's or higher degree from an accredited educational institution in an area related to the subject matter and in a mental health field
  • Training, certification, or experience in teaching related to the subject matter of the course
  • At least 2 year's experience in an area related to the subject matter of the course
  • Exceptions include graduate students presenting research in collaboration with senior faculty.
• Quality of Proposal: Scientific, clinical, intellectual quality of content; coherence of proposal; content that promotes accepted standard of care; proposal is based on current scientific knowledge
• Importance and relevance to the field of trauma and dissociation

Notification of Acceptance
Primary authors only will be notified of acceptance status by email by the week of June 1, 2008. Primary authors are responsible for notifying all co-presenters of acceptance status. Please immediately notify headquarters of any changes in your contact information after your submission. All decisions of the program committee are final. The Program Chair retains the right to change any proposal to a different format or skill level, depending on the best fit within the overall program.

Continuing Education and Continuing Medical Education
This conference is co-sponsored by McLean Hospital and the Institute for Continuing Education. CME and CEUs will be available upon request and for a fee. More information will be available in the preliminary program and on the ISSTD web site.

25^th Anniversary International Fall Conference • Chicago, IL

Submission Checklist

Please use the following list as a guideline for gathering and submitting your materials. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

• Presentation Format
• Title
• Abstract
• Three learning objectives, using provided verbs
• 3-5 citations in APA format
• Skill level of participants
• If you plan to present audiovisual material involving patients, be prepared to have them sign an informed consent prior to the conference
• Audiovisual Request
• Primary Presenter Information
• Additional Presenter(s) Information (if any)
• Uploadable CV for each presenter
• Download and mail or fax completed Financial Disclosure, Presenter Agreement, and (if applicable) Patient Informed Consent Forms.
  • Click here to download Financial Disclosure Form (required)
  • Click here to download Presenter Attestation Form (required)
  • Click here to download Patient Informed Consent Forms (if applicable)

Due to temporary technical difficulties, we request that you follow these instructions to submit your proposal:

• Carefully read the above information to prepare for your submission
• Download the submission form 
• Click here to download Submission Form 
• Complete the form in Word format 
• Save a copy for your records 
• Email completed form in Word format and all cv(s) to tclemens@isst-d.org
• You will receive a confirmation email within 48 hours during normal working business daysClick below to download required forms, and fax or mail to:

• Click here to download Financial Disclosure Form (required)
• Click here to download Presenter Attestation Form (required)
• Click here to download Patient Informed Consent Forms (if applicable)