the Case for

Making a Difference!

Your organization, the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), founded in 1983, is dedicated to addressing the effects of repeated abuse and trauma. The Society promotes research on dissociation and chronic traumatization, provides professional and public education on these topics, and trains professionals to identify and treat persons with dissociative disorders. It is an international organization with over 1,200 members. The Society’s current and past officers include many of the world’s leading experts on trauma and dissociation. In 2006, ISSTD’s 23rd professional and scientific conference was attended by mental health clinicians and researchers from around the world. Our Journal of Trauma and Dissociation publishes peer-reviewed scientific literature on posttraumatic stress disorder, psychological trauma, and dissociative disorders, and it is listed in Index Medicus. ISSTD Component Groups provide ongoing education and a local forum for Society members to exchange views and discuss experiences. Component Groups have been established in Canada, Germany, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Nearly 1000 students have graduated from the ISSTD Psychotherapy Training Program in its first six years of existence. The educational video “Understanding Dissociation” was released in the fall of 2002. Clearly, ISSTD is growing!

The Executive Council of ISSTD has proposed a number of new, major projects with the intent of increasing consciousness and knowledge about dissociative disorders and chronic traumatization for gatekeepers of mental health care (adopted by the ISSTD Executive Council, 2004). The initial projects with the highest priorities are:

Educational Materials: ISSTD will continue to develop educational materials about dissociation, chronic trauma, and neglect, and distribute them to students and professors in mental health training programs in psychology, social work, and psychiatry. The distribution of our video, “Understanding Dissociation,” is one example.

Treatment Manual: We will develop the “Treatment Manual for Dissociation, Chronic Trauma, and Neglect.” It will be available both in print and on the ISSTD website.

Use of the Internet: ISSTD will develop the Internet’s most authoritative and comprehensive website on dissociation and chronic traumatization. There will be enhanced use of internet technologies, such as web-casting conferences and providing online educational programs

Because the signs of dissociation and chronic traumatization so often go undetected, most sufferers of trauma slip through our healthcare system, often unrecognized, or under-diagnosed. A goal of ISSTD is to increase the ability of “initial contact” gatekeepers (i.e., the medical community, churches, schools, daycare centers, etc.) to recognize the signs and symptoms of dissociation and chronic traumatization. Unless these gatekeepers are better educated, traumatized individuals will be less likely to receive appropriate care. The role of the gatekeepers is essential. We must teach other professionals how trauma is relevant to what they do every day.

ISSTD will develop and distribute educational materials about dissociation, chronic trauma, and neglect, (i.e., brochures, guidelines, videotape presentations). These materials will be specifically designed for “initial contact” gatekeepers to treatment (i.e., the medical community, clergy, teachers, daycare center personnel, protective service professionals, etc.). We will forge partnerships with targeted groups such as medical societies and nursing associations, pastoral care groups, etc., in order to effectively disseminate these materials.

Advance scientific knowledge about chronic traumatization and its aftermath;   Provide a forum for the exchange and dissemination of knowledge about trauma and dissociation;   Develop and maintain a goal-directed research agenda to identify and fill gaps in knowledge on trauma and dissociation;   Facilitate the funding of research on trauma and dissociation   Promote the utilization of science to inform new treatment for dissociative and trauma related disorders

These goals, as well as a number of others that ISSTD is considering, are visionary and ambitious. Successful execution of these goals will require an investment of ISSTD leadership and resources. It will require the active support of all persons who are concerned about the devastating impact of childhood trauma and the intergenerational cycle of abuse. It will require the development of the needed organizational infrastructure within ISSTD. To achieve these goals will require a considerable increase in our financial resources.

An initial and partial polling of our membership indicated a remarkable and enthusiastic willingness to make considerable financial contributions toward the accomplishment of our exciting new goals. Based on this initial assessment, we have set a goal of raising $250,000 over five years to fund these important initiatives and we ask for your support. As these monies are contributed, and our new projects come to fruition, it will put ISSTD in an even better position to seek financial support from a variety of foundations and granting agencies.

How to make a contribution