APA Guidelines for Working with Adults with Complex Trauma Histories
Learn about the new set of guidelines approved by the APA Council of Representatives at the APA 2024 convention in Seattle, August 2024.
APA’s clinical and professional practice guidelines are science-backed tools that showcase the latest clinical and practice knowledge for clinicians.
Developed by Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) of the American Psychological Association and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD)
OUR LEADERSHIP FOR 2025
Jessica Punzo, Psy.D.
President
Dr. Jessica Punzo is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois and also an active member of PSYPACT. She completed her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Traumatic Stress at Adler University.
Janna Henning, Psy.D.
President-Elect
Dr. Janna Henning has been providing mental health services for adults with complex trauma, PTSD, dissociative disorders, chronic/life-threatening illness, and grief/loss-related concerns for over 20 years.
Carlos Cuevas, Ph.D.
Past President
Dr. Carlos A. Cuevas is a Professor and Co-Director of the Violence and Justice Research Laboratory at Northeastern University in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Trauma Psychology News
Book Review – Working With Traumatic Memories To Heal Adults With Unresolved Childhood Trauma
Review by Omewha Beaton, PhD By Petra Winnette , PhD and Jonathan Baylin, PhD 2017 Jessica Kingsley Publishers Working with traumatic memories to heal adults with unresolved childhood trauma: Neuroscience, attachment theory and Pesso Boyden system psychomotor psychotherapy is a collaborative effort by Petra Winnette, PhD, a psychotherapist, and Jonathan Baylin, PhD, a clinical psychologist.…
Spring 2024 | Vol. 19, Issue 1
Spring 2024 | Vol. 19, Issue 1
Introducing New Fellows
Section Editor: Priscilla Dass-BrailsfordThe Fellows Committee is pleased to announce the newest Fellows of DIV56:Marylene Cloitre, PhD; Mary Ann Dutton, PhD; Barbara L. Niles, PhD; and Nancy Sidun, PsyD, ABPP, ATR. DR. MARYLENE CLOITRE is a senior staff member at the National Center for PTSD Dissemination and Training Division at the Palo Alto VA and…
Creating Connections: Training Competencies for Practitioners Supporting Traumatized LGBTQ+ Youth
Stephany Pinales & Mariah Montgomery Stickley In 2020, approximately 9% of adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age identified themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, while nearly one percent of the population surveyed (.73%) identified as transgender (Bowleg, 2020). Considering the social, cultural, and spiritual influences placed upon youth in their development, these numbers…
President’s Column – Spring 2024
It is an honor to start my year as Division 56 Trauma Psychology president. I became involved with this division shortly after its inception and have been fortunate to work with great colleagues for over a decade. I want to thank our past-President, Dr. Dawn Hughes for her leadership and support and want to welcome…
Psychopathology Following Traumatic Injury
Logan Pearson, Terri deRoon-Cassini, Mary E “Libby” Schroeder, & Daniel N. HolenaSection Editor: Sydney Timmer-Murillo In the high-stakes environment of trauma care, the immediate treatment priorities must focus primarily on stabilizing physical injury. This often relegates concern for mental health to the backseat, where it unfortunately remains for much of the early period post-trauma. Despite…
Book Review – Posttraumatic play in children: What clinicians need to know
By Eliana Gil2017The Guilford Press Eliana Gil’s gentle and sensitive approach to children and their families is evident throughout her book on posttraumatic play therapy. She calls her approach Trauma-Focused Integrative Play Therapy (TFIPT). Dr. Gil aims her book towards clinicians, mainly focusing on complex, chronic, and ‘unrelenting’ Type II traumas, which include multiple types…
CALL FOR FELLOWS
Fellows Committee Chair:Priscilla Dass-Brailsfordpd227@georgetown.eduPhone: 202-706-5078 Fellow status in APA is given to those who have made unusual and outstanding contributions to the field of trauma psychology. Their distinguished contributions are the foundation on which the future of trauma psychology builds. Fellows make on-going contributions to science, practice, and public policy through activities in this Division…
Religiosity / Spirituality & WellBeing in BIPOC & LGBTQ+ Communities
In briefClaire J. Starrs & Zaine A. Roberts Religiosity has been shown to be related to indicators of well-being such as hope, optimism, happiness, and quality of life (Gonçalves, et al., 2017; Panzini, et al. 2017; Peres, et al., 2017), as well as lower distress, even in the face of major stressors, such as cancer,…
Introducing our new elected ECP Representative
My name is Maria Valgoi. I am a trauma psychologist and licensed in Illinois. I have a clinic on the southside of Chicago and I am on faculty at Governors State University in the south suburbs of Chicago. I graduated from University of Illinois Counseling Psychology Program with a graduate concentration in African American Studies.…