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
Double Trauma: Post-Migration Living Distress and Refugee Suicidality
Phoebe LewisSection Editor: Antonella BarianiPeer Reviewers: Molly Becker The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, 2023) estimates that, as of mid-2022, 32.5 million people were of refugee status. According to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a person meets the legal definition of refugee if they are “unable or unwilling to return to their…
RMHRN & International Committee Updates
Elizabeth Carll Section Editor; Founder & Chair, Refugee Mental Health Resource Network Refugee Mental Health Resource Network The Refugee Mental Health Resource Network (RMHRN) organized a symposium on International Interventions and Research about Trauma Faced by Refugees and Migrants at the 2023 APA Convention in Washington DC. Participants included Frances Boulon, Elizabeth Carll, Shaifali Sandhya,…
Who’s Who: Jessica Punzo, PsyD
(she/her)Owner/Founder, Middle Path Psychotherapy, LLC Formal education: PsyD, concentration in traumatic stress (Adler University); Psychology BS, biology minor(Roosevelt University) Areas of expertise/interests: Complex PTSD, LGBTQ populations, perinatal mental health, psychedelic assisted therapy Self-care activities: Exercise (specifically all things Peloton!), listening to music and attending music festivals, home decorating (especially Halloween decorating), crafting, traveling, being in…
Emotional Trauma & The Fragilification of Being
Traumatic loss strips the world of substance and solidity “I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER,” a lover proclaims to a beloved. Love thereby transforms the beloved into a metaphysical entity, replacing the finitude and impermanence of existence with the illusion of eternity. When a beloved dies, not only is the relationship lost; the metaphysical illusion of…
President’s Column – Fall/Winter 2023
I am writing my last Presidential column on the heels of returning from APA in Washington, DC. I have to say that I think it was our best conference ever! To start, I was so moved, inspired, and energized by Dr. Thema Bryant’s theme, “You Belong Here,” with the fabulous presence of black and brown…
Editorial Note – Fall/Winter 2023
Dear TPN friends, THE EDITORIAL TEAM & I WISH YOU A HEARTFELT WELCOME to the Trauma Psychology News Fall/Winter 2023 issue, themed “Fragility, solidarity, and refuge.” As we continue in this fragile, trying time for the world and our community, may we find solidarity with each other and co-create a space of refuge, recovery, and…
Fall/Winter 2023 | Vol. 18, Issue 3
Fall/Winter 2023 | Vol. 18, Issue 3
Book Review – The blue dragonfly: Healing through poetry
By Veronica Eley2021Hidden Brook Press Veronica Eley’s The Blue Dragonfly: healing through poetry offers an unusually poignant testament of the poet’s decades-spanning struggle with traumatic after-effects in daily life. Eley’s poems trace a lifelong struggle with mental illness that first emerges in childhood. By age 7 she was: “alreadyshowing signsof emotionaldisturbancebipolarin today’s terms.” She portrays…
CALL FOR FELLOWS
DUE DATE: November 1 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…
Integrating familismo into evidence-based trauma therapies to increase treatment engagement among Latine youth
Yesenia Aguilar Silvan & Lauren C. NgSection Editor: Antonella BarianiPeer Reviewers: Linda Zheng & Molly Becker Trauma Exposure Disparities for Latine Youth By age 17, 46% of youth in the United States will have experienced at least one potentially traumatic event such as community violence or family separation (Sacks & Murphey, 2018). This major public…