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
Exploring the Wellness of Black Women Who Describe a Criterion A Trauma in their Life Story
Jessica Krukowski, Ed St. Aubin, & Karen RobinsonSection Editor: Sydney Timmer-Murillo Black women live in an intersection between two marginalized identities: their Blackness and their womanhood (King, 2019). Oftentimes the challenges Black men and boys face become synonymous with the entire Black experience (Patton et al., 2016). As a result, solidarity becomes asymmetrical, and the…
Contextualizing Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders
Multicultural Considerations for the Past, Present, & Future of our Field Nicholas A. Pierorazio, Christina M. Dardis, & Bethany L. BrandSection Editor: Claire J. Starrs Dissociation is presently understood as a disconnection and/or disintegration in consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, somatic experience, motor functioning, and/or behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). Dissociation may range from being…
RMHRN and International Committee Updates
Elizabeth CarllSection Editor; Founder & Chair, Refugee Mental Health Resource Network Refugee Mental Health Resource Network The Refugee Mental Health Resource Network (RMHRN) free webinar on Cybersecurity was unique for the RMHRN as it addressed the increasing concerns that have arisen from colleagues being hacked and data lost or stolen, resulting in access to confidential…
Who’s Who: Ilene Serlin, PhD
Dr. Ilene A. Serlin, BC-DMT she/herPsychologist and Dance Therapist Formal education: Areas of expertise/interests: Existential/humanistic psychology, all the arts, travel and cross-cultural exchanges Self-care activities: Dance, yoga, hiking, sleep, healthy diet, friends, love, family, reading, films, the arts, painting watercolors What led you to this Field and career path? I have been a folk dancer…
My daughter was murdered: “There are no words”
Deborah A. Stiles There are no words. I am a white woman who is a professor and psychologist; I suffered a traumatic loss in 2022 when my 34-year-old African American foster daughter was murdered. Although we were not biologically related, I was her mother, and she was my daughter; I deeply cherished and depended upon…
President’s Column – Summer 2023
Healing from trauma involves rebuilding our ability to trust – trust in people – trust in institutions – trust in oneself. Effective trauma therapy helps restore that trust. Today, I feel humbled that my patients trust me and hear me when I demonstrate belief in their value, their goodness, and their recovery. I continue to…
Editorial Note – Summer 2023
Dear TPN friends, THE EDITORIAL TEAM & I WISH YOU A WARM WELCOME to the Trauma Psychology News Summer 2023 issue, themed “Spectrums and continuums.” June is a month of honoring, awareness, and celebration, from Pride Month, Juneteenth, Gun Violence Awareness Month, PTSD Awareness Month, and more. This issue points to the spectrum of experiences…
Summer 2023 | Vol. 18, Issue 2
Summer 2023 | Vol. 18, Issue 2
Suicide Prevention in the Context of Moral Injury & the Afghanistan Withdrawal
Dustin Lewis Section Editor: Antonella BarianiPeer Reviewers: Linda Zheng & Molly Becker In August of 2022, I separated from the Air Force after nearly 11 years as an officer. I immediately transitioned into a master’s program in Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with the intention of working with veterans. The most recent United…
Editorial Note – Spring 2023
Dear TPN friends, THE EDITORIAL TEAM & I WISH YOU A WARM WELCOME to the Trauma Psychology News Spring 2023 issue, themed Transformation, creativity, and spring. Our spring issue bursts with renewed energy, starting with Doris the Duck on the cover. This issue also highlights the creativity and artistry among our trauma psychology field, with…