Int’l Trauma & Dissociation Conference, Co-Sponsored by BUSSW, Features Profs. Gómez & Mendez, Dean Jones, and BUSSW Trauma Specialization
The 42nd Annual Conference of the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD), co-sponsored by Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW), showcased the leading role of BUSSW faculty and programming in trauma-related research and practice.
Prof. Jennifer M. Gómez – who led a pre-conference workshop, paper session, and luncheon – received Honorable Mention for the Richard Kluft Award for the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation’s Best Article of 2024, and was announced as one of four plenary panelists who will headline the 2026 conference. Her concept of “dreamstorming” will be a primary discussion point for her and her fellow panelists, who she calls “giants in the field of complex trauma and dissociation”: Dr. Lynette Danylchuk, Lisa Danylchuk, LMFT, E-RYT, and Dr. Bethany Brand.
Prof. Gómez was a moderator for a plenary session this year featuring Dr. Thema Bryant, who wrote the foreword to Gómez’s book, The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls. (You can learn about Prof. Gómez’s other conference roles and presentations here.)
Research Assistant Professor Alicia Mendez shared a poster on a topic central to her research and expertise, “Exploring Intergenerational Posttraumatic Growth Among Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Their Young-Adult Children,” and Dean Barbara Jones delivered a speech at the organization’s Annual Awards Reception highlighting BUSSW and its Trauma, Violence & Justice Specialization.
BUSSW also had three MSW students in attendance – Sama Sarraj, Sophie Bailard, and Jay Woods – and sponsored the Student and Emerging Professional Lunch and Award Reception. BUSSW is an organizational member of ISSTD.
Check out photos from the conference below, courtesy of Profs. Gómez and Mendez.
