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ForwardMaster Seminar - Complex Posttraumatic and Dissociative Disorders | Turkus/Smith 2026
This course is only open to those who have completed the Level III course and have not previously enrolled in the Level IV course.
The seminar is designed for the study of academic and clinical material at a Master Seminar level. At the completion of this seminar, participants will have reviewed and increased their diagnostic and treatment skills with clients who present with Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dissociative Disorders within a biopsychosocial context. This seminar is planned to update the participants knowledge base of the impact of trauma through the life cycle, from developmental trauma through adulthood. This approach will grow from a foundational level to include therapeutic and behavioral challenges, including sociocultural intersections. The seminar builds towards the development of supervision and consultation skills to develop both “good enough” therapists and supervisors.
Required Textbooks
- Lanius, R.A., Harricharan, S. Kearney, B., Pandev-Girard, B., (2025) Sensory Pathways to Healing from Trauma: Harnessing the Brain’s Capacity for Change. The Guilford Press, New York, NY.
- Allen, Jon G., Ph.D., (2025) Bringing Psychotherapy to Life Through Caring Connections. American Psychiatric Association Publishing, Washington, DC.
- Herman, Judith L., M.D. (2023) Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice. Basic Books, London, UK.
Course Format: Eight Live Teleseminar sessions; 2.5 hours each
Course Dates: Wednesdays; 2026: Apr 8, May 13, Jun 10, Jul 8, Aug 12, Sep 9, Oct 14, Nov 11 and Dec 9
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM US Eastern Time
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Course Completion Requirements
Course completion requires live attendance, participation in sessions, and completion of session and overall evaluations. APA and ASWB credit cannot be awarded for watching the recording of a session. Please be advised that all courses have a course closure date, which is the last day of the month following the last session. All requirements must be completed by the course closure date. At that time, the course will no longer be accessible to participants who have pending tasks and credit cannot be retrieved at a later date.
APA: Participants must attend all sessions live (at least 50 minutes of every 60 minutes | For a 2.5 hour session participants must be present for at least 125 minutes out of the full 150 minutes). APA Credit is not awarded for any missed sessions, nor for partial attendance that does not satisfy the aforementioned criteria. Credit will only be awarded for individual sessions in which live attendance requirements are successfully met and session evaluations are complete. At the end of the course, certificates will be automatically populated upon the completion of the final overall course evaluation.
ASWB: Participants must attend all live sessions for the full length of the session. If you are absent for an individual session or do not meet the aforementioned criteria, you are no longer eligible to earn ASWB credit at the completion of the course. *ASWB participants must be present and meet minute criteria for every single session throughout the course. ASWB certificates are manually processed by ISSTD staff and will be awarded via email approximately two weeks after the course closure date.
ISSTD Certificate Program: Participants must attend 7 out of 8 sessions (at least 50 minutes of every 60 minutes | For a 2.5 hour session participants must be present for at least 125 minutes out of 150 minutes). Those who attend the required number of sessions will be awarded 22.5 ISSTD Certificate Program credits. No certificate is awarded for certificate program credits.
Target Audience
Those seeking to enroll in this course must be licensed mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, mental health counselors) who are personally treating clients with Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Dissociative Disorders and who have personally treated a significant number of such clients in a minimum of eight (8) years in clinical practice. In addition, the participants must have taken the ISSTD Advanced Topics in Complex Trauma and Dissociative Disorders course or its equivalent (to be assessed by the facilitator). ISSTD staff will audit license information prior to the start of the course and may request additional documentation for your license.
This course content is at the advanced level.
Additional Information
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Master Seminar Syllabus 2026.pdf | 136.45 KB |
Joan Turkus, MD
Email: [email protected]
Joan A. Turkus, MD maintains a consulting and clinical practice in psychiatry and traumatology in McLean, Virginia. She is the Medical Director, TraumaSci: Complex Trauma Disorders Program at Dominion/HCA Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia and Co-Founder/Past Medical Director of The Center: Posttraumatic Disorders Program at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, DC.
Dr. Turkus has years of experience in the trauma field and maintains a national profile with teaching and consultation. She is a graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in pharmacy and graduated from The George Washington University School of Medicine with honors. She is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, of which she is a Past President. She has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Cornelia Wilbur Award for clinical contributions, and a Distinguished Achievement Award by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. She is a Diplomate of both the American Board of Psychiatry and the American Board of Forensic Psychiatry.
She is trained in psychiatry, traumatology, clinical hypnosis and EMDR. She maintains a keen interest in neurobiology and psychopharmacology, particularly in their application to the complexity of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Ann Emilie-Clare Smith, PsyD, LP
Email: [email protected]
Ann Emilie-Clare Smith, PsyD, LP is a licensed clinical psychologist and educator with over 25 years of experience in a wide range of settings, specializing in trauma, complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, and the treatment of eating disorders. She earned her doctorate from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in 2002 and her BA from The University of Michigan in 1997. Dr. Smith's early training focused on inpatient psychiatric hospitals, emergency medicine, and State Hospital settings. She owns a private group practice in Ferndale, Michigan, where she provides individual and group psychotherapy, clinical supervision, and facilitates trauma consultation groups for mental health professionals.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Smith serves as adjunct faculty supervisor at the University of Detroit Mercy and was a core faculty member at the Michigan School of Psychology (MSP) for over a decade. She has taught extensively on the topics of trauma, humanistic and existential psychotherapy, identity development, psychopathology, and clinical skills. She co-created a MA-level trauma course and substantially revised the doctorate-level trauma psychology course at MSP. Her research interests and presentations focus on trauma treatment, human trafficking, the self of the therapist, and preparing clinicians to deliver ethical, integrated, and compassionate care. She continues to work as a consultant for local students' trauma-focused dissertations. Dr. Smith is an active member of several professional organizations, including the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), where she serves as Chair of the Professional Training Program and co-facilitates a master seminar series with Joan Turkus, MD. She has been actively engaged in the ISSTD certificate program since 2010, and also with the Trauma Research Foundation. Dr. Smith is a member of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH).
Available Credit
- 22.50 APAThe International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
- 22.50 ASWB ACEThe International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 22.50 continuing education credits.
- 22.50 ISSTD Certificate ProgramThis program is eligible for 22.50 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
Price
"Your Price" above reflects your final price based on your membership status.
ISSTD Cancellation Policy
Cancellations will only be accepted up to 14 days prior to the first course session. Cancellations are subject to a $45 cancellation fee plus the cost of copyrighted materials. The course fee is not refundable if you withdraw from the course less than 14 days before the start of the course. Once the course starts no new students can be accepted more than one week after the course begins. Please note that to receive ASWB ACE credit, all sessions must be attended. All materials used for this course are subject to copyright laws and are not for duplication or distribution by course participants. Fees must be submitted with registration, and must be submitted in US dollars.
The cost of the copyrighted materials for this course is $0.
Disability Policy (ADA)
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs. Please contact ISSTD Headquarters via email at [email protected] or via phone at 844.994.7783 for assistance.
Grievance Policy
ISSTD is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformation with the APA, EMDRIA, and ASWB grievance procedures.
During a course, instructors will address any concerns that arise. Every effort will be made to address the concerns during the course when possible. If the course instructor(s) are unable to address the participant’s concerns, the complaints and grievances shall be presented in writing to ISSTD Headquarters at [email protected]. These will be forwarded on for review by the ISSTD Executive Committee.
Social Workers: Should social workers have a specific grievance, these grievances will be addressed by D. Michael Coy, LICSW. In situations where the social worker would have a conflict of interest, then, Christine Forner, MSW will review the grievance.
ISSTD strives to resolve grievances in a manner that is in the best interest of the participant. All complaints and grievances are reviewed within five working days. Formal grievances are required to be written and emailed as directed above and will be responded to within 15 business days.
Awarding of Certificate of CE Credit
Certificates of continuing education credit are awarded with 15 days of the course expiration date for those students who meet the requirements and complete the required session and overall evaluations by the expiration date.
Required Hardware/software
ISSTD uses Zoom for our live teleseminar courses. Information on system requirements can be found here. A guide to live teleseminar courses will be provided to registrants approximately two weeks before the course begins via the course portal.
