Submission Info

Link to our CadmiumCD AbstractScorecard^® Submission Site found at the bottom of this page.  Please read all guidelines before submitting your proposal. 

Guidelines and policies for submitting an abstract for ISSTD's 2015 annual conference. Carefully read this information before you proceed to the submission site. Link to next page and submission site found at bottom of this page.

• All presenters, including invited, plenary and preconference institute speakers must submit proposals online. See link to the submission site on your right.
• All presenters must register for and attend the conference.
• Each individual is limited to no more than three (3) submissions, including in the roles of presenter, co-presenter, chair, or discussant (excluding posters).
• Incomplete, mailed, or faxed proposals will not be accepted.
• We also suggest that one individual gather all the required information from all individuals (presenters, co-presenters, authors, etc.) ahead of time and be responsible for making the submission.
• We strongly suggest that you prepare a word processing file that contains all of your submission information from each individual involved in your submission in advance. This will save time online and ensure that you have a backup copy of all of your information. You will need the following information:
• Title and abstract of your proposal.
• If you are submitting a symposium, you will need:
• the title and abstract of the symposium, AND
• the titles, abstracts, and authors of each paper that will be presented in the symposium
• The names, degrees, unique email address, complete mailing address, and phone number of all individuals involved in your submission (i.e. presenters, co-presenters, authors, etc.)
  
• A MS Word file or PDF file of the CV for each individual involved in your submission (i.e. presenters, co-presenters, authors, etc.)
  
• 3 learning objectives that use acceptable verbs to complete the sentence, "Participants will be able to..." We recommend that you download and use the list of acceptable verbs.
  
• 3-5 citations in American Psychological Association style. Go to the American Psychological Association style Quick Answers-References Web pages.
• The submission site will not allow you to submit your proposal until you have entered or uploaded all items.
• Abstracts must be relevant to the theme or sub-theme of the day. If your submission is accepted, you will be presenting on the day of the particular theme you have chosen.
• Day 1: The Mind-Body Connection
• Day 2: The Art of Psychotherapy
• Day 3: The Therapeutic Relationship and the Person of the Therapist
• Therapists may not present with their own clients at this conference. See Statement of Ethical Standards below.
• We do not accept first-person accounts of trauma.
• We request that details of clients’ traumatic experiences not be discussed during presentations, since explicit details of trauma may be distressing to the audience and do not enhance learning.
  
• Each individuals involved in your submission (i.e. presenters, co-presenters, authors, etc.) must sign a financial conflict of interest disclosure, and a presenter’s agreement in the submission process. 
• The most common reason a proposal is rejected is for an incomplete, poorly written, or unclear abstract, and other failures to follow submission guidelines. Your submitted abstract must be complete, clear, concise, and grammatically correct, and otherwise well-written in order to be considered by the program committee. 
• Those for whom English is a second language may request help from someone on the program committee in editing their abstracts to meet acceptable grammatical standards. Such requests should be made BEFORE the proposal is submitted. You may contact Therese Clemens attclemens@isst-d.org to receive support.
• Presentations should be original contributions (i.e., they have not been published prior to the date that you submitted the abstract).
• Abstracts will be published in their original form in the Conference Proceedings Book and online in the Itinerary Planner.
• All case material, including biographical information, must be disguised so that the client’s identity is carefully concealed.
• If you do not have internet access, are unable to access the online submission site, or have difficulties with the online submission process, please contact Therese Clemens, Executive Director, tclemens@isst-d.org.
• You will be notified by e-mail about your proposal’s status approximately four to six weeks after the close of the call for proposals. If your e-mail address changes between the time of your submission and notification, or at any time during this process, please immediately inform Therese Clemens at tclemens@isst-d.org.
• All decisions of the program committee are final. 
  

Skill Level: Presentations must designate the knowledge/skill level required of the participant (i.e., Introductory, Intermediate, or Advanced). Although these are only general guides, they are required in order to comply with continuing education regulations.

• Introductory: Suitable for all professional participants (including students). Such presentations include basic knowledge, techniques, or skills.
• Intermediate: Requires participants to have at least some work experience in order to gain maximum benefit from the presentation.
• Advanced: Participants require a high level of training and substantial experience in the topic. Such presentations are geared to specialists and to those in advanced stages of their career. 
  

Text: Abstracts of research presentations should include the purpose, methods, findings, and conclusions. Submission of findings is strongly encouraged. Other types of abstracts should include purpose, population, main points to be covered, and conclusions.

Learning Objectives: Each submission must include 3 learning objectives. You may ONLY use verbs that are in the list provided for you: click here to download and save a list of acceptable verbs. Each Learning Objective must be a complete sentence that begins with the words, “Participants will be able to…”. Note: The list of acceptable verbs also can be found on the conference abstract submission site by clicking on the menu option labeled CRITICAL DATES AND CRITICAL REFERENCE LISTS.

Statement of Ethical Standards: All work presented at the ISSTD annual meeting must conform to discipline-appropriate national or professional ethical standards. ISSTD strongly opposes the exploitation of patients for any purpose. Submissions wherein clinicians, researchers, or academics collaborate and/or co-present with their own patients are considered dual relationships and are wholly unacceptable. All case material, including biographical information, must be disguised so that the patient’s identity is carefully concealed.

Potential for Distress: All oral and media submissions must declare whether the presentation has potential to cause audience distress. The conference abstract submission site will ask about this. The submission site will ask you about this issue; you do not need to place a statement about potential for distress in your abstract.

Citations: Accreditation for continuing education specifies that each proposal must be accompanied by 3-5 complete citations of relevant publications (in American Psychological Association style). For detailed information on APA Style, click here. 

Examples of APA Style:

Media Presentations: Media presentations should include thought-provoking presentations involving literary, artistic, and creative interpretative materials related to trauma and dissociation. Note: Training videos or media presentations that demonstrate treatment methods should be submitted as a Workshop. As a condition of acceptance, submitters must obtain appropriate releases for display and presentation of all media. Abstracts should specify the running time and type of media (e.g., 35mm film, VHS tape, DVD).

Disclosure of Relationships: ISSTD and its continuing medical education-accrediting partner require all individuals involved in your submission (i.e. presenters, co-presenters, authors, etc.) to disclose any significant financial interest or other affiliation with any commercial supporter or manufacturer of any commercial products discussed in a presentation. This policy ensures that the audience is aware of such relationships and allows conflicts of interest to be resolved prior to the presentation.