Member societies

Member societies are local, regional or language based traumatic stress societies. A Member society should have:

1. Objectives consistent with those of ESTSS,

2. more than 20 members,

3. membership open to all professional groups;

4. a formal agreement that the entire membership of the Member society will become members of ESTSS,

5. their own secretariat through which ESTSS information is passed on to their members. See types of membership for more information and exceptions.

The member societies are:

1. Lithuania: LSTSS

2. German speaking countries: DeGPT

3. Georgia: GSP, the Georgian Traumatic Stress Society

4. Netherlands & Belgium: NtVP, the Dutch speaking traumatic stress society

5. Poland: PTBST, the Polish Traumatic Stress Society

6. United Kingdom: UKPTS,  the UK Psychological Trauma Society

7. Switzerland: SSPT

8. Italy: SISST

9. Portugal: Observatório do Trauma/CES

10. Croatia: Croatian Society for Traumatic Stress

11.Ukraine: USOCTE, Ukrainian Society of Overcoming the Consequences of Traumatic Events

12. Sweden: SSTSS, Swedish Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (Svenska föreningen för traumatisk stress)

13. Belgium: BIP, Belgian Institute for Psychotraumatology

1. LSTSS

The Lithuanian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies was founded in 2013. LSTSS joined ESTSS in 2013. The aim of LSTSS is to raise awareness about the effects of trauma and to promote the development and dissemination for psychosocial interventions in Lithuania. LSTSS aims to disseminate evidence-based training for professionals who work with trauma survivors.

2. DeGTP

The DeGPT, Deutschsprachige Gesellschaft für Psychotraumatologie e.V. (DeGPT), represents the German language area, joined the ESTSS as a member society in 2009. The DeGPT has around 2000 members from Germany, the German speaking part of Switzerland and Austria. At this time most members are licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, or other professionals from a range of different therapeutic schools.

On a tri-national level, the DeGPT deals with cross-border issues as they affect refugees and others, and this focus will complement work that the ESTSS undertakes on a European level.

Close collaboration between the two organisations offers great opportunities for the exchange of information on clinical research and policy practices in the field of psychotraumatology, as well as for promoting networking between individuals working within the area.

Die Deutschsprachige Gesellschaft für Psychotraumatologie e.V. (DeGPT) ist eine  wissenschaftliche  Fachgesellschaft. Sie

• fördert das Wissen im Bereich der psychischen, biologischen und sozialen Grundlagen und Folgen von Streßsituationen auf traumatische Lebensereignisse
• bildet ein Forum zum Austausch von Erfahrungen und Ergebnissen aus Forschung, Klinik und Praxis zur Psychotraumatologie
• erarbeitet Empfehlungen, Richtlinien und Standards zur Diagnostik und Therapie
• übernimmt die Trägerschaft für Wissenschaftsprojekte
• koordiniert Aus-, Fort- und Weiterbildung von Ärzten, Psychologen und anderen Berufsgruppen
• kooperiert mit internationalen Gesellschaften auf dem Gebiet der Psychotraumatologie (ESTSS, ISTSS)

Website: http://www.degpt.de/
Contact: info@degpt.de

3. GSP, the Georgian Traumatic Stress Society

Georgian Society on Psychotrauma (GSP) was officially established on June 1, 2007 as an affiliated society to ESTSS. Before the registration the close consultations were held with ESTSS and the statute and structure of the new society were created in compliance with the ESTSS requirements. The objective of the Society is promoting the advancement and exchange of knowledge about severe stress and trauma, and advocating for the field of traumatic stress in Georgia. Members of the Society may be residents of Georgia and other European countries as well. The board consists of  7 members and there are another 12 members from different disciplines, though mostly psychiatrists and psychologists.

Website: http://www.psychotrauma.ge/index.php?L=eng
Contact: Lela Tsiskarishvili

4. NtVP, the Dutch-speaking traumatic stress society

The Dutch language society (NtVP) was established in May 2006. It is a meeting place for everyone who is professionally active in the field of psychotrauma in the Netherlands and Belgium. The aim both bring together professionals in clinical practice and scientific research and to reach other professional groups to spread knowledge in the field of traumatic stress.

De Nederlandstalige Vereniging voor Psychotrauma (NtVP) is in mei 2006 opgericht. De NtVP is een ontmoetingsplek en een platform voor iedereen in Nederland en Belgie die professioneel werkzaam is op het gebied van psychotrauma. Het doel is om zowel de praktisch uitvoerenden als de wetenschappelijk onderzoeker op dit terrein met elkaar in contact te brengen. De NtVP wil daarnaast ook aan anderen beroepsgroepen kennis overdragen op het gebied van psychotrauma. Deze uitwisseling van kennis en ideeen zal de kwaliteit van het werk bevorderen.

Website: http://www.ntvp.nl/
Contact: info@ntvp.nl

5. PTBST, the Polish Traumatic Stress Society

The Polish Society of Traumatic Stress Studies was founded in 2007. As the ESTSS moves to establish itself as a truly pan-European trauma organisation, Poland has become one of the first countries in formerly communist Eastern Europe to establish its own national Polish Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (PSTSS).

Website: www.ptbst.org.pl
Contact: Małgorzata Dragan

6. UKPTS,  the UK Psychological Trauma Society

The United Kingdom Psychological Trauma Society (UKPTS) was formed from UK Trauma Group (UKTG) and the British and Irish Chapter of ESTSS (BICESTSS) which it now replaces.

The main objectives of the UKPTS will be to promote the improvement of the dissemination of knowledge of the effects of traumatic events, their consequences for people and communities, effective preventative interventions and treatments of the undesirable consequences of traumatic events; to develop a network of individuals committed to achieving this objective in the United Kingdom; to maintain a close relationship with the ESTSS and to partake in any activity that is related to or can promote these objectives.

Website: http://www.ukpts.co.uk/site/
Contact: Dominic Murphy

7. La Société Suisse de Psychotraumatologie, The Swiss Society of PsychoTraumatology (SSPT)

In Switzerland, the Swiss Society of Psychotraumatology (SSPT) has joined the ESTSS as a member Society in 2010. We are very pleased to have this French-speaking part of the Swiss community represented in our society.

La Société Suisse de Psychotraumatologie (S.S.P.T.) a été crée le 18 septembre 1998. Cette société poursuit des buts d’ordre scientifique (étude des conséquences psychiques et du traitement du stress post-traumatique, création d’un espace de formation continue clinique et théorique dans ce domaine), prophylactique (information pour le grand public), et enfin politique (informer les institutions et les autorités sur les conséquences psychiques des traumatismes).  Elle est ouverte aux psychiatres, psychologues-psychothérapeutes, aux médecins d’autres spécialités, ainsi qu’aux autres professionnels de la santé ayant un intérêt et/ou bénéficiant d’une expérience dans le domaine des traumatismes psychiques.

Website: www.ssptsuisse.ch
Contact: Daniel Smaga, President of the SSPT
Contact: Ansgar Rougemont, ESTSS contact person + member SSPT Steering Committee

8. The Italian Society for the Study of Traumatic Stress (SISST)

The Italian Society for the Study of Traumatic Stress (Società Italiana per lo Studio dello Stress Traumatico - SISST) was established in 2010. Several relevant parties have already joined and this is a big step forward in uniting the trauma field in Italy.

La Società Italiana per lo Studio dello Stress Traumatico è nata per promuovere lo studio e l’intervento sul trauma e sindromi post-traumatiche nel contesto italiano. La SISST è inserita in un network scientifico internazionale essendo affiliata alla European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS; www.estss.org) a cui afferiscono, ormai, tremila professionisti che operano a vario titolo nell’ambito della psicotraumatologia.

Website: www.sisst.it
Contact: Elena Acquarini

9. Observatório do Trauma/CES – Portugal

The Observatório do Trauma/CES is a unit of the Center for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra, created by the resolution of the Scientific Council on June 25, 2009. The Center is coordinated by Luísa Sales, Psychiatrist.
It is an entity that aims to promote and disseminate knowledge about prevention and intervention in psychological trauma in situations of crisis, disaster or catastrophe, as well as collaborate with institutions involved in these scenarios, proposing itself as a forum for debate and sharing of different knowledge in the field of Trauma.
The Trauma Center is a proactive member of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS), integrating its Board of Directors, since 2010. It promotes Advanced Training Courses in Psychotraumatology, in the Portuguese language, with access to ESTSS European certification since 2012. Its third edition started on October, 28.
Trauma Center main priorities are: information, research, networks and intervention protocols and training.
General objectives of the Trauma Center:
1. Gather information on prevention and intervention in crisis, disaster or catastrophe situations and compile data on human and technical resources available in this area.
2. Disseminate networks and intervention protocols by providing convergence of knowledge.
3. Promote research on issues related to the psychosocial and emotional effects of crisis, disaster or catastrophe, resilience and models for monitoring preventive actions.
4. Stimulate the training of different professionals who act in situations of crisis, disaster or catastrophe.