2025 Chicago Regional Conference
Expanding Conceptual Foundations and Advanced Techniques in the Treatment of Complex Trauma and Dissociation
July 18-19, 2025
De Paul University | Chicago, Illinois
The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is excited to share registration is now open for the 2025 Chicago Regional Conference featuring two full day presentations from Wendy Lemke and D. Michael Coy. ISSTD has been welcoming professionals working with complex trauma and dissociation for four decades. The Chicago Regional Conference creates an opportunity to connect with fellow clinicians and researchers in the field from the Mid-West region sharing knowledge and wisdom!
We invite you to join us over two days as we explore two therapeutic techniques and how they can be used in relation to complex trauma and dissociative disorders. During the first day, Wendy Lemke will be discussing, “Hypnotic Applications Across Phase Oriented Treatment for Trauma & Dissociative Disorders.” In this session, participants will enhance confidence in integrating hypnosis into trauma treatment, focusing on dissociative identity disorder. The session covers hypnotic techniques across trauma treatment phases, emphasizing language that acknowledges multiplicity. Applications include fostering safety, exploring unconscious parts, developmental repair, and promoting integration. Metaphors and hypno-projectives are also reviewed. Prior hypnosis training is expected, as trance elicitation isn’t covered. Techniques may be effective without formal hypnosis, given dissociative states often involve self-induced trance. The session also addresses undoing unhelpful self-suggestions from past experiences.
During the second day, D. Michael Coy will be presenting, “Exploring Elsewhere Thought Knowns: New Considerations for Using EMDR Therapy to Treat Dissociation.” This session explores integrating parts-informed approaches with EMDR therapy for complex trauma, addressing challenges in focusing solely on adult self-states. It examines the Watkins’s Ego State Therapy approach, emphasizing the importance of understanding internal dynamics and working directly with diverse self-states. The discussion covers posttraumatic flashbacks, the benefits of viewing the client as a dynamic self-system, and the value of mapping the self-system to improve treatment outcomes in EMDR therapy for dissociative features.
Schedule
Day One: Friday, July 18, 2025
| 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Hypnotic Applications Across Phase Oriented Treatment for Trauma & Dissociative Disorders – Lemke |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Break |
| 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Hypnotic Applications Across Phase Oriented Treatment for Trauma & Dissociative Disorders (continued) – Lemke |
| 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch (on own) |
| 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Hypnotic Applications Across Phase Oriented Treatment for Trauma & Dissociative Disorders (continued) – Lemke |
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Break |
| 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Hypnotic Applications Across Phase Oriented Treatment for Trauma & Dissociative Disorders (continued) – Lemke |
Day Two: Saturday, July 19, 2025
| 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Exploring Elsewhere Thought Knowns: New Considerations for Using EMDR Therapy to Treat Dissociation – Coy |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Break |
| 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Exploring Elsewhere Thought Knowns: New Considerations for Using EMDR Therapy to Treat Dissociation (continued) – Coy |
| 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch (on own) |
| 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Exploring Elsewhere Thought Knowns: New Considerations for Using EMDR Therapy to Treat Dissociation (continued) – Coy |
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Break |
| 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Exploring Elsewhere Thought Knowns: New Considerations for Using EMDR Therapy to Treat Dissociation (continued) – Coy |
Registration Details
Early registration ends May 30, 2025 at 5:00 PM US Eastern Time.
Student registrations are reviewed and accepted upon approval. Student registrants must provide proof of current status in a related field and must submit verification by email or fax.
Group rates are available for groups of five or more from the same hospital, facility, or university. Please email ISSTD HQ for assistance with group rates. For groups of 5-9 the discount is 10% off registration fees, for groups of 10 or more the discount is 15% off registration fees.
Online registration allows for payment via credit card only. If you wish to pay via check or wire transfer, please complete the this registration form and submit it to the Registration Department via email at cfas@isst-d.org. We will process the form and provide information for making payment once this is completed.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations must be received in writing via email or fax. A processing fee of $45 will be charged for cancellations received on or before June 30, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET. No refunds will be issued for no-shows. Refund requests will not be accepted after June 30, 2025. Not all requests will be granted. Substitutions for attendees are accepted at any time.
Grievance Policy
ISSTD is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformation with the APA and ASWB grievance procedures.
During this conference, conference organizers, presenters and staff will address any concerns that arise. Every effort will be made to address the concerns during the conference when possible. If these individuals are unable to address the participant’s concerns, the complaints and grievances shall be presented in writing to ISSTD Headquarters at cfas@isst-d.org. These will be forwarded on for review by the Virtual and Regional Conference 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 5 working days. Formal grievances are required to be written and emailed as directed above and will be responded to within 15 business days.
Disability Policy (ADA)
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs. Please contact ISSTD Headquarters via email at cfas@isst-d.org or via phone at 844.994.7783 for assistance.
Registration Contact Information
Email: cfas@isst-d.org
Phone: 844.994.7783
Fax: 888.966.0310
Presenters
Meet our Speakers!
Wendy Lemke, MS Licensed Psychotherapist
Wendy is a licensed psychologist with a clinical and consulting practice. She also serves as adjunct faculty for St. Cloud Technical Community College. She is an American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) certified approved consultant, current secretary, and a former Vice President for ASCH. She is also an active member of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis (MSCH) and has served on the Board and various committees for both organizations as well as teaching basic, intermediate, and advanced workshops at regional and annual conferences.
She has received numerous awards including a journal award for publishing, a Merit award, and most recently a Presidential award for her continued efforts to expand clinical hypnosis education to the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. She was also honored with the Daniel P. Kohen M.D. Outstanding Clinician Award in recognition of outstanding leadership in the clinical practice, teaching, and utilization of therapeutic hypnosis by the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis.She is a fellow and an active member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD).
She has published articles in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, and the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. She also wrote and produced: You’re Not Crazy & You’re Not Alone: Inside the Inner World of Dissociative Identity Disorder as well as two Self-hypnosis CD’s: Self-hypnotic Mental Vacations, and Peaceful Mind, Peaceful Sleep.
D. Michael Coy, MA, LICSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer
D. Michael Coy, MA, LICSW, (he/they) is a 2006 graduate of The Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago and currently maintains a private practice in Bremerton, Washington, USA.
Michael is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and has served EMDRIA in a number of different volunteer capacities over the years. He has presented on EMDR therapy and dissociation for EMDRIA, ISSTD, and independently, and serves as lead trainer for ISSTD’s EMDR therapy basic training, which he helped develop. He co-authored the MID Interpretive Manual, 2nd through 4th Editions, and has updated and managed both the MID Analysis and MID website since 2016. Michael has taught and consulted for hundreds of clinicians, both in the US and internationally, on using the MID for diagnosis, case conceptualization, and treatment.
Michael was co-author of both an article on screening for dissociation in EMDR therapy that appeared in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research in 2022 and a book chapter on diagnostic instruments for dissociation published in Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders: Past, Present, Future (2nd Edition) in 2022. He is sole author of a chapter on the Autohypnotic Model of Dissociation, which will be part of a forthcoming book on childhood dissociation Michael is currently co-authoring a book on EMDR and dissociation with his frequent collaborator Jennifer Madere. Michael also developed the Introject Decathexis (Id) Protocol, a powerful integrative approach to help unbind perpetrator-identifying states.
Michael was elected to ISSTD’s Board of Directors in 2017, served as Treasurer from 2018 to 2023, and was elected President-Elect for 2024. He was named a Fellow of ISSTD in 2019 and has been honored with a number of awards from the Society, including the Cornelia B. Wilbur Award for Outstanding Clinical Contributions to the Treatment of Dissociative Disorders in 2022.
Program
Day One
Presentation Title: Hypnotic Applications Across Phase Oriented Treatment for Trauma & Dissociative Disorders
Presenter: Wendy Lemke, MS, Licensed Psychotherapist
Abstract:
This session aims to boost your confidence and improve your ability to integrate hypnotic techniques into the treatment of trauma-related disorders, including dissociative identity disorder. Hypnotic applications across the phases of trauma treatment, with emphasis on language that keeps multiplicity in mind will be provided. Thus, the session will include applications for safety, stability, and skills; for accessing and exploring the unconscious or unconscious parts for the cause, maintenance, or solutions to common clinical concerns and/or symptom resolution. In addition, developmental repair, and strategies that promote integrated functioning will be provided. Helpful metaphors and a review of how to utilize hypno-projectives will be reviewed.
This session assumes you have had training in clinical hypnosis and/or intend to get formal training. The training will not be covering how to elicit trance. However, the applications and language may be useful without the use of formal hypnotic elicitations given those with dissociative disorders are often in auto/self-induced trance states. In addition, much of what we do in trauma work is the ‘undoing’ of no longer useful self-suggestions and/or suggestions from others.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this training participant will be able to:
- Describe the importance of phase-oriented treatment in trauma therapy
- Explain and incorporate Lemke’s P-principles for ‘safely’ navigating the unique needs of each client and all their parts throughout trauma treatment
- Employ hypnotic language and strategies that emphasize safety effectively throughout the phases of trauma treatment
- Demonstrate hypnotic applications for exploring the unconscious and/or unconscious parts of self
- Demonstrate the effectiveness and provide examples of at least two metaphors useful when working with dissociative disorders
Day Two
Presentation Title: Exploring Elsewhere Thought Knowns: New Considerations for Using EMDR Therapy to Treat Dissociation
Presenter: D. Michael Coy, MA, LICSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer
Abstract:
Over the past twenty years, more attention has been given to the adjunctive use of ‘parts’-informed approaches with EMDR therapy, specifically when treating persons with complex trauma histories. With the introduction and widespread adoption of the Theory of Structural Dissociation of the Personality and Internal Family Systems, much of the focus in the EMDR literature has been upon ‘parts’ therapies that favor working primarily with, and almost exclusively through, ‘Apparently Normal’ and adult self-states, essentially those self-states that are perceived to ‘front’ in daily life. However, there are both conceptual and practical challenges inherent in such an approach, as well as benefits to exploring other, established approaches to ‘parts’ work.
In this presentation, we will discuss both conceptual and practical aspects of a dissociation-informed, EMDR therapy-infused treatment frame by examining different, arguably problematic schools of thought in the EMDR therapy world on treating dissociation; explicating the theory underlying the Watkins’s Ego State Therapy approach as it applies for EMDR therapy; and the potential challenges of prioritizing the needs of adult states to the exclusion of working more directly with other self-states. This will lead us to discussing different manifestations of posttraumatic flashbacks that may be more easily understood through the lens of ‘client as a dynamic self-system’, stressing the importance of clarifying internal dynamics to ensure appropriate use of EMDR therapy methods. Finally, we will consider the value of intentionally ‘mapping’ a client’s self-system and its psychodynamics, and how this practice can enhance treatment outcomes in EMDR therapy when treating persons with dissociative features.
Potential to Distress: No
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Name four proposed schools of thought informing the use of EMDR therapy to treat dissociation
- Briefly summarize the distinction between an ego state and a self-state
- Name at least two reasons that a practitioner may opt to work exclusive through a presumed ‘front part’
- List four different ways that flashbacks may manifest within a self-system.
- Briefly describe basic steps of ‘mapping’ a self-system.
Potential to Distress: No
Explore Chicago, Illinois
Visit Chicago
Chicago is the most populated city in the Midwest United States and has the third highest population of all cities in the United States. Chicago is located on the shore of lake Michigan and has beautiful views of the lake. The city is known as an international hub for culture which has contributed much to the arts, literature, theater, comedy, and more.
Your Guide to Local Attractions from Visit Chicago.
Attractions
Getting Around Chicago
Food and Drink
Venue & Travel
Conference Venue
DePaul University – Loop Campus
1 East Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604
United States
Travel
Driving Directions
From the North and the Northwest
From the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/I-94) exit at Jackson Boulevard and turn east. The Loop Campus is about one mile from the expressway on Jackson Boulevard at State Street.
From the West
From the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), continue toward downtown. As you approach the downtown area, the expressway becomes Congress Parkway. Turn left (north) on Dearborn Street, go two blocks to Jackson Boulevard and turn right (east). The Loop Campus is one block east on Jackson Boulevard at State Street.
From the South
From the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/I-94) exit at Jackson Boulevard and turn east. The Loop Campus is about one mile from the expressway on Jackson Boulevard at State Street.
From Lake Shore Drive (north or south)
Exit Lake Shore Drive at Jackson Boulevard and turn west. Proceed to Michigan Avenue (100 east). Turn right on Michigan Avenue, go one block to Adams Street (200 south) and turn left. Go one block to Wabash Avenue (50 east) and turn left. Go one block to Jackson Boulevard.
Visitor Parking
- Monroe Street Garage (underground) 250 East Monroe Street
- Crosstown Auto Park: 328 South Wabash
- Auditorium Garage: 65 East Congress
- General Parking Corporation: 55 East Monroe
- CNA Building: 311 South Wabash
- University Self Park: 54 South Wabash
- Mid City Parking: 219 South Wabash
By Public Transportation
CTA Trains
Seven rapid transit train lines service the downtown Chicago area and DePaul’s Loop Campus. From the subway trains, exit at Jackson Boulevard. From the elevated trains, exit at Adams Street/Wabash Avenue. These are the train lines servicing the Loop Campus:
- Howard/95th-Dan Ryan (Red)
- Linden (Evanston)/Loop (Purple)
- Kimball/Loop (Brown)
- O’Hare/Forest Park (Blue)
- Harlem-Lake/Cottage Grove or Ashland/63rd (Green)
- Midway/Loop (Orange)
- 54th-Cermak/Loop (Pink)
Buses
Bus routes interconnect throughout the city. These buses stop very near the Loop Campus. All routes are subject to change by the CTA. You may contact the CTA at (312) 836-7000 or (800) 972-7000 or TDD (Hearing Impaired) (312) 836-4949. For more information, visit transitchicago.com.
Metra Trains
- All Metra Train stations are located within a short walking distance (or cab ride) of the Loop Campus:
- Union Station, Canal Street and Adams Street: Walk east on Adams Street until State Street. Turn right (south) for one block to Jackson Boulevard.
- Chicago & Northwestern Station, Canal Street and Madison Avenue: Walk east on Adams Street until State Street. Turn right (south) for three blocks to Jackson Boulevard.
- LaSalle Street Station, LaSalle Street and Congress Parkway: Walk east down Congress Parkway until you reach State Street. Turn left (north) for two blocks to Jackson Boulevard.
- Illinois Central Station (includes service for South Shore Line), Michigan Avenue and Van Buren Street: Walk north on Michigan Avenue for one block to Jackson Boulevard. Turn left (west) on Jackson Boulevard to State Street.
Continuing Education Credits
Information about approvals for the full conference is included below. Participants attending the full conference will receive 12 APA and ASWB continuing education credits and 12 ISSTD Certificate Program credits. Information about credits for each session are included in the information for each session. Participants will receive individual certificates for each session attended for the sessions which they meet the requirements for. To earn credits, participants must attend the full session, purchase credits, and complete a session evaluation for each session.
ISSTD will be seeking ASCH credits for the Friday session and EMDRIA credits for the Saturday session. Information about these approvals will be added when approvals are received.
Awarding of Certificate of Credit
Continuing education credits are available for an additional fee for this event. To obtain continuing education credits, participants who have purchased credits must be in attendance for each session in full, sign in and out of every session, and complete a post-event evaluation. Certificates of Credit are awarded within 30 days of completion of the evaluation for the conference. Participants will be emailed a link to complete evaluations two to three weeks after the conference and will be able to download a pdf of their certificate after all evaluations are complete.
Continuing Education Information
Available Credit
- 12.00 APA
The 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 Dissoiation maintains responsibility for this program and its content. - 12.00 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 12.00 continuing education credits..
- 12.00 ISSTD Certificate ProgramThis program is eligible for 12.00 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program.
Financial Disclosures
All presenters, planners, editors, or staff report no relevant relationships to disclose: “I do not have at present, or within the last 12 months, nor anticipate having financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any organizations that could be perceived as a real or apparent conflict
Supporter & Exhibitor Opportunities
Discover New Connections in Chicago!
Our conference attendees represent the leading professionals in the world of trauma and dissociation. Our conferences allow for organizations to network with and promote your organization to attendees who have traveled from around the globe to be present. As a supporter or exhibitor, you will have the unique opportunity to tap into this esteemed network of professionals.
Don’t miss out on this limited opportunity to connect one on one with psychologists, social workers, counselors and other mental health professionals who use and promote the products and services you have to offer!
ISSTD Organizational Membership Available Now!
ISSTD has launched a new Organizational Membership. This membership is open to treatment facilities, hospitals, multi-clinician practices, government organizations/agencies, and colleges/universities who specialize in the treatment of complex trauma and/or dissociation. Bronze, Silver and Gold memberships include exhibit and supporter opportunities in addition to membership. For more information on benefits and prices of the Organizational Membership with ISSTD, click here!