SIU’s third annual Trauma Training Conference will take place Oct. 2-3. In-person sessions will be at the SIU Simmons Law School, where participants can also access virtual sessions. (SIU Carbondale photo)
August 27, 2026
Registration underway for SIU’s Trauma Training Conference
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s internationally recognized Trauma Training Conference is set for Oct. 2-3.
Registration is now underway for this year’s third annual conference, presented by SIU’s Coffman-Crothers Training Program for Trauma and Psychological Health. The hybrid conference will be in the SIU Simmons Law School’s auditorium.
Gain insight from the experts
Three internationally renowned trainers– Julian Ford, Denise Sloan and Janna Henning – will share their latest research and clinical insights on complex trauma and dissociation either in person or virtually.
Program founder Martha Crothers said the training has expanded this year to address interventions for youth and families presented by Ford and a full-day comprehensive workshop on using a new treatment technique called written exposure provided by Sloan.
“Prolonged exposure treatments have been used extensively to assist survivors in addressing their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reactions and behaviors,” Crothers said. “Typically, prolonged exposure treatment lasts for several months. Written exposure is similar but addresses PTSD reactions and behaviors using a short-term writing component lasting for five weeks.”
Ford is board certified clinical psychologist and professor of psychiatry and law at the University of Connecticut. His expertise extends to roles as the principal investigator and director of two treatment and services adaptation centers in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice and the Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders. His virtual presentation on Oct. 2 is on the “Treatment of Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders: A Developmental Trauma Disorder Framework and the TARGET Intervention for Youth and Caregivers.”
Sloan is the associate director for the Behavioral Science Division in the National Center for PTSD and a professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine. Her research expertise is in psychosocial treatments for PTSD and emotion in psychopathology. She is a member of several editorial boards including Behavior Therapy, Behaviour Research and Therapy, and the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. She will hold virtual sessions on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3. on the “Foundational Training in Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD”.
Henning has spent more than 20 years in the field, including providing mental health services for adults with complex trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative disorders, chronic and life-threatening illnesses, and grief and loss-related concerns. She’s a licensed clinical psychologist, president of the trauma division of the American Psychological Association and retired professor from the doctoral clinical psychology program at Adler University in Chicago. Henning is returning to SIU Carbondale this year on Oct. 3 for her presentation, “Decisions, Decisions: Which Trauma Treatment Approach Should I Choose for my Clients with PTSD or Complex Traumatic Stress?”
Henning will also facilitate a Q&A session during Ford and Sloan’s sessions.
Who should participate
Licensed psychologists, professional counselors, and other clinical practitioners from southern Illinois, the region, or the nation, and SIU faculty, staff, and graduate students are invited to participate.
Crothers added that she’s received feedback about the conference from past participants, and the high-quality content of the event keeps them coming back.
“We have received consistent positive responses from participants in the past,” Crothers said. “All of our trainers are world renowned in the trauma treatment field with years of experience. The content of the sessions is always evidenced based with active research supporting the theories and practices.”
Sign up now
Participants can find complete details and registration at the Bridgepoint Training website.
The live training sessions will be on campus at the SIU Simmons Law School auditorium, 1150 Douglas Drive, where participants can also access virtual sessions.
Parking will be available in Lot 59, just west of the law school. The cost for the entire conference is $200 per person, and participants can earn up to 12 hours of American Psychological Association or licensed clinical professional counselor continuing education units. Graduate students can sign up for free with a valid student ID.
Additional information
The SIU Coffman-Crothers Training Program for Trauma and Psychological Health is housed at the SIU Clinical Center. Its mission is to provide low-cost, evidence-based training through experts in the field to licensed mental health providers as well as to graduate students. Students, licensed psychologists, professional counselors, social workers, clinical practitioners and other mental health providers will find the center, its mission and the conference invaluable. The program gives special priority to mental health practitioners in rural areas.
For more information, contact Martha “Marti” Crothers, program director, at mcrother@siu.edu or Holly Cormier, at cormierh@siu.edu. Or call the SIU Clinical Center at 618-453-2361.