Roles, challenges, and possibilities of traumatic stress professional societies around the world

In many parts of the globe, regional professional societies have developed local traumatic stress organizations and have become affiliate societies of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). At the ISTSS 40th Annual Meeting in September 2024, delegates from the ISTSS and five ISTSS-affiliate societies-Asociación Chilena de Estrés Traumático (ACET), the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ASTSS), Deutschsprachige Gesellschaft für Psychotraumatologie (DeGPT), the Japanese Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (JSTSS), and the Korean Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (KSTSS)-gathered for a panel discussion entitled "Roles, Challenges, and Possibilities of ISTSS Affiliated Organizations Around the World: A Panel Discussion." Each panelist shared insights into their organization's structure, goals, ongoing projects, and challenges in addressing traumatic stress in their regions. These societies shared a collective need for progressing evidence-based treatments for trauma-related conditions and minimizing disparities in care provision, advocacy, and public education. The societies reported differences in health care systems, types of common traumatic events, and geopolitical and socioeconomic characteristics. Given these similarities and differences, the panel agreed on the need for enhancing collaborations within and between societies.