After COVID delays, registration and submissions are now open for the 17th Biennial Conference of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS), this year hosted by the UKPTS in the historic and beautiful city of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The conference runs from 14-17 June 2023 with the theme Trauma and Resilience Through the Ages: A Life Course Perspective, relating to both research and clinical practice. The four-day event has a number of different streams, all featuring talks, workshops and networking events:

• Assessment & Diagnosis
• Child & Adolescent Trauma
• Military & Emergency Services & their families
• Intervention Research & Clinical Studies
• Pandemic related Traumatic Stress
• Refugee or war & conflict related traumatic stress
• Public Health
• Biological and/or Medical

Submissions for abstracts/posters, five-minute flash talks, masterclasses, symposium topics, and individual papers are now closed, with the acceptance decisions due on 13 February 2023. Full details can be found here.

Given the rise of global challenges such as COVID19 and the War on Ukraine, we particularly welcome submissions that speak to these issues and how to support those who have been affected.
– Chérie Armour, Conference Chair

It all kicks off with pre-conference workshops on 14 June at Queen’s University Belfast. Highlights released so far include Becoming a peer reviewer: everything you always wanted to know but were too afraid to ask, an exploration of Acceptant and Commitment Therapy in the context of the WHO Self-Help Plus intervention, and an intriguing (and historically appropriate) exploration of CPTSD and the ill-fated RMS Titanic.

Events then move to the state-of-the-art ICC Belfast, on the banks of the River Lagan and a short walk from the city’s Titanic Quarter.

International keynote speakers announced so far include John Briere (University of Southern California, USA), Sarah Halligan (University of Bath, UK), Natalia Nalyvaiko (ESTSS & International Institute of Depth Psychology, Ukraine) and Soraya Seedat (Stellenbosch University, South Africa).

There will of course be social and networking opportunities, including a welcome reception at Belfast City Hall in the heart of the city celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the ESTSS hosted by the ESTSS President, conference organisers the UKPTS, and Lord Mayor of Belfast.  There will also be a special Conference Dinner on 16 June featuring a three-course meal, drinks reception and entertainment from local artists, musicians and dancers.

ESTSS 2023 promises to be a fantastic and very special in-person event, bringing together cutting-edge knowledge of traumatic stress from all across the world.
– Dominic Murphy, UKPTS President and Conference Co-Chair

Early-bird registration is open until 31 March 2023: £495 for ESTSS members (UKPTS members are eligible for ESTSS membership) and £340 for PhD students.

Full details on the Conference can be found on estss2023.com and useful travel/accommodation information is available at visitbelfast.com.
Updates are also available on the dedicated @ESTSS2023 Twitter feed or by searching #ESTSS2023.

(This article was amended on 26 January to reflect that submissions for inclusion closed on 22 January 2023)