XII ISTDP International Clinical Psychotherapy Conference
Treating severe complex PTSD with ISTDP
A case study - one specific person and his story from beginning to end.
- Date
- 7 November 2026
- Hours
- 9:00 - 18:00 CET
- Format
- Online
Buy your ticket219 EUR249 USDuntil 15 October
Do you recognise these situations in your own practice?
A patient with severe PTSD
who does not respond to standard treatment methods.
A history of repeated hospitalisations
with no lasting improvement in the patient's condition.
Severe dissociation
and recurring re-experiencing of trauma that block every intervention.
Heavy pharmacotherapy
that dulls the symptoms - but does not treat the cause.
These are exactly the situations the patient whose case we will discuss lived through. Not a series of examples - one specific person and his story from beginning to end. If you have faced any of these challenges in your own therapeutic work, this conference will give you tools to work with them.
The heart of the conference
One case, followed from admission to outcome
The conference will focus on a complex case of a former French Foreign Legion member and special agent, suffering from severe, complex, developmentally-rooted post-traumatic stress disorder.
The case concerns co-morbid PTSD and C-PTSD. Both diagnoses present in one patient. This is an important point about the case, since C-PTSD requires its own considerations and complicates treatment of the PTSD. This patient has extensive trauma exposure from infancy through adulthood. In addition, he has a childhood with severe neglect, physical and psychological abuse, serving as a constant threats to his well being, health and life. This has contributed to his C-PTSD. 4 years into treatment - he still has more trauma than he has had sessions.
Condition at admission
The patient had been hospitalised psychiatrically many times, failed three times to respond to treatment in the public healthcare system, and his condition kept deteriorating. When therapy began he was heavily medicated (including antipsychotics, anxiolytics and antidepressants), presenting severe dissociation, recurring re-experiencing of trauma, and self-destructive behaviour driven by profound guilt.
- Loss of contact with his children, a recent divorce
- Serious somatic consequences of pharmacological treatment
- Deemed an incurable case, facing a disability pension
- Unable to conceive a child due to very low sperm quality
The stages of treatment
The stages of treatment will be presented, using an adapted form of ISTDP.
Early phase
Working with severe dissociation and inevitable re-experiencing of trauma; graded capacity building, advanced anxiety regulation, anti-projective interventions, and intensive relational work.
Later phases
Transition to an almost standard form of ISTDP, with ongoing psychodiagnostic adjustments.
Treatment outcomes
Rapid superego restructuring, improved somatic functioning (including sperm quality), a radical change in the patient's life trajectory.
- Remarriage
- Birth of a child
- Shared parental custody
- Return to professional life
Format and aim of the conference
The conference takes the form of an intensive clinical workshop devoted to the treatment of severe, complex PTSD using ISTDP.
It is built on work with clinical material, allowing participants to observe the therapeutic process in depth - including anxiety regulation, work with dissociation, superego restructuring, and ongoing psychodiagnostic decisions. This is rounded out by the perspective of the neurophysiology of trauma and of psychodiagnostic processes carried out “moment to moment”.
The conference is intended for everyone interested in working with PTSD:
- Psychotherapists
- Psychotraumatologists
- Clinical psychologists
- Psychiatrists
Conference programme
Time zone: CET
- 09:00 - 09:20Official opening of the conference
- 09:20 - 11:00Clinical presentation, part I
- 11:00 - 11:15Break
- 11:15 - 13:00Clinical presentation, part II
- 13:00 - 14:00Lunch break
- 14:00 - 15:45Clinical presentation, part III
- 15:45 - 16:00Break
- 16:00 - 18:00Clinical presentation, part IV, and summary
Speaker
Simon Secher
Frederiksberg, Denmark. Practising ISTDP since 2009
- 7 years
- psychiatric service, PTSD treatment
- 5 years
- facility treating survivors of childhood sexual abuse
- 3 years
- community mental health care
- ~300
- psychometric assessments of patients with complex trauma
Simon Secher, based in Frederiksberg, Denmark, has been actively practising Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) since 2009 and also works with REAC neuromodulation. He has extensive experience in treating severe and complex trauma in psychiatric, specialist and community settings. For seven years he worked in psychiatric services treating PTSD, for five years in a specialist facility treating survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and for three years he provided treatment in a municipal mental health service in a socially disadvantaged area marked by traumatic parent-child relationships. In addition to clinical treatment, he conducted pre-admission clinical interviews and psychometric assessments for around 300 patients with complex trauma symptoms.
Buy your ticketPatronage and co-organisation
The conference is held under the honorary patronage of academic institutions.
Honorary patronage
prof. dr hab. Michał Markuszewski
Rector of the Medical University of Gdansk
Co-organiser
Medical University of Gdansk (GUMed)
dr hab. Magdalena Błażek, Associate Professor
Head of the Quality of Life Research Unit and of the Health Psychology programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Rector's plenipotentiary for wellbeing and a member of the expert team of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
prof. dr hab. n. med. Przemysław Rutkowski
Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Medical University of Gdansk.
Attendee ticket
XII ISTDP International Clinical Psychotherapy Conference
219EUR249USD
Pricing schedule
- until 30 June169 EUR199 USD
- until 31 August189 EUR219 USD
- until 15 October219 EUR249 USDNow
- from 16 October239 EUR279 USD
What's included?
- Access to the online conference - 7 November 2026, 9:00-18:00
- A complete case study - severe complex PTSD from the start to the end of treatment
- Moment by moment observation of the therapeutic process - dissociation, anxiety regulation, superego restructuring
- Delivered in English
- Speaker: Simon Secher - practising ISTDP since 2009, specialising in complex trauma and severe PTSD
Frequently asked questions
If you can't find your answer, email us at sentio@polskiinstytutistdp.pl.
What is the format of the conference?
The conference takes place online only on Saturday, 7 November 2026, from 9:00 to 18:00 CET. It is an intensive clinical workshop, not a series of short talks: the whole day is led by a single speaker, Simon Secher, and built around one case followed from admission to outcome. The full timetable, including breaks, is in the programme above.
Will the conference be recorded? Will I get a recording to watch later?
No. The conference is available live only - we do not provide a recording or materials for later viewing. The reason: to protect the confidentiality of the patient discussed in the case study, the clinical material is not recorded or distributed after the event. If you cannot attend on the day, you can transfer your ticket to someone else.
Who is this conference for? Do I need experience with ISTDP?
The conference is intended for psychotherapists of all modalities, psychologists, psychiatrists, and students of psychology and mental health fields. Prior experience with ISTDP is not required - Simon Secher presents the material in a way that is accessible to all practitioners. What the day assumes is clinical interest in severe, complex trauma, not familiarity with the method.
What exactly will be covered? What is the topic?
The topic of the XII conference: “Treating severe complex PTSD with ISTDP - a case study”. The whole day follows one patient - a former French Foreign Legion member and special agent - from his condition at admission, through the phases of treatment, to the outcome. The section “One case, followed from admission to outcome” above sets out each stage in detail.
Will I receive a certificate of attendance? How many training hours?
Yes. Every participant receives a certificate of attendance covering 9 clock hours, sent electronically as a PDF to the email address provided at purchase, after the conference ends. Two things worth knowing in advance: we do not send paper certificates, and the conference does not award official continuing-education credits.
Do you issue invoices?
Yes - an invoice is issued automatically after purchase. Simply enter your company address and tax number during checkout. The invoice is emailed to you right after payment. If you need to correct any details or haven't received your invoice, email us at sentio@polskiinstytutistdp.pl.
When and how will I receive the conference link?
The conference runs on Zoom. We send the meeting link right after purchase, in the order confirmation email - keep this message, because the same link works throughout the conference day. We also send a reminder with the link and short technical instructions 48 hours before the conference. If neither message has arrived, check the “Spam” or “Promotions” folder in your mailbox before writing to us.
Can I return my ticket or transfer it to someone else?
Transferring the ticket to another person: yes. Email sentio@polskiinstytutistdp.pl with the new participant's details, ideally at least 7 days before the conference. Refunds: the terms are set out in the sales terms and conditions. In exceptional circumstances, please contact us directly by email - we try to resolve them individually.
Information on the purpose of the training
Analysis of clinical material is an essential part of every treatment process. Engaging with this material is part of the therapeutic treatment that serves the prevention and improvement of the patient's health.
The main and direct purpose of the training is to protect the patient's health by eliminating diagnostic and therapeutic errors. The service is inseparably linked to the treatment process. Although the recipient of the service is the therapist, the ultimate beneficiary of the health benefit is the patient whose treatment process is being reviewed. The training is preventive in nature: that is, it prevents harm caused by erroneous actions of the person providing treatment.