Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists

Members Engaged! will host a number of articles, recognitions, and activities of our ATSS members. If you have a contribution, recognition, information, or experience you would like to share, please contact our administrator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ron Ringo, Jr., PhD, LSW, CTTS, TFTdx, MAC, CST, CCCJS is a long-time member of ATSS. He is also an actor and was involved with the marketing of Mel Gibson’s movie “Hacksaw Ridge”. He is also involved with the movie “UNBROKEN: Path to Redemption” which will be in theatres, September 14th. It is the sequel to “UNBROKEN” and continues the true story of Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini.

Check out member, Scott Giacomucci's, recent article on psychodrama and addiction/trauma recovery in the Mainline Health Women's Health Source newsletter on page 8 - http://www.mainlinehealth.org/doc/Page.asp?PageID=DOC004136

Dealing with the horror of the Orlando homicides.  

ATSS member, Jennifer Wolff's interview with WLTX-TV in Columbia, SC.

http://www.wltx.com/news/local/how-to-deal-with-tragedy/242709645

Christine Dernederlanden is a long time ATSS member and Certified Trauma Services Specialist from St. Catharines, Ontario. Christine experienced two life altering events as a young person, the tragic loss of her older brother and shortly after that, doctors feared she had developed bone cancer. These events altered her life and as an adult, she became involved in grief and trauma work.

Christine designed a program called H.U.G.S.(Helping Understand Grief Sessions) to help students affected by grief, an Empathy Bear which is a teddy bear that cries and is the award winning author of Where is Robert?, a book that helps children understand and process grief. The kit was used to help more than 6,000 children following the 9/11 attacks.  Christine was deployed to Ground Zero a month after the attacks, to aid the families. Where is Robert? is a resource frequently used by police services, victim services groups and other emergency responders.  Christine also founded a company, Roberts Press, that has a catalogue of books and resources for dealing with grief and trauma. 

For her tireless work in the field of trauma and grief, Christine’s former high school recently recognized her as one of Niagara Catholic’s Distinguished Alumni.