Major advances have been made in the assessment and treatment of traumatic stress in the past 20 years. Despite these advances, the vast majority of those affected by traumatic stress still do not receive any type of services or care. For many, no services are available. Others are reluctant to seek care or do not find the services offered appealing. In addition, treatments are not effective for some who receive them. The effectiveness of services or clinical care may be limited if our conceptualizations, research methods and practices do not match the clinical realities for some trauma survivors.
    This meeting will provide a forum to discuss innovative strategies for outreach, assessment, treatments and programs that will enable us to deliver services in a wider variety of contexts and reach more trauma survivors. A shift in focus from mental disorder and diagnosis to the promotion of mental health can help reduce stigma and facilitate wider dissemination of **rmation and tools to promote recovery from traumatic stress. Innovations in conceptualization, measurement and clinical methods may help us better understand the diversity of responses to traumatic stress and tailor our services and treatments to groups and individuals with different post-traumatic presentations.