Day 1: EMDR Therapy with Children with Complex Trauma: A Multimodal Approach

This presentation will focus on practical and creative strategies to make EMDR therapy developmentally sound for children, especially the ones with complex clinical presentations. Co-regulation and co-homeostasis, as well as the creation of safety, will be demonstrated and emphasized throughout the eight phases of treatment. A thorough exploration of phase one and how to gather clinical data with children will be addressed, as well as preparation and stabilization strategies. Play and expressive arts therapies will be demonstrated in addition to embodiments and the use of polyvagal-based strategies to enhance interoceptive awareness. We will also study how to increase children’s affect tolerance and ability to “be with” somatic and emotional data. Processing phases with a particular focus on the EMDR interweave will be covered.

Day 2: Case Conceptualization and Decision Making in EMDR Therapy with Children and Adolescents

This presentation will address the challenges and intricacies as well as the step-by-step strategies for working with children and youth with symptoms arising from exposure to chronic traumatization. This presentation will address case conceptualization and treatment planning using EMDR therapy and the Adaptive Information Processing System as a framework. This workshop will provide strategies and specific markers to assist clinicians in moment-to-momentdecision-making as they navigate through the eight phases of treatment with children and youth. Dilemmas and decision-making challenges will be addressed. The titration continuum and how to navigate through it will be covered as clinicians move from stabilization into trauma processing phases. Co-regulation, co-homeostasis, and the restoration of safety throughout treatment will be emphasized and covered. Clinicians attending this presentation will leave with strategies they can apply immediately and a solid theoretical framework for case conceptualization and decision-making.