EMDR: A Trauma-Informed Approach

5/10/2017

By Andrea Schneider, MSW, LCSW

I am excited to announce that I am in the process of being trained to provide EMDR for my in-person clients impacted by trauma. Whether single incident or chronic/long-term trauma, EMDR has been shown to be effective as a trauma-informed intervention for many client populations. If you'd like to know more about EMDR, please take a look at the following articles for more detailed information:

EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: goodtherapy.org

Can You Benefit from EMDR Therapy? (PsychCentral)

What is EMDR?

EMDR and Complex-PTSD

Why EMDR Therapy Might Be Right For You

If you'd like to consider EMDR as a trauma-informed intervention, discuss with your licensed mental health professional if EMDR may be appropriate for you. To practice EMDR, your mental health clinician needs to: 1) have a graduate degree in psychology, counseling, or clinical social work, 2) have a clinical license to practice psychotherapy, 3) and have taken the EMDRIA-approved Basic Training Course (which includes a total of 50 hours of lecture and experiential practicum, as well as supervised clinical consultation). If someone offers you EMDR (i.e. like some "life coaches" I see hanging a shingle online) and that individual is not a licensed mental health therapist nor have they taken the EMDRIA-approved Basic Training, they are engaging in malpractice. EMDR is an in-person intervention that is contraindicated for telehealth practice.

2 Comments

christine Louis de Canonville link

5/10/2017 11:40:34 am

I am a psychotherapist in Ireland, and I am also alarmed to see that many untrained and unqualified people are using EMDR for working with their clients. I am especially concerned when I hear that Life Coaches are using EMDR when working with victims of narcissistic abuse, many of whom are likely to be suffering from PTSD. I wonder where these people are learning the techniques, because in Ireland it is a requirement that one is eligible before applying for such training.

Eligibility requires that one you be one of the following:-
Mental Health Professionals
Clinical Psychologists (Registered with HCPC or PSI)
Counselling Psychologists (Registered with HCPC or PSI)
Psychiatrists (MRCPsych, SpR, SHO)
Community Psychiatric Nurses
Registered Mental Health Nurses
Psychiatric Social Workers
Counsellors/Psychotherapists

I have heard that people are learning this for themselves from uTube clips. If that is the case, that is very worrying indeed. Thank you Andrea for flagging this, and suggesting that anybody looking for this wonderful work to check out that the therapist is trained and certified.

Andrea Schneider link

5/10/2017 08:01:04 pm

Thank you for your comment! I completely agree. Francine Shapiro, founder of EMDR and author of EMDR: Basic Principals, Protocals and Procedures writes " Only licensed mental health professionals, or those under direct supervision of licensed clinicians, should use the procedures and protocols in this book. This caution is important because, as a psychological treatment, EMDR should be used only within the context of complete and detailed treatment plan and with appropriate safeguards that trained and licensed clinicians are schooled to be aware of" (pg. xiv).

EMDR: A Trauma-Informed Approach

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Andrea Schneider, MSW, LCSW

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