Ongoing trauma and intersectionality in EMDR therapy with children

Trauma is a multifaceted phenomenon that does not occur in isolation, but instead, it intersects with a much broader social, cultural, and historical context. This presentation will address the challenges and intricacies of working with children with symptoms arising from accumulative trauma, ongoing stress, and the weight of social categorizations such as race, gender, ability, religion, class, ethnicity, and more. Children who have endured seclusion, oppression, lack of social support, and marginalization are disproportionately vulnerable to experiencing multiple forms of trauma. Often, these children exist within a distressed caregiving system that is forced to move out of connection and co-regulation into self-preservation and survival. This presentation will address case conceptualization and treatment planning using a multimodal approach to EMDR therapy that works actively to restore homeostasis, connection and safety in its multiple domains. In addition, this plenary will emphasize the need to re-evaluate and redefine EMDR treatment delivery so there is acknowledgment and recognition of the systemic contributions to children’s ongoing traumatization. This presentation will provide markers to assist clinicians in moment-to-moment decision-making as they navigate through the eight phases of treatment with this population.

Conference

English

Ana Gomez

Gomez, A. (2024, August). Ongoing trauma and intersectionality in EMDR therapy with children. Keynote presentation at the HAP Conference, Philadelphia, PA