EMDR treatment of children and adolescents with school refusal in the outpatient setting: The role of trauma resolution, imaginal exposure and in vivo desensitization and reprocessing resulting in student reintegration to the classroom

School refusal behavior is defined as a child-motivated refusal to attend school, or difficulties remaining in school for the entire day. As a heterogeneous condition, it can encompass aspects of phobic-type responses or separation anxiety disorder. This condition interferes with the child’s development as it impacts upon academic performance, family and peer relationships in the short-term realm. Long-term effects may include fewer employment and educational opportunities, as well as the development of psychiatric sequelae. This presentation will describe the use of EMDR as a comprehensive treatment for the child or adolescent with school refusal. Case presentations will describe assessment of the problem, with treatment of targets in the individual child or as part of a family systems intervention. Highlights will be placed on the rapid resolution of school refusal behaviors through the processing of traumatic incidents, versus those conditions requiring a more extended and extensive treatment program. The creative implementation of in vivo EMDR will be described in the successful classroom reintegration of two students.

Conference

English

Mary Ellen Tormey

Tormey, M. E. (2003, May). EMDR treatment of children and adolescents with school refusal in the outpatient setting: The role of trauma resolution, imaginal exposure and in vivo desensitization and reprocessing resulting in student reintegration to the classroom. In EMDR with children and adolescents. Symposium conducted at the 4th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Rome, Italy