Helping children and families recover: The role of EMDR therapy in the aftermath of disaster and traumatic events

Children are often caught up in traumatic situations which are be)cond their control and in which they experience overwhelming helplessness and a sense of abandonment. Their lives become severely disrupted ard may even change completely. Helping children understand their experiences whilst resolving their traumatic memories is fundamental to their future health and adaptation. Parents and carers take the primary role in re-establishing the children's sense of safety in the world. Enabling parents or carers to be a part of the EMDR therapy process and thus to develop insights into the child's understandings through the development of a shared narrative and attunement may also be key to the recovery of the children. This paper aims to look at how this can be achieved during EMDR therapy and will be illustrated by case examples and video clips.

Conference

English

Joanne Morris-Smith

Morris-Smith, J. (2006, March). Helping children and families recover: The role of EMDR therapy in the aftermath of disaster and traumatic events. Presentation at the 4th EMDR Association UK & Ireland Annual Conference, London, UK