Overcoming children’s barriers to engage in EMDR with the sleeping dogs method

Purpose This presentation provides an overview of the Sleeping Dogs method. Population This presentation is for EMDR therapist who are working with chronically traumatized children who have severe trauma symptoms, but are unable or unwilling to engage in EMDR therapy. Main points Chronically traumatized children can struggle with severe symptoms and they are violent, avoidant, dissociate, have sexualized behaviour, they self-harm or are suicidal. EMDR therapy is recommended, but they are unable or unwilling to engage. These children often have experienced abuse or neglect within their families and child protection services are involved. There are so many issues, it is difficult to know where to start. How can these children be stabilized enough to start processing, when are they ready? These children can have different barriers to engage in EMDR therapy, such as feeling unsafe, having a secret, not feeling emotional permission from the parents to talk about the past, daily life struggles, not having support, avoiding to talk about trauma because of shame, guilt and self-hatred. The Sleeping Dogs method can be used by EMDR therapists to make a case conceptualisation and structured analysis of the child’s potential barriers by answering the nineteen questions of the Sleeping Dogs Tool. The Sleeping Dogs method provides interventions focused on overcoming these specific barriers, so these children can participate in EMDR therapy as soon as possible. Key elements are psychoeducation with the use of metaphors, increasing the child’s support system, and collaboration with the child’s network, the child’s biological family and child protection services. The Sleeping Dogs method can also be used for adults with an intellectual disability or children with language difficulties. Conclusion The Sleeping Dogs method (Struik, 2019) can be used to engage children, who are unwilling or unable to discuss their trauma, in EMDR therapy. The research data of a pilot study (Struik, Lindauer, & Ensink, 2017) show this is a promising and relatively short method.

Conference

English

Arianne Struick