Treating preverbal trauma in infants and young children with EMDR
Description
Population
This presentation is for EMDR therapists who are working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma between the age of zero to three and display symptoms that are potentially related to those experiences.
Main points
Infants can experience all sorts of possible traumatizing circumstances such as accidents, painful medical procedures, separation from the parents, choking, but also domestic violence, sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many families with young children were locked down in their houses, which has led to a significant increase in domestic violence, sexual abuse all over the world. The impact of traumatization in infants is great and when left untreated, the effect on development can be devastating and long lasting. In this presentation an outline is provided of the parent child trauma therapy model (Struik, 2019; Went, 2014), a brief intervention (6 sessions) to treat trauma and attachment in infants with a combination of EMDR and parent-child psychotherapy. Parent child trauma therapy is based on the Infant Mental Health perspective and views preverbal trauma as affecting not only the child, but also the parent and their relationships, and uses an adaptation of Storytelling (Lovett, 1999, 2015) combined with elements from parent-child interaction therapy and play.
In this symposium the speakers will present the treatment model and the adaptation for different types of trauma, illustrated with case examples and video material from four different presenters from all over Australia and New Zealand. Arianne Struik will show video material of EMDR with a two-year-old who does not eat after nearly choking, Allister Bush, will present on using EMDR with a toddler with PTSD following a random violent attack and subsequent medical trauma, Raffaella Salvo will present on EMDR with a child with medical trauma after an accident at the age of two, and Sally Handby will present on infants and toddlers in a child protection setting and how EMDR can reduce the difficulties for caregivers and the risk of placements breaking down.
Even though this treatment is experimental and clinical trials are currently underway to objectively measure the outcomes of this treatment. Alongside this, reports from parents and carers are so incredibly positive that therapists continue to use EMDR therapy for traumatized infants.
This presentation is for EMDR therapists who are working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma between the age of zero to three and display symptoms that are potentially related to those experiences.
Main points
Infants can experience all sorts of possible traumatizing circumstances such as accidents, painful medical procedures, separation from the parents, choking, but also domestic violence, sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many families with young children were locked down in their houses, which has led to a significant increase in domestic violence, sexual abuse all over the world. The impact of traumatization in infants is great and when left untreated, the effect on development can be devastating and long lasting. In this presentation an outline is provided of the parent child trauma therapy model (Struik, 2019; Went, 2014), a brief intervention (6 sessions) to treat trauma and attachment in infants with a combination of EMDR and parent-child psychotherapy. Parent child trauma therapy is based on the Infant Mental Health perspective and views preverbal trauma as affecting not only the child, but also the parent and their relationships, and uses an adaptation of Storytelling (Lovett, 1999, 2015) combined with elements from parent-child interaction therapy and play.
In this symposium the speakers will present the treatment model and the adaptation for different types of trauma, illustrated with case examples and video material from four different presenters from all over Australia and New Zealand. Arianne Struik will show video material of EMDR with a two-year-old who does not eat after nearly choking, Allister Bush, will present on using EMDR with a toddler with PTSD following a random violent attack and subsequent medical trauma, Raffaella Salvo will present on EMDR with a child with medical trauma after an accident at the age of two, and Sally Handby will present on infants and toddlers in a child protection setting and how EMDR can reduce the difficulties for caregivers and the risk of placements breaking down.
Even though this treatment is experimental and clinical trials are currently underway to objectively measure the outcomes of this treatment. Alongside this, reports from parents and carers are so incredibly positive that therapists continue to use EMDR therapy for traumatized infants.
Format
Conference
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Struik, A., Bush, A., Salvo, R., & Handby. S. (2021, October). Treating preverbal trauma in infants and young children with EMDR. Symposium at the EMDRAA Conference, Virtual
Citation
“Treating preverbal trauma in infants and young children with EMDR,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 1, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/28014.