Tapping into ethics

EMDR is a valuable psychotherapeutic technique designed to help individuals heal from trauma. Ethics in professional and personal development are critical components to working with clients and must be examined through a lens of both individual and systemic trauma. Further, EMDR professionals must bring increased attention to matters of cultural competency, anti-racism, and assumptions rooted in white culture. The Code of Ethics for the ACA, NASW, and APA each address the importance of cultural competency. However, in a recent study of predominantly white, female, middle-class EMDR clinicians, researchers found that 54 percent participants surveyed believed EMDR to be universal and required no additional attention to cultural context (DiNardo & Marotta-Walters, 2019). Given the dearth of literature on historical and racialized trauma experienced by marginalized populations, including in therapeutic relationships, it is critical that EMDR clinicians not rely on a one-size-fits-all approach and instead examine practices through anti-racist and anti-oppressive lenses.

Conference

English

Carol Miles
Jesse Hartley

Miles, C., & Hartley, J. (2024, April). Tapping into ethics. Presentation at the 1st EMDRIA Summit, Bellevue, WA