Course Description

Children and adolescents who experience emotional and behavioral dysregulation may struggle with impulse control, reasoning, and problem‑solving due to factors such as neurodivergence, developmental differences, and early relational trauma. Caregivers often experience significant stress in response to these challenges, and families frequently seek treatment during periods of heightened crisis.

This presentation explores EMDR‑informed, attachment‑focused clinical considerations for working with dysregulated youth and their caregivers. Drawing from principles commonly used within attachment‑informed EMDR frameworks, the session highlights the role of caregiver involvement, co‑regulation, and developmentally responsive preparation in supporting treatment engagement.
Attendees will examine how EMDR preparation‑phase concepts, including approaches to trigger tolerance and caregiver participation, may be incorporated within family‑centered treatment planning. Emphasis is placed on clinical decision‑making, ethical considerations, and developmentally appropriate adaptations when working with youth and caregivers within an EMDR‑informed framework.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe how psychoeducation and the therapeutic relationship support caregiver attunement when working with dysregulated youth.
2. Participants will be able to identify developmentally appropriate EMDR preparation‑phase concepts that support engagement and regulation in children and adolescents.
3. Participants will be able to explain the role of trigger tolerance concepts within EMDR‑informed treatment planning for dysregulated youth and caregivers.

Session Level: Advanced

Presenter(s)

Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP

Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP, has specialized in the treatment of attachment trauma for more than 35 years. She discovered the power of EMDR therapy over 30 years ago when she attended a training with Francine Shapiro, PhD. In 2008, together with several like-minded colleagues, she co-founded The Attachment and Trauma Center of Nebraska, where she co-developed and conducted research on EMDR attachment-focused models for both children and adults. She serves on the faculty of the EMDR Institute founded by Francine Shapiro, PhD, where she teaches EMDR basic training with child-specific supplemental material. Debra provides advanced EMDR trainings nationally and internationally and has authored and co-authored numerous articles, book chapters, and books on EMDR therapy and attachment trauma.

Christine Mark-Griffin, LCSW

Christine Mark-Griffin, LCSW is an EMDRIA-approved consultant and advanced trainer. She specializes in EMDR for children, trauma-informed yoga therapy, play therapy and perinatal mental health. She is passionate about integrating her clinical work with her love of yoga, music, fitness, and art. Christine is the founder and clinical director of Spark All Wellness, a group practice in San Francisco and Pasadena focused on trauma and EMDR for kids and mamas. She is also the founder of EMDR for Kids, offering advanced training for clinicians working with children and families. Additionally , Christine is the author of the award-winning EMDR Workbook for Kids, one of the first EMDR therapy tools created specifically for children.