Course Description

In recent years there have been numerous new developments in research on, and the application of, EMDR therapy. Perhaps the most important one is experimental research into the working memory theory. The purpose of this workshop—presented by Ad de Jongh, Ph.D. and Suzy Matthijssen, Ph.D.—is to gain new inspiration, based upon this knowledge, for the treatment of patients who display high levels of anxiety and dissociation and show limited treatment effects. Effective new applications that vary from modality-specific working memory-taxing techniques to destabilizing memories will be demonstrated through video fragments of treatments in clinical practice with the aim to inspire clinicians to make their EMDR even more effective.

Moderator: Tara May, Ph.D., PLLC.

Discussant: Louise Maxfield, Ph.D., CPsych.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe the working memory theory.
2. Participants will be able to identify ways to motivate clients for processing memories that have a high level of disturbance.
3. Participants will be able to describe techniques for enhancing activation of traumatic memories.
4. Participants will be able to identify and employ multiple memory-taxing tasks to aid in reprocessing traumatic memories.

Presenter(s)

Ad de Jongh, Ph.D.

Ad de Jongh, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and professor of Anxiety and Behavior Disorders at the University of Amsterdam. Further, he is an honorary professor in psychology at the Institute of Health and Society of the University of Worcester, and at the School of Psychology of Queen’s University in Belfast.

Suzy Matthijssen, Ph.D.

Suzy Matthijssen Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist-psychotherapist, senior researcher, cognitive behavioral therapist, and is a lecturer at university and post-doctorate psychology specialization programs. She works at the Altrecht Academic Anxiety Centre where she is head of an intensive trauma treatment program. She is connected to Utrecht University.