Course Description

Neurodiverse people think, process sensory information, communicate, socialize and engage in movement differently than those who are neurotypical, but EMDR therapists can use playfulness, flexibility and modifications to make the benefits of EMDR available to this population. The use of stories in therapy can enhance the access to adaptive information and expand the child’s tolerance for focused work in therapy. The EMDR storytelling method, first described by Joan Lovett, has often been used with young children as a way to titrate and augment EMDR processing and structure the participation of caregivers. This workshop will build on the structure of Lovett’s storytelling method and offer additional suggestions and play-based adaptations as well as case examples which illustrate the application of this method with neurodiverse children and teens, including how to structure the participation and support of attachment figures and address clinician challenges with the method in consultation.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe at least 3 complexities of integrating EMDR and play therapy with neurodiverse children and teens.
2. Participants will be able to describe at least 2 ways to support the inclusion of attachment figures in EMDR processing using a storytelling approach with neurodiverse children and teens.
3. Participants will be able to summarize the key interventions in 2 case examples of neurodiverse children and the use of play-supported storytelling in EMDR processing.

Presenter(s)

Ann Beckley-Forest, LCSW, RPT-S

Ann Beckley-Forest, LCSW, RPT-S, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Buffalo, New York. Her specialties include attachment and child and adolescent trauma and adult survivors. She is an EMDR Approved Consultant and Trainer, a faculty member of the Child Trauma Institute, and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and Approved Provider. She gives trainings locally and internationally. Her primary interest is in the intersection of play therapy and EMDR. She has published on this topic, including as co-editor of the book “EMDR with Children in the Play Therapy Room: An Integrated Approach.”

Danyale Weems, LCSW

Danyale Weems, LCSW, owns a private group practice in rural Georgia where she specializes in treating children, adolescents, and adults with trauma and neurodevelopmental disorders. She has over 18 years of clinical experience. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPTS), AutPlay Certified, nationally certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Danyale is currently a Consultant-in-Training for EMDR. She has presented at several state conferences, the University of West Georgia, and local agencies.