Beyond Desensitization: EMDR to Expand the Window of Tolerance with Kids

Children and teens with a traumatic past are often reactive to ordinary present-day feelings and events in addition to direct reminders of trauma such as a difficult math assignment or interruption of playtime.  Participants will learn to implement EMDR therapy with the goal of expanding children’s feelings tolerance to ordinary daily stressors and eliminating meltdowns, aggression, and other reactive behaviors.  Lecture and videos will illustrate creative methods for activating emotions in session, playful methods of engaging children in processing, and interweaves to activate processing, strengthen emotional coping, and deepen the experience of self-regulation.