Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Trauma-centered psychotherapy in patients with migrant background

Intercultural trauma-centered psychotherapy using EMDR with professionally trained interpreter in refugee and asylum seeker patients.

Article Abstract

“Intercultural trauma-centered psychotherapy with cultural advisors and professional trained interpreters is just as effective as psychotherapy in the native language of refugee and asylum seeker patients without any language competency in German. Trauma-centered psychotherapy in native languages cannot in general be implemented because the number of qualified psychotherapists who speak a native language is insufficient; therefore, working with professionally trained interpreters is of great importance. This setting reduces the barriers to treatment by trauma-centered intercultural psychotherapy with a professionally trained interpreter. Using the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing method (EMDR) with a professionally trained interpreter is of increasing interest, so that more and more refugee and asylum seeker patients with a trauma-related disorder, e. g. posttraumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) can be treated. The EMDR method is an additional approach, which overlaps with various concepts of psychotherapy. This article gives an overview of intercultural trauma-centered psychotherapy using the EMDR method with a professionally trained interpreter in refugee and asylum seeker patients and concludes with recommendations for this setting.”

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Schouler-Ocak, M. (2017). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Trauma-centered psychotherapy in patients with migrant background. Psychotherapeut, 62(4), 314-321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00278-017-0202-z