An Introduction to EMDR and Related Approaches in Psychotherapy

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the EMDR approach to treatment of trauma-related psychopathology in order for clinicians to evaluate its appropriateness for their clients. In addition, members of the public may use this course to enhance their personal knowledge of the subject matter presented.


Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:


1. Define trauma and explain the manifestation of unhealed trauma on the human experience, as conceptualized by the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) approach to psychotherapy and its adaptive information processing (AIP) model.

2. Explain how EMDR was discovered and developed by Francine Shapiro, making connections to the overall healing role of bilateral stimulation in the human experience.

3. Outline components of the AIP model.

4. Describe, in a general sense, how EMDR works to help a person stabilize, reprocess, and reintegrate after a traumatic experience(s).

5. Discuss the variations in how EMDR is used by clinicians in the modern era.

6. Distinguish what makes an intervention purely EMDR therapy versus an EMDR-related intervention.

7. Summarize the characteristics of candidates for EMDR therapy and related approaches.

8. Describe how to implement a basic "tapping in" strategy for client stabilization (an EMDR-informed intervention).

9. Discuss how to conduct a trauma history/assessment on a client using principles of the AIP model.

10. Decide whether or not further training in EMDR or an EMDR-related intervention is a good fit for one's own clinical repertoire.


This 6-hour continuing education course is available for download for professional development; if continuing education credit is desired, please see instructions included in eBook.