EMDR Therapy for Children and Teens in Charlotte

Reconnect with play each other joy

As a parent, it’s heartbreaking to see your child struggle with the hardest parts of life. They may seem withdrawn, act out, or become easily upset by things that didn’t bother them before. You might feel helpless, not knowing how to best support them through this challenging time.

The good news is that healing is possible. Your child can work through what happened and go back to how things used to be.

“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.”

— Dr. Peter Levine

EMDR for Children

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): EMDR is an extensively researched therapy to help people heal from traumatic events. Your child’s brain has natural processes that help it heal. Sometimes memories and tough events become ‘stuck’ and need extra support to be processed properly. EMDR works by helping to "unstick" these memories, allowing the brain to process them in a healthy way, so your child can begin healing and regain a sense of safety and well-being. For children, we incorporate play therapy into the EMDR process. Play therapy is a wonderful way to help children express themselves, make sense of their feelings, and begin to rewrite their own stories in a developmentally appropriate way. More information

Children face a wide range of experiences such as adoption, family changes, moves, loss of loved ones (including pets), medical procedures, or accidents that can have a ‘stuck’ response. You may notice your child starts to act ‘younger’ than their age, changes in sleep routine, big behavioral responses, increase in ‘clingy-ness’, or just aren’t acting themselves. Trauma looks different for each child. Through the combination of EMDR and play therapy, your child can process these events in a way that is gentle, supportive, and healing, empowering them to move forward.

You can expect EMDR with children to look quite different than an adult EMDR session. In our sessions, your child can plan to get creative! We will use art supplies, sandtray and movement to support your child in processing. Some children may feel unsure about a more creative approach, in which case your child is welcome to process in a way that feels more comfortable to them.

FAQs

  • EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue, worksheets or homework between sessions. Instead, it allows the brain to resume its natural healing process by resolving unprocessed traumatic memories. A key component of EMDR therapy is the use of alternating eye movements, sounds, or taps to help the brain process these memories. For children, they may bang on drums, march around the room, sword fight and more to engage in processing. For many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions compared to other types of therapy.

    Additionally, EMDR engages both the mind and body, facilitating deeper healing without having to retell your trauma event. This makes it a unique and effective approach for those who may find it difficult to discuss their experiences in detail.

  • EMDR is effective for both 'big trauma' events and smaller disturbances that feel 'stuck' and hard to move past. EMDR helps explore current patterns that are not serving you and heals the roots of these patterns, enabling you to move forward.

    EMDR can be used to address a variety of issues, including trauma, depression, panic attacks, grief, nightmares, anxiety, and other distressing life experiences. Its flexibility makes it a powerful tool for helping people overcome various challenges, regardless of the size or nature of the trauma.

  • I work with clients as young as 3 years old. EMDR with children looks different than with adults. For young children, we may use storytelling, playing out challenging situations, and movement to help process memories.

  • Before starting the reprocessing steps of EMDR, we will work together to ensure you are ready to begin. This preparation phase includes developing mindfulness, coping skills, and other supports to help you feel comfortable and safe.

    During your reprocessing session, we will focus on a specific memory, worry, or experience. You do not have to share the memory in detail with me for EMDR to be effective. I will guide you through eye movements or tapping to help your brain and body process the memories. Throughout the process, I will be there to support you every step of the way, ensuring you feel secure and understood as you reprocess.