Welcome

I am happy to announce the release of my book "EMDR therapy and adjunct approaches with children: Complex trauma, attachment and dissociation" published by Springer publishing Co. It is expected to be released in May 2012.

  This is the first book to provide a wide range of leading-edge, inventive, tangible, step-by-step strategies for clinicians working with children with severe dysregulation of the affective system using EMDR therapy and adjunct approaches.This book offers developmentally appropriate anvanced tools for using EMDR therapy with children with complex trauma, attachment wounds, dissociative tendencies and compromised social engagement.

A unique and innovative feature of this book is the masterful use of strategies from other therapeutic approaches such as play therapy, sandtray therapy, Sensorimotor Pychotherapy (SP), Theraplay and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy into a comprehensive EMDR treatment. 

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Moreover, in my commitment to making EMDR therapy more accessible, appealing and developmentally appropriate for children and adolescents, I have two wonderful products: The Thoughts Kit for Kids and  Dark, Bad Day...Go Away, a storybook for children about trauma and EMDR therapy.

Dark, Bad Day...Go Away has been translated to Portuguese and Spanish. The Spanish version is now available for purchase (go to products)

The Thoughts Kit for Kids and Dark, Bad Day...Go Away are the result of many years of experience using EMDR therapy with traumatized children.  I created The Thoughts Kit for Kids and  Dark, Bad Day...Go Away to assist EMDR clinicians and their young clients in using EMDR therapy more effectively.

I have to say that the children that have crossed my path as my clients have been my greatest teachers. In fact, the vocabulary used in the kit and the book was the result of the feedback received from many children and young adolescents. The Thoughts Kit for Kids and Dark, Bad Day… Go Away are now a reality because of the contribution of many children and young adolescents affected by trauma that were able to experience the benefits of EMDR therapy.

The Thoughts Kit for Kids and Dark, Bad day...Go Away are great tools to help EMDR clinicians prepare, motivate and guide children to use EMDR treatment. I hope you enjoy them and  find them as helpful as my young clients and I have. I am confident that The Thoghts Kit for Kids and Dark, Bad Day...Go Away will make EMDR treatment easier to understand, more appealing, and as a result more accessible to children.

The Thoughts Kit for Kids:

When using EMDR therapy with children, two of the greatest challenges for clinicians are assisting children in identifying the negative and positive cognitions as well as obtaining the validity of the positive cognition (VoC). The Thoughts Kit for Kids is designed to aid clinicians follow EMDR therapy procedural steps and protocols. 

The Thoughts Kit for Kids consists of four sets of cards. Two sets are for young children and the other two for young adolescents. Each set contains child appropriate positive and negative cognitions along with a VOC scale with which children can play and interact. In addition, The Thought Kit for Kids contains a 16 page booklet with specific EMDR therapy games and protocols than can be used with the cards.

The Thoughts Kit for Kids can help you by:

• Helping children develop cognitive and emotional awareness and literacy.
• Making the process of identifying negative and positive cognitions easier for children during EMDR treatment.
• Facilitating the use of the VOC scale for children.
• Assisting youngsters in selecting potential targets for EMDR treatment.

 Dark, Bad Day...Go Away: A book for children about trauma and EMDR.

Dark, Bad Day...Go Away is the first hard cover, illustrated book for children that motivates, prepares and guides children to use EMDR therapy. It is now available   in Portuguese and Spanish. The Spanish version will soon be available for purchase.

Dark, Bad Day...Go Away is a storybook for EMDR trained clinicians.

Dark, Bad Day...Go Away:

• Explains trauma and EMDR therapy in terms children can understand.
• Motivates children to embrace trauma using EMDR therapy.
• Prepares children for EMDR trauma reprocessing so the likelihood of children stopping EMDR therapy prematurely is reduced.
• Makes EMDR therapy accessible to children by showing what EMDR therapy is, how it works, and how it can be helpful.