How Effective is EMDR with Children?

Read the first blogs in this series:
What is EMDR? Is it as powerful as they say?
What can I expect from EMDR therapy? A session to session guide.
How is EMDR different from talk therapy?
How effective is EMDR therapy with anxiety and depression?
How effective is EMDR with Adolescents?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a very effective therapy that treats most mental health diagnosis and conditions.

EMDR and Children

If you’ve been following along with our blogs, you know that EMDR is effective for a wide variety of treatment concerns. The same is true for children and adolescents, we just make some modifications to be developmentally and age appropriate.

What is considered a traumatic experience for minors?

The experiences that would be traumatic for adults are also traumatic for children – weather events, acts of violence and abuse, and grief. Other events that may be benign for adults, can be difficult for kids – experiences with peer pressure or bullying, bad dreams, medical procedures or absence of control.

Because of their age and less mature brain development, processing can be much faster than in adolescents and adults. The same is true on the other side, they have less experience to draw from to know that it will turn out OK, less authority over their environment to feel powerful and reduced understanding of reasonable consequences or outcomes. This is what makes smaller events feel so much bigger to them.

Signs your child is struggling and could benefit from therapy

Here are a few guidelines that may indicate that your child is struggling:

• Regressive behavior – Suddenly clingy, unable to sleep in bed alone, return of bed-wetting or thumb-sucking
• Unable to regulate emotions – Unpredictable mood swings, very slow to calm down, more frequent meltdowns for minor incidents
• Changes in school participation – Change in grades, not doing homework, resistance to go to school, withdrawing from clubs and activities
• Activities of daily living – poor hygiene, no longer do certain tasks for themselves, changes in eating habits
• Safety concerns – behaviors or talk about hurting self or others
• Sudden shift happens after a significant event – If they are unable to bounce back after some time passes

Ways your therapist will adapt EMDR therapy for children

Therapists that work with the younger kids are typically play therapists. This means that they integrate toys, crafts, books and physical movement into the session. Garry Landreth, pioneer in child-centered play therapy, said ‘Play is the language of children and toys are their words’. Essentially, we need to speak their language to provide the best support.

The therapist will still follow the same phases as with adults. In preparation phase, your child will learn more emotion regulation skills , such as breathing exercises and creating a calm place. This may be done by working together to teach the strategy to a teddy bear, or drawing it out. Processing phases are done in short spurts and often elicit the help of finger puppets, cars that roll across the table, using physical movement (marching in place) or tapping on a baby doll.

The role of parents/caregivers in EMDR

Support from parents is imperative to a successful therapeutic relationship. You know your children better than anyone else. Whether your therapist is strictly a play therapist, or integrates EMDR, you are still a vital component to your child’s success in therapy. If you have any questions or concerns about the process, please ask your therapist to explain further.

Letting the therapist know specifics about your concerns and any events that you are aware of helps the therapist design the treatment plan and know which memories need to be addressed and in what order. Telling your child that the therapist also knows about it often helps them to feel more comfortable with opening up themselves. Following a session, you are always welcome to ask your child about therapy, however if they don’t want to talk about it don’t push them. They will open up as they are ready.

Another important component is tracking changes between sessions. You will have the best information as to any behavioral changes such as eating and sleeping habits, general mood participation in their life. Smaller children are less able to track and give reliable reports. Anything significantly out of the ordinary should be reported to the therapist immediately.

What does the research say about EMDR’s effectiveness with children?

EMDR has been shown to be effective in reducing PTSD symptoms in children (Sutton et al, 2025; Rodenburg et al, 2024). Another study finding that symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety were alleviated and maintained at follow-up, and at a higher rate as compared to other therapies.

How do I Find a Qualified EMDR Therapist?

When looking for a qualified EMDR therapist, the first place to look is on the EMDRIA website. The EMDR International Association is the body that regulates both how EMDR is trained, and the therapists that wish to move up the credentialing process. There are companies that offer EMDR trainings, however they do not hold the same rigorous expectations, including supervised practice. Make sure your therapist has EMDRIA approval before moving forward.

There are several levels of EMDR therapists:

• EMDR in training: Currently participating in the 50 hours of training. This includes lecture, video and live demonstrations of key principles, and practicing with another trainee while an experienced EMDR therapist observes and gives live feed-back. They are also participating in 10 hours of group sessions, where they share their use of EMDR, review lecture material and learn from their peers’ experiences.
• EMDR trained: Completed the 50 hours or training, the 10 hours of group and a post-test demonstrating their knowledge. No further actions are necessary to keep this status.
• EMDR certified: After becoming EMDR trained, these therapist continue their learning by taking at least 12 hours of advanced trainings, have an additional 20 hours of oversight with a higher level EMDR therapist (including audio tapes of actual sessions), and have completed a minimum number of processing sessions. Certification must be renewed every 2 years, an additional 12 hours of advanced trainings is required at each renewal.
• EMDR Consultant in Training (CIT): After becoming certified, they continue to learn by taking another 12 hours of advanced training and have more processing sessions completed. They are also required to have a minimum of 20 hours of oversight from an Approved Consultant (the next levelup). The Approved Consultant will evaluate the CIT’s ability to correctly guide and support newly trained therapists in their use of EMDR with their clients. The audio/video used here will be of the CIT offering consultation to the therapist that is either in training or trained.
• EMDR Approved Consultant: Once all the above requirements are met, the therapist will now have the title of Approved Consultant. This credential requires 12 hours of advanced training and renewal every two years.
• EMDR Trainer: This is the highest level of credentialing for an EMDR therapist. There are believed to be less than 250 trainers in the United States. In addition to being an Approved Consultant, the trainer has to go through a rigorous screening process. The curriculum has to meet very specific criteria about content and length of time spent on topics, the in training practicum experiences, even how the learning management system works. They are also required to answer a series of questions around how they handle certain situations, learner engagement, and being culturally sensitive and aware. Trainer status is renewed every 2 years by answering the training specific short essay questions.

If you have further questions about EMDR, either as a therapist or as a potential client, please reach out to Heather Dunn, EMDRIA Approved trainer, at heather@bluehorizoncounseling.com.

Summary

There is a lot more to EMDR, it requires a minimum or 60 hours in supervised training to be credentialed. This overview is designed to help you feel more prepared before starting EMDR for yourself. Admittedly, it does seem odd that experiencing BLS could have such a significant effect. It has been tested over and over again for 40 years, with strong results supporting this therapy.

Each phase is just as important as the next and need to be done thoroughly and in order. The most common mistakes that new or inexperienced EMDR therapists make is not doing the groundwork. Phases 1 and 2 are imperative to ensure the processing is emotionally safe and tolerable for the client. Unfortunately these phases are often rushed through. Additionally, you want to make sure your therapist is intentional about which memory to start processing through. Starting with an intense trauma, especially if the client is ill prepared, can have significant long-term impacts. It’s often advised to start with a smaller memory as the client gets comfortable with the process, and the therapist can evaluate their ability to stay regulated.

Read more about EMDR:
How Effective is EMDR with Physiological Diagnosis, such as Bipolar, Neurodivergence and Schizophrenia?
How Effective is EMDR with a Trauma Based Diagnosis – PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder?

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At Blue Horizon Counseling we have several therapists that are passionate and qualified in EMDR therapy. We also offer consultation for EMDR therapists that are looking for additional support as they continue to learn and grow.

You’re Not Alone. Our Therapists are here to help, in Pearland, TX.

Hang in there. This won’t last forever, even if some days feel like it might. You’re planting the seeds for future blossoms. All our therapists at Blue Horizon Counseling offer sessions both in person and via telehealth.  Find the right therapist for you. We accept most major insurance plans.

Written by Heather Dunn, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, specializing in trauma, dissociation and EMDR. Heather has been practicing for over 20 years and enjoys sharing her knowledge and helpful tips.

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