EMDR with Children in the Play Therapy Room

This guidebook offers a groundbreaking, fully integrated approach combining play therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to support children experiencing trauma. It bridges theory and practice, showing how EMDR can be applied within play therapy while honoring the eight-phase EMDR protocol and core play therapy principles. By highlighting innovative practices from experienced EMDR and play therapy clinicians, the book provides practical strategies for assessment, trauma processing, and emotional resource development.

Key Features:

• Integrates EMDR with multiple play therapy modalities—including TraumaPlay, sand tray, art therapy, Synergetic Play Therapy, and Child-Centered/Developmental Play Therapy—for effective trauma treatment in children
• Provides hands-on, phase-specific interventions with rationale, step-by-step instructions, materials needed, case examples, and visual supports
• Includes guidance on culturally sensitive interventions, exemplified through Latinx culture
• Explores managing complications such as dissociation in trauma processing
• Contributions from clinicians credentialed in both EMDR and play/art therapy ensure fidelity to both approaches
• Supports clinicians with tools to create emotionally safe environments for trauma work
• Available in both print and eBook formats for flexible use in clinical and educational settings