Child Accredited Training

EMDR with children and adolescents: training courses

There are two levels of specialist, accredited training courses for using EMDR with children and adolescents. You need to complete both levels before you can become an Accredited EMDR Child & Adolescent Practitioner or Consultant.  You cannot attend the first until after the first part of the Standard Accredited Training in complete.

Level 1

Level 1 Child & Adolescent Training accredited by EMDR Europe is open to therapists who have completed Parts 1 or Level 1 of the Standard EMDR training. The course lasts one or two days depending on the trainer, and the focus is on clinical skills training, particularly the basic adaptations needed to the EMDR protocol when working with children of different ages. It also covers stretching the window of tolerance for vulnerable children, and working with children in a group setting.

Level 2

Level 2 Child & Adolescent Training accredited by EMDR Europe is open to therapists who have completed Level 1, finished all parts of EMDR basic training, and had some clinical experience using EMDR with children or adolescents. It is a two-day course addressing the use of EMDR with more complex issues in young people, such as dissociative disorders, complicated grief, complex PTSD, etc. Depending on the trainer, the Level 2 course also tends to cover working with children with learning difficulties, looked-after children (those in the care system), and more specialist work.

Why choose an accredited training course?

EMDR Europe, in cooperation with the EMDR Association of the UK & Ireland, regularly accredits and monitors the standards of all EMDR Trainers and training courses.

You may find individuals who are not listed on this page claiming to be EMDR trainers running EMDR courses in the UK or Ireland – such individuals are not accredited by EMDR Europe and are teaching a non-accredited course.

The content and quality of such courses will not meet the requirements of the EMDR Europe Association, the EMDR Association of the UK & Ireland, or the worldwide EMDR international community.

Accredited Child Trainers

Organisation: EMDR Advanced Skills & Child Training
C & A Trainer: Joanne Morris-Smith
Email: j.morris-smith@virgin.net

Organisation: Child Trauma Therapy Centre
C & A Trainer: Susan Darker Smith
Email: info@childtraumatherapycentre.com
Phone number: 07966370062
Website: http://www.childtraumatherapycentre.com/

C & A Trainer: Kamala-Maria Mueller

Good practice guidance for training in or using EMDR with children & adolescents

It is recommended that clinicians should have as a minimum standard the following training and experience:

• Completed Level 1 or Part 1 of the Standard/Basic EMDR training.
• Be trained in EMDR with children by a Europe Accredited EMDR Child Trainer to Level 1 at least.
• Completed subspecialty training to work with children and adolescents.
• Have at least one year of current clinical experience working in the field of child and adolescent mental health.
• Be skilled in psychotherapeutic work with children and adolescents.
• Be in receipt of supervision from an EMDR Europe Accredited Child & Adolescent Consultant or an EMDR Consultant who predominantly works with  Children & Adolescents.
• Have access to support from peers who are trained in EMDR.

The full document can be found here: Guidance for good practice in EMDR for working with children and adolescents May 2019

EMDR UK Statement on C&A training (March 2024)