It is with great sadness that I am writing to let you know of the untimely death of one of our
EMDR colleagues, Ericka Johanson, who passed away on 31 October, after a short illness. All
those who knew Ericka will remember her as a valued colleague, a dedicated clinician and a
passionate advocate of EMDR.
Ericka was best known to her EMDR colleagues in the North East of England where she was
the Secretary of the North East Regional Group and of course, to her NHS colleagues, as a
clinician, EMDR Consultant/Supervisor and Manager in the Newcastle IAPT Service.
In March 2020 she joined the Board of the Association and became a Trustee. In her
nomination form she wrote:
“I believe I have the experience and skills that would benefit the Association and would
consider it a great privilege to serve as a Trustee. If appointed, I would perform my role
with energy, enthusiasm and integrity”.
….and how true this turned out to be!
In the short time Ericka was one of our Trustees she became a member of the Governance
committee, the Communication committee; took on the role of the Data Protection Officer
and became the Regional Groups Co-ordinator making a significant contribution in all of
these roles.
Ericka will be remembered for her energy, presence, kindness, warmth and dedication …and
she might wish you to remember her in her favourite place:
“on Baga Beach in Goa, India, watching the sun dip below the horizon while listening to Dire
Straits playing the Sultans of Swing”.
Our thoughts are with everyone who mourns her loss.
Mike O’Connor (CPsychol. AFBPsS)
President, EMDR Association UK