For Therapists: Referring Clients to EMDR (Part 1)

As EMDR continues to emerge as one of the most effective treatment approaches for trauma, it’s important that clinicians without EMDR training have a basic understanding of the EMDR process and how it can benefit clients so they can better connect their clients to the healing capabilities of EMDR. A broad understanding of EMDR can make it easier to refer clients to other outpatient settings or even higher levels of care offering this approach. 

In this blog post series, I’ll talk about how EMDR can be utilized as an adjunct resource for clients. Meaning, if you are not an EMDR trained counselor you can work concurrently with an EMDR counselor while continuing your therapeutic work with that client.

Through collaboration, we can Merge and enhance the strengths of EMDR with the strengths of talk therapy. 

I’ll also discuss when it could be a good time to refer a client to EMDR. I’ll give you some resources and foundational knowledge geared at broadly explaining what EMDR is to your clients to enhance motivation and follow through. Then, I’ll highlight how a therapist who is not trained in EMDR might work with an EMDR practitioner on client cases and collaborate in a way that compliments one another’s therapeutic work.

When to Consider EMDR 

Limited Time

Researchers show EMDR time and time again to be incredibly efficient when it comes to processing trauma, and can lower distress in a shorter time frame than traditional talk therapy (Marcus, Marquis & Sakai, 1997, 2004). For example, if you start working with a client who wants to work through a traumatic event, but is moving out of state, it might be time to consider EMDR. Some studies show 84-90% of individuals seeking treatment for a single traumatic event no longer meet criteria for PTSD after only three 90 minute sessions (Marcus, Marquis & Sakai, 1997, 2004).

Distress around Therapeutic Homework 

If you’re practicing traditional CBT with a client but homework but they feel overwhelmed or triggered outside of session, EMDR’s emphasis on containment might resonate more with their individual needs. I find EMDR to be helpful in connecting clients to containment between sessions as a resource. We can practice containment through guided imagery paired with bilateral stimulation and learn to set boundaries around session time being the time to activate traumatic material, not between sessions. 

The Words Don’t Come Easily

The language of trauma is felt, not spoken. As trauma therapists, we know that trauma is not stored in the part of the brain where speech is not as accessible, especially with preverbal trauma. And for some clients, words are not the easiest form of communication. 

Somatic approaches can be more accessible and effective for these clients. EMDR is a somatic approach where words are not so important to the process. Clients are able to give brief feedback without going into verbal detail about traumatic events. 

Client is Stuck 

If your client is not responding to traditional talk therapy and has hit a stuck point, it might be time to think about adding in an adjunct service or changing things up. EMDR can be helpful at moving through the stuck points and even targeting the stuck points or beliefs blocking the therapeutic process. 

Recent Events 

When a client comes in wanting to lessen distress around a single traumatic event that took place within the last year, I usually assess if EMDR is a good fit. Prior to when a memory becomes consolidated in the brain, EMDR can usually help the client’s brain digest the traumatic event in a short amount of time. I’ve seen numerous clients be able to lessen distress around a single traumatic event in very few sessions when the target memory is recent. 

See part two of this blog post to read more about how to educate clients on EMDR before referring them to an EMDR practitioner and how to collaborate on cases with an EMDR practitioner.

Authored by: Anna Zapata, LPC

Resources

www.https://www.emdria.org/

Marcus SV, Marquis P, Sakai C. Controlled study of treatment of PTSD using EMDR in an HMO setting. Psychotherapy. 1997;34(3):307–15. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0087791.

Marcus S, Marquis P, Sakai C. Three- and 6-month follow-up of EMDR treatment of PTSD in an HMO setting. Int J Stress Manag. 2004;11(3):195–208. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.11.3.195.