“Stop! I don’t want to think or talk about it!” – Using EMDR to work through trauma with
a young person.

Marlene Chong, Clinical Psychologist

What happens when you’ve been seeing a client for awhile for their presenting issues, and
they unexpectedly experience a significant trauma? What happens then when you think
you might have the solution as the clinician, and the client refuses to let you get anywhere
close to what they feel is too threatening for them? In this case presentation evening, we
would go through a brief background and introduction to EMDR, and its application with a
young person. We would also consider the possible impact (or not) of the trauma on her
complex presentation. This case presentation will discuss a clinician’s struggles and
approach on engaging an emotionally avoidant young person who has experienced a trauma
and the impact of the trauma on the individual and her family.