EMDR Adaptations for Kids: eBook Available on Psychwire

I am excited to share a new resource designed to support clinicians who work with children and teens. After many years of training, consulting, and practicing EMDR with younger clients, I wanted to create something that answers the most common question I hear from therapists: How do I adapt EMDR so it truly fits a child’s developmental world

This new eBook, EMDR Adaptations for Kids, is now available for download.

What You’ll Learn Inside

An overview of how trauma is stored and processed in youthLearn how the AIP model guides EMDR with developing brains.

Phase by phase adaptations for kids and teens:

Discover developmentally appropriate approaches that support each stage of treatment.

Collaboration strategies for parents and caregivers:

Build stronger alignment and clarity with the adults who support the child outside of session.

Creative and expressive techniques:

Use play, art, sandtray, and movement to keep young clients engaged and regulated during EMDR work.

Why This Resource Matters

Children do not process trauma the same way adults do, and they certainly do not engage in therapy the same way either. Their cognitive skills, emotional regulation, communication style, and understanding of safety are all still forming. EMDR can be incredibly effective for young clients, but it must be adjusted with intention.

This guide was created to help clinicians feel confident in those adjustments. It provides a grounded understanding of how trauma lives in a child’s nervous system and how the Adaptive Information Processing model applies when attention spans are short, emotions move quickly, and the therapy room often includes play materials instead of chairs and clipboards.

By offering developmentally informed techniques, this resource equips therapists with clear, practical ways to support the eight phases of EMDR in a child friendly manner. It also acknowledges the vital role of parents and caregivers, helping clinicians strengthen the full system around the child.