EMDR with Substance Use & Co-occurring Addictive Behaviors

Treating addictive disorders is becoming an exponentially acute need due to the impairment and potential fatality that accompanies many addictive disorders. EMDR Psychotherapy aims to address more than symptom reduction and address the core issues and experiences that contribute to the development and maintenance of addiction. This program focuses on understanding addictive disorders such as substance abuse, eating disorders, self-harm behaviors, and love/sex addiction. Emphasis on understanding appropriate treatment planning based on principles of relapse prevention and risk assessment helps clinicians conceptualize how EMDR Therapy can benefit the client suffering with addictive patterns. This program provides resources for established EMDR approaches to addiction and utilizes a combination of lecture and multiple case examples.

Learning objectives:

1. The clinician will be provided history taking techniques effective when working with addicted clients;
2. The clinician will be able to identify the role of affect tolerance, stabilization, and relapse prevention when working with addictive disorders;
3. The clinician will demonstrate understanding regarding case conceptualization, treatment planning and target sequencing for clients with addictive disorders, including when co-occurring addictive disorders exist.

Percentage of EMDR Content: 50%