On-Demand Video Training
EMDR with Children and Adolescents
Instant + Lifetime Access • Only $97
EMDR with Children and Adolescents — Course Description
Children and adolescents are not small adults. Providing EMDR therapy to youth requires far more than adapting an adult-focused approach. The developing brain processes trauma differently, presents distress through behavior and the body rather than verbal narrative, and engages in treatment through play, creativity, and relationship rather than insight and discussion. At the same time, EMDR is uniquely well-suited to this population: it reduces reliance on verbal narrative, works directly with the nervous system through bilateral stimulation, addresses both explicit and implicit trauma memories, and adapts readily to the creative and somatic modalities that children naturally use. The World Health Organization endorses EMDR as a first-line trauma treatment for children, and meta-analyses confirm its effectiveness across single-incident and complex trauma — typically in fewer sessions than talk therapy.
Effective EMDR with youth requires developmental fluency across the full age range, from pre-verbal toddlers to identity-forming adolescents. It requires clinical competence with the presentations most common in this population: complex developmental and attachment trauma, acute single-incident events, grief, behavioral presentations that mask underlying trauma, and the particular challenges of adolescence (i.e., social media-related trauma, peer relationships, body image, and identity disruption). And it requires knowing how to calibrate caregiver involvement, adapt every phase of the protocol to the child’s developmental level, and maintain engagement through the creative, play-based, and attachment-informed techniques that make EMDR accessible to young clients.
This course, presented by Kelly Smyth-Dent, LCSW, founder of Scaling Up EMDR, provides a practical foundation for adapting EMDR across the full youth age range. Whether you occasionally see children and adolescents in your practice or are building a specialty in this area, this course delivers immediately applicable clinical guidance for every phase of treatment.
Overview
Learning Objectives
CE Information
Cancellation Policy
Overview
EMDR with Children and Adolescents Course Overview
This EMDR Specialty Mini Course is an online course for EMDR-trained clinicians who have completed an EMDR Basic Training and want to expand their skills in working with children and adolescent populations.
The course begins with the evidence base and neuroscientific rationale for EMDR with youth, including why EMDR’s non-reliance on verbal narrative makes it particularly well-suited to developing brains, and how early intervention can interrupt the long-term developmental consequences of adverse childhood experiences. Age-specific adaptation overviews are provided for early childhood (ages 3–6), middle childhood (ages 7–11), adolescence (ages 12–18), and pre-verbal clients under age three.
Participants learn how to conduct readiness assessments with youth, including developmental screening, window of tolerance evaluation, dissociative screening, and caregiver support assessment. The course walks through phase-by-phase protocol adaptations — from modified history-taking tools and extended Phase 2 resource development to age-appropriate scaling, creative externalization techniques in Phases 3 and 4, and caregiver briefing at closure.
Target sequencing differences by trauma type are addressed in depth, including complex developmental trauma, attachment trauma, single-incident acute events, recent events requiring modified protocols, grief and loss, and multiple discrete traumas. The course also covers play-based and attachment-informed techniques — drawing, sand tray, puppets, storytelling, and movement — as well as special considerations for adolescents, guidance on caregiver involvement, common clinical mistakes and how to correct them, and ethical and safety considerations specific to working with minors.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe key developmental considerations when applying EMDR with children and adolescents
- Implement phase-by-phase protocol modifications specific to youth populations
- Apply play-based, attachment-informed, and creative techniques to maintain engagement
- Identify target sequencing differences when working with children and youth
- Recognize common mistakes and apply evidence-based corrective strategies
CE Information
CE Information
Course Title: Adapting EMDR for Children and Adolescents
Presenter: Kelly Smyth-Dent, LCSW
Format: On-Demand Video | Add-On Course
CE Hours: 1 Contact Hour
Approved for the following CE credit types:
1 CE credit approved for NBCC, APA, and ASWB — included in the cost of registration.
Target Audience: Licensed mental health clinicians who have completed an EMDRIA-Approved EMDR Basic Training and are seeking to expand their competency in working with children and adolescent populations. Content is designed to be accessible to clinicians who occasionally see youth clients as well as those building a specialty in this area.
Instructional Level: Intermediate
Completion Requirements: Participants must watch the course video in full and complete the post-course assessment with a passing score to receive CE credit.
Disclosure: There are no conflicts of interest to report for this course. No commercial support was received for this program.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy
On-Demand Training — Non-Refundable
Because this is an on-demand course with immediate access to all content upon purchase, all sales are final. No refunds will be issued after purchase.
If you experience a technical issue accessing your course, please submit a support request and our team will work to resolve it promptly.
CE Certificate Policy: CE certificates are issued upon successful completion of the course video and post-course assessment. Certificates are available for download immediately upon passing. If you experience any issues accessing your certificate, please contact our support team.
Scaling Up LLC reserves the right to update course content as clinical research and professional standards evolve. Enrolled participants will have lifetime access to the most current version of this course.
Get Instant Access to the EMDR with Children and Adolescents Course
- 1 CE credit approved for NBCC, APA, and ASWB — included in the cost of registration.
- Video training presented by Kelly Smyth-Dent, LCSW, founder of Scaling Up EMDR — built for clinicians who work with youth or are considering this specialty.
- Developmental and clinical foundations covering age-specific EMDR adaptations, readiness assessment, window of tolerance management, play-based techniques, and caregiver involvement across the full youth age range.
- Phase-by-phase protocol modifications including creative externalization strategies, adapted scaling and cognition language, target sequencing by trauma type, and guidance on complex developmental and attachment trauma.
- Lifetime access — return to this course anytime as you grow your practice with children and adolescent clients.
Only $97 • Lifetime Access • Instant Download
Every EMDR therapist deserves resources that are as committed to their clients as they are. The EMDR for Children and Adolescents Course gives you the developmental foundation, the clinical adaptations, and the creative tools to show up to every session with your youngest clients fully prepared.