On-Demand Video Training
EMDR with Immigrant & Refugee Populations
Instant + Lifetime Access • Only $97
EMDR with Immigrant & Refugee Populations – Course Description
117 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide. Between 30–50% of refugees meet criteria for PTSD, up to 80% of torture survivors carry a PTSD diagnosis, and fewer than 1 in 10 displaced people who need mental health treatment are receiving it. The need is staggering — and the clinical picture is unlike almost any other population a therapist will encounter. Immigrant and refugee clients do not present with a single past trauma. They present with layered, compounding adverse experiences across an entire migration journey: persecution and violence before departure, dangerous and often traumatic transit, and ongoing stressors after arrival including legal uncertainty, family separation, discrimination, grief, and the chronic stress of building a life in an unfamiliar country, often without language, community, or resources.
Effective EMDR with this population requires far more than protocol knowledge. It requires cultural humility — not as a one-time training, but as an ongoing orientation that centers the client’s expertise on their own experience and honestly acknowledges the power imbalance embedded in the therapeutic relationship. It requires clinical fluency with presentations that may be collectivist rather than individual, somatic rather than verbal, and spiritual rather than psychological in their framing. And it requires practical knowledge of how to conduct EMDR across language barriers, when to pause processing due to ongoing threat, how to work with interpreters effectively, and when standard EMDR assumptions simply do not apply.
This course, presented by Kelly Smyth-Dent, LCSW, founder of Scaling Up EMDR, draws on her background in refugee resettlement, international field work with refugee populations across multiple countries, and published research with Eritrean and Rohingya refugee communities. It provides a comprehensive clinical and cultural foundation for integrating EMDR across the full migration journey — from pre-migration trauma through post-migration ongoing stress.
Overview
Learning Objectives
CE Information
Cancellation Policy
Overview
EMDR with Immigrant and Refugee Populations – 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 immigrant and refugee populations.
The course opens with the terminology and legal distinctions clinicians need to understand — immigrant, refugee, asylum seeker, undocumented, and internally displaced person — and situates this work within the global displacement crisis. The three-phase trauma framework for migration is introduced as the foundation for assessment and treatment planning, covering pre-migration, peri-migration, and post-migration trauma exposures and the mental health burden they produce.
A substantial section on cultural humility and responsiveness addresses how trauma and healing are understood across cultures, the stigma and access barriers that shape help-seeking in immigrant and refugee communities, and the clinician’s responsibility to approach this work with ongoing self-reflection rather than assumed expertise. Culturally responsive assessment tools validated with refugee populations are reviewed alongside guidance on ongoing safety assessment for clients who may still be living inside active threat.
Phase-by-phase EMDR adaptations are covered in depth, with particular attention to extended Phase 2 preparation, culturally adapted resource development, collectivist framing of negative and positive cognitions, titration and fractionated processing in Phase 4, and culturally resonant closure rituals. A dedicated section addresses best practices for working with professional interpreters throughout every phase of EMDR.
The course also covers treatment of ongoing traumatic stress, survivor guilt and moral injury, working with children and unaccompanied minors, family and community systems, and group EMDR protocols — particularly the EMDR-IGTP, which has the most research support with refugee populations globally. Ethical considerations, advocacy as clinical work, and therapist self-care specific to this population are addressed throughout.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the three-phase trauma framework for migration and identify common traumatic experiences across each phase
- Apply cultural humility principles and culturally responsive adaptations throughout all 8 phases of EMDR
- Implement best practices for working with interpreters and addressing language and literacy barriers in EMDR treatment
- Recognize the impact of ongoing stressors, collective trauma, and systemic factors on EMDR treatment planning
- Navigate ethical, advocacy, and self-care considerations unique to this population
CE Information
CE Information
Course Title: EMDR with Immigrants & Refugees: Culturally Responsive Trauma Treatment Across the Migration Journey
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 immigrant and refugee populations. Content is designed to be a strong starting point for clinicians new to this population as well as a clinical foundation for those already working 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 Immigrant and Refugee Populations 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 — drawing on her background in refugee resettlement and published field research with refugee populations across multiple countries.
- Cultural and clinical foundations covering the three-phase migration trauma framework, cultural humility, collectivist and spiritual framing of trauma and healing, and the access and stigma barriers that shape engagement with this population.
- Phase-by-phase EMDR adaptations including culturally adapted resource development, collectivist cognition framing, interpreter best practices, ongoing safety assessment, and guidance on the EMDR-PRECI and EMDR-IGTP for ongoing stress and group treatment.
- Lifetime access — return to this course anytime as you grow your practice with immigrant and refugee clients.
Only $97 • Lifetime Access • Instant Download
Every EMDR therapist deserves resources that are as committed to their clients as they are. The EMDR with Immigrants & Refugee Populations Course gives you the cultural foundation, the clinical adaptations, and the practical tools to show up to every session with immigrant and refugee clients fully prepared.