Humanitarian EMDR Therapy with Jennifer Pollock, LCSW

 

 

 

Transcript

Robyn:
Welcome back, everybody, to the Scaling Up Your Impact podcast. I’m Robyn with Scaling Up.

And this podcast is where you can find practical, trauma-informed tools, mindset shifts, and clinical strategies for therapists who want to grow without burning out.

Today we have a really fun and special episode. I am talking with Jennifer Pollock, a therapist in Colorado, who is going to share an experience she had doing EMDR GAP protocols—which we’ll get into later—with folks in Costa Rica.

We are really excited to have you on today. We’re going to learn about how the EMDR GAP protocols were utilized in this scenario, the transformation Jennifer saw, and also how this humanitarian EMDR mental health work impacted Jennifer’s practice and her future endeavors.
So, welcome to the show, Jennifer! It’s so nice to have you. I would love for you to share a little bit about yourself with our audience so they can get to know you a bit.

Jennifer:
Thank you so much for having me, Robyn. I’m really grateful to be here.

Absolutely. So, I’ve been a psychotherapist for over 23 years, and I’ve also been doing EMDR therapy for over 23 years as well.

I work mostly with individual women, anywhere from their 20s all the way up into their 80s.
Besides depression and anxiety, my services are usually most sought after for trauma issues. The trauma issues I see span a gamut—childhood abuse, accidents, relational trauma, war-related issues for veterans or civilians, and complicated grief.

I also have a lot of people who have either chronic pain or other challenging medical conditions—cancer, Lyme’s disease, autoimmune disorders, or undiagnosed chronic issues.
I’ve done quite a bit of work with people who have DID, specifically using EMDR.

And I am trained in Scaling Up’s model of EMDR intensives, so I’ve been gradually adding this type of intervention to my practice as I have time.

Robyn:
Wow, so you’ve really seen it all in the trauma EMDR realm.

Jennifer:
A bit, yeah.

Robyn:
Cool. Thank you so much for sharing about your background and your focus area. Is there anything else you’d like folks to know before we dive in?

Jennifer:
I’m also a member of the Hive Plus, Scaling Up’s online community. I have been very grateful for all the resources that Scaling Up has been able to offer me. I got trained in the GAP protocols in May of 2022, and it’s been amazing watching these protocols really help my practice, both locally and overseas.

Robyn:
Yeah, that’s great! I forgot you were a Hive member. We really appreciate you being part of what we’re doing at Scaling Up. We love to talk with folks who have taken a lot of our trainings and are in the Hive—they just seem like unofficial Scaling Up ambassadors.

We’re just really grateful that you’re taking the time to spend with us again, this time chatting on our show.

So let’s dive in. We want to make sure we have time to talk about the amazing humanitarian work you did not too long ago.

You went to Costa Rica and conducted some healing workshops, partnering with local clinicians and practitioners there to do some amazing EMDR work.

Can you tell us about what that was like? What did you do? Where did you go? All that fun stuff.

Jennifer:
Well, I was mostly in Central Costa Rica, just a little south of the capital, San Jose. My contacts and I really had a strong heart to offer help to women who otherwise would not have been able to afford the type of mental health care we offer.

Largely through word of mouth, we ended up with seven ladies who had either chronic or acute trauma.

We were able to gather them and use all four of the GAP protocols in the work we did for them over the course of a couple weeks.

Robyn:
That’s great. So you were there for a couple of weeks and did all the protocols. How did you start? Did you work with the ASSYST in a group format? How did you figure out the logistics and assess what protocols to use?

Jennifer:
Great question. In preparation for the trip, my contacts on the ground located the women and offered it to those who might need it most.

We did online interviews with each of them individually to figure out their issues and how intense things were for them.

That gave us a starting point. When everyone got together, we did a formal check-in, and six of the seven women were coming in at about an 8, 9, or 10 on our SUD scale.

So, for that reason, I decided to do one round of the ASSYST-G with everyone as a group, to help regulate their nervous systems and bring them to a safer place.

Then, for the next five of the six workshops, we focused specifically on EMDR: IGTP, OTS, and after those, we identified women who needed more work and did individual meetings with either PRECI or ASSYST-I, depending on what they needed.

Robyn:
I love that. It sounds like it was really informed by what the ladies needed, and you worked together to make sure they got their needs met with the protocols.

Just for those listening who may not have the EMDR GAP protocols under their belt, I want to provide a little context.

The ASSYST-G Jennifer mentioned is our acute stress syndrome stabilization intervention. It helps stabilize the nervous system by bringing down the intensity of intrusive symptoms, working on a physiological level, similar to EMDR.

It’s not just breathing or mindfulness—it’s about reducing distress so clients can engage in higher-intensity interventions like EMDR therapy.

You started with ASSYST in a group format, then moved to IGTP, which is the Integrative Group Treatment Protocol—an advanced EMDR group intervention that helps people reprocess trauma in a communal setting, without needing to rehash every detail.

It’s more accessible, faster, and increases access to care.

You also did PRECI, which is the individual format, and ASSYST-I, which is ASSYST on an individual basis.

It sounds like you organized the care plan based on client symptoms, using a stepped-care approach: start with baseline stabilization, then triage who needs one-on-one or group EMDR.
That’s what we call a stepped-care approach to mental health, and it’s great to hear it worked so smoothly.

What feedback did you get from the participants? Did you notice transformations right away, or are you still getting feedback?

Jennifer:
My contacts on the ground continue to give me updates from the seven ladies. Even after the first few weeks, I was already getting good feedback—six of the seven women said the experience was very impactful.

There was one woman who said she couldn’t receive phone calls from her mother before, because just the phone ringing would send her into a trauma state.

After our work, she realized she could actually receive calls from her mother without going into a trauma state. So, something as basic as that had already started to transform in her body.

Robyn:
Wow, that’s phenomenal. Sometimes it seems like a small thing, but it has such a big impact on daily life and relationships. I love that she could see that shift.

Jennifer:
Yes. And there was another woman who was probably the most activated at the start. She had a challenging history of intense abuse.

The first time I met her, she was clearly running hot with anxiety, anger, and sadness.
By the end of the six workshops, everyone else had come down to a 0, 1, or 2 on the SUD scale, but she was at a 4. Still, that’s a big transformation—from a 10 to a 4.

We ended up doing a three-hour intensive with her, using PRECI and even transitioning to Flash for a bit. We creatively wove in butterfly tap for more grounding.

Closer to the end, we had an intense meeting with her and her husband. With all the work we did, she was like a different person. Our contacts report that she’s in a healthier place, her marriage is better, and even her 20-year-old daughter has noticed the difference.

It’s been beautiful to see how impactful these GAP protocols have been on these women in such a short time.

Robyn:
That’s fantastic. Thank you for sharing those stories. It’s really encouraging.
So, what’s next for you? Are you interested in doing more humanitarian EMDR work, locally or abroad?

Jennifer:
All of the above. I’m a member of HAP, the Trauma Recovery Network of EMDR.

There was recently an incident in Colorado, and our team wasn’t called out, but I’m standing at the ready for anything in Colorado, or if I can help in another state or country. I’m open to options and excited to see where I’ll go next.

Robyn:
That’s great! I can’t wait to hear more stories from you and how you’re experiencing transformation for yourself and your clients.

You mentioned doing intensives using PRECI and other protocols, which is exciting.
Anyone in Colorado looking for an intensive should definitely reach out to Jennifer.
Let’s end with this: What advice would you give to folks interested in this work but unsure where to start?

Jennifer:
For me, through my Hive Plus membership, I was able to ask one question weekly to Kelly Smyth-Dent, and that was incredibly motivating and clarifying.

It helped me get clear on what the trip could look like, who to interact with, and how to do it well.
Using Hive Plus was integral in helping me decide if this work was right for me.

If someone decides to do this work, enter the location and culture with humility and eagerness to learn.

Have a heart for the people you’re working with—open your heart and truly care. It’s more painful to connect with the depth of someone’s suffering, but when you work from that place, people can sense your care.

Also, know your “why.” This work can be challenging, so being clear on your motivation will help you press on during preparation and in the work itself.

Robyn:
Such wise words. Thank you for highlighting the importance of connecting with your “why” and your values, and for using the resources and connections available, like the Hive or local TRNs.

There are so many people out there wanting to connect and do this work.

Those of you in Colorado—now you know someone you can connect with!

Jennifer:
Absolutely.

Robyn:
We’ll include your information in the show notes in case folks want to reach out, ask questions, or partner with you.

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for sharing your time, stories, and experience, and for the work you do in your community and with those women in Costa Rica.

It sounds like it was a beautiful experience for everyone, even though it was challenging.

Jennifer:
It was a blessing for me to be on that trip, and I’m grateful you wanted to hear more about it. Thanks for inviting me.

Robyn:
Of course! Let us know next time you do something amazing—we’d love to follow up.
Thank you everyone for tuning in. If you’re curious about crisis response work or humanitarian mental health, check out our website for resources and training.

Until next time, keep scaling up your impact—even if it just means leaning into the resources and connections you have now, so something amazing can happen down the road.