Argosy University, Chicago
COURSE SYLLABUS
PP8653
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Fall 2010
Faculty Information:
Faculty Name: Judith Flaxman, Ph.D.
Campus: Chicago
Contact Information:
Office Phone Number: 312-777-7685
Practice Phone Number: 847-864-2723
E-mail:
Office Hours: Tuesday, 12-4 PM, Thursday, 12-4 PM
Co-Instructors:
Name: Carol Moss Name: Carrie Ann Cherup
Phone: 847-251-7248 Phone: 708-427-8577
E-mail: E-mail:
Teaching Assistant: Nicole Pitsavas
Phone: 773-354-6211
E-mail:
Short Faculty Bio:
Dr. Flaxman is a professor at Argosy, Chicago and she coordinates the Health Psychology Minor. She is certified in EMDR and she is an Approved EMDR Consultant and Instructor. She has taught the EMDR class at Argosy since 1998. She is the director of a private practice in Evanston called The Center for Multimodal Treatment where she does therapy and provides individual and group consultation in EMDR.
Course description:
This class covers the theoretical foundations of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EMDR), empirical research on EMDR, how to use EMDR as a therapeutic modality, and its applications to various client populations. It involves extensive role-playing and supervision of cases where students use EMDR.
Course Pre-requisites: PP8010 – Cognitive-Behavior Theory and Therapy (Recommended)
Required Textbooks:
Shapiro, Francine (2001). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles,
protocols and procedures (2nd Ed.). New York: Guilford Press. ISBN 1-57230-672-6
Rothschild, Babette (2000). The Body Remembers. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
ISBN 0-393-70327-4
From the EMDR HAP Store: http://www.emdrhap.org/osCommerce/index.php?cPath=24&osCsid=450d864a286a7034cb3e7f54c117b10b
Rubin, Allen A. (1998). Empirically Evaluating EMDR with Single-Case Designs: A Step-by-
Step Guide for EMDR Therapists.
Spierings, J.J. Multi-Cultural EMDR.
Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.
Course length: 15 Weeks
Contact Hours: 50 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Course Objectives:
Course Objective / Program Goal / Method of AssessmentLearn how to work with people with PTSD / Goal 2 - Intervention / Exam #1 & #2; Case Report; Supervised Practice
Understand the theoretical models proposed for EMDR / Goal 5 - Scholarship / Exam #1 & #2; Class Participation
Become familiar with current research on EMDR / Goal5 - Scholarship / Exam #1 & #2; Class Participation
Experience aspects of EMDR as a client / Goal 2 - Intervention; Goal 3 - Diversity / Personal Reflection Paper
Receive supervision and consultation on their work as an EMDR clinician / Goal 2 - Intervention / Supervised Practice
Master the basic EMDR protocol and be able to serve as an EMDR clinician / Goal 2 - Intervention / Supervised Practice: Exams #1 & #2; Case Report
Learn to use EMDR Resource Installation techniques with clients / Goal 2 - Intervention / Supervised Practice: Exams #1 & #2; Case Report
Become familiar with the more advanced EMDR skill of cognitive interweave and be able to use it with clients / Goal 2 - Intervention / Supervised Practice: Exams #1 & #2; Case Report
Become familiar with EMDR protocols for different presenting problems / Goal 2 - Intervention; Goal 3 - Diversity / Exams #1 & #2
“Memory has its 'own special kind' of truth. “It selects, eliminates, alters, exaggerates, minimizes, glorifies and vilifies also, but in the end it creates its own reality, its heterogeneous but usually coherent version of events; and no sane human being ever trusts someone else's version more than his own.”
-Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
Purpose:
EMDR is a treatment technique that has been empirically shown to be effective for trauma. It has been successfully applied to other problems as well. This class will cover the theoretical foundations of EMDR, the empirical research on it, how to use EMDR as a therapeutic modality, how to integrate EMDR with other approaches to therapy, EMDR techniques for Resource Installation and the application of EMDR to various client populations. The class will involve extensive supervised practice with the method of treatment and consultation on a case conducted by the student. Students who complete this class successfully will have received the equivalent of Level I and Level II training or basic training.
Course Requirements:
Instructional: Students are required to participate in 20 hours of instructional training. Course instruction will focus on EMDR history, methodology, case conceptualization, treatment planning, EMDRIA definition of EMDR.
Supervised Practicum: Students are required to participate in 20 hours of Supervised Practicum. Supervised Practicum is designed to facilitate the demonstration and practice of EMDR methodology. Students will have experience in the role of clinician, client, and observer, and will have the opportunity to receive direct behavioral observation and feedback. Practicum faculty to student ratio will be 1:8.
Consultation: In order to receive a certificate of completion of the EMDRIA Approved EMDR Basic Training, all participants must participate in 10 hours of consultation. Consultation is designed to address issues that evolve out of work with actual cases. Consultation groups will be limited to 8 participants.
Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all classes and to arrive on time for all classes. If an absence is unavoidable, the student should contact the professor as far in advance as possible and they will develop a plan which allows the student to make up for the absence.
Assignments:
Personal Reflection Paper
Length: Between 2 and 3 pages.
Due Date: December 16, 2010, 11:59 PM
Many experienced EMDR clinicians report that the greatest influence on how they conduct EMDR is the personal experiences they have had in the client role. In this paper, I would like you to discuss what you have learned from your experiences in class as an EMDR client. You should consider your reactions to any of the following: creating a container for yourself, finding a relaxing place, using other resource installation techniques and, especially, experiencing the desensitization phase of EMDR.
I recommend that you keep a journal of your experiences during the semester to draw on in writing this paper.
Please note that the focus of the paper is on how your experience as a client has contributed to your growth as an EMDR clinician. You do not have to share specific, personal details of your experiences unless they are relevant to your professional growth and you wish to do so.
Case Report
Length: Approximately 10-13 pages
Description of client due: Sept. 30, 2010.
Paper due: December 16, 2010, 11:59 PM.
(Submissions can be via hard copy, email or fax to 847-869-6028. If you submit a fax, please include your email address so that I can confirm receipt)
Find a "client" who is interested in receiving approximately 6 sessions of treatment—i.e., 1 or 2 assessment and preparation sessions, and 3 or 4 sessions of treatment with EMDR. This can be an actual client, if your job or practicum site permits, or a volunteer. The client should be someone with no history of dissociation. To be sure of this, administer the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) to the client before accepting the individual for treatment.
Treatment Contract—Discuss the Consent Form (to be handed out in class) with the client. Have the client sign it and submit it to me before you begin treatment. Give the client a copy of the consent form to keep.
Discuss with the client how you will measure progress. Determine the outcome measures (see below) you will use with the client. Make clear to the client that you will help them find an EMDR clinician if more work is needed at the end of your 6 sessions. (I will be able to help you with this.)
Outcome Measures—Decide how you will measure treatment outcome. See article listed in syllabus by Alan Rubin for ideas. Possible methods: client self-report (informal report and pre- and post-treatment questionnaire results), client self-monitoring of behavioral changes (daily, weekly or pre- and post-treatment), observations made by other people, therapist observations. Possible questionnaires: Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Impact of the Event Scale. See Measures for Clinical Practice by Joel Fisher, Kevin J. Corcoran and David H. Barlow (on reserve in libarary) for additional ideas.
Process Measures—Have client complete Shapiro’s Weekly Log Report (p. 429 in text). If client fails to complete report at home, fill out as much as possible with them in session.
The Case Report should be organized as follows:
1. Assessment of the Client—use a fictitious first name for the client and change irrelevant details in order to protect confidentiality. Be sure to indicate the client's ethnic/racial/religious/life style background. You can use a BASIC ID to organize the assessment.
2. Treatment Goals—and how you measured them, with references. Try to use a behavioral outcome measure as well as one or more self-report measures.
3. Treatment—a session-by-session description of treatment, including the targets worked on and methods used to deal with client resistance.
4. Results—treatment outcome based on quantitative measures you employed and qualitative observations made by the client and the therapist.
5. Discussion—this section should thoughtfully consider the impact of EMDR and any other treatment approaches you used, on the client. In this section you should critique your own work (but don’t be too hard on yourself!). In this section you should discuss your thoughts about how your case relates to Shapiro's or other writers' conceptualizations of EMDR.
You will be graded on:
· Your ability to competently use EMDR.
· Your use of good clinical judgment in adapting EMDR to your client’s particular needs. This includes your sensitivity to the demographic group/groups to which your client belongs and adaptations you make in your use of the EMDR protocol based on this.
· Your ability to integrate EMDR with other approaches to treatment, as needed.
· Your ability to develop useful outcome measures for your work.
· Your ability to discuss the case and critique your own work in a thoughtful way.
Grading Criteria for Case Report
· Assessment of Client
· Identification of Treatment Goals
· Outcome Measures Selected
· Development of Rapport with Client
· Resource Development
· Choice of Target(s)
· Preparation Phase
· Desensitization
· Ability to keep processing going
· Phases V-VIII
· Clinical Judgment
· Results Section
· Discussion
· Self-Evaluation
· Writing
· General Comments
Class Schedule and Assigned Readings
Each class meeting will include didactic material, case material, discussion, demonstrations and supervised practice. Please bring the Shapiro book and class hand-outs to class with you each week. Also, please be prepared to serve as an EMDR “therapist” or “client” and to discuss your work with the client you are seeing outside of class.
Additional Accommodation Policy for this Class:
Please let me know as soon as possible if you need, or may need, modification of class requirements for any reason. I want to work with you to make this class a successful learning experience for you.
Please think carefully about whether you might need accommodation in class in regard to the in-class experience of EMDR as a client. Since EMDR is an “uncovering” technique, I encourage you to use good judgment about what to take on in an in-class setting with a novice therapist.
If any of the following apply to you, please talk to me about how we can modify what you do as an in-class EMDR client to make the situation comfortable and productive for you:
· You have an abuse history
· You have a history of dissociation
· You are currently experiencing a particularly high level of stress
· You have a medical problem which would be exacerbated by a high level of stress
Assignment Table:
Week / Topics / Readings / Assignments1
9/9 / No Class—Rosh Hashanah / Shapiro, Chapt. 1-Background; Chapt. 2-Adaptive Information Processing; Chapt. 3- Components of EMDR Treatment and Basic Treatment Effects
Rothschild, Chapt. 1-Overview of PTSD: The Impact of Trauma on Body and Mind
Hornsveld, H.K., et al. (2010). Emotionality of Loss-Related Memories is Reduced After Recall Plus Eye Movements But Not After Recall Plus Music or Recall Only. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. 4, 106-112. (On reserve in library.)
2
9/16 / Introducton; Components of EMDR; Single Subject Research in EMDR / Shapiro, Chapt. 4-Phase One: Client History
Rothschild, Chapter 2-The Development of Memory and the Brain
Rubin, Allen A. (1998). Empirically Evaluating EMDR with Single-Case Designs: A Step-by-Step Guide for EMDR Therapists. (Skim.)
3
9/23 / EMDR: Phases One through Three / Shapiro, Chapter 5-Phases Two and Three: Preparation and Assessment
Rothschild, Chapter 3-The Body Remembers:Understanding Somatic Memory
4
9/30 / Phases Four through Seven / Shapiro, Chapter 6-Phases Four to Seven: Desensitization, Installation, Body Scan, and Closure / Description of client due. Turn in as much information as you have—see description of Case Presentation for details.
5
10/7 / Working with Abreactions and Blocks / Shapiro, Chapter 7-Working with Abreactions and Blocks
Rothschild, Chapter 4-Expression of Trauma Not Yet Remembered: Dissocation and Flashbacks
6
10/14 / Working on Past, Present and Future / Shapiro, Chapter 8- Phase Eight: Reevaluation and Use of the EMDR Standard Three-Pronged Protocol
Spierings, J.J. Multi-Cultural EMDR. / TA Review Session meets 12-1:00 PM
7
10/21 / Exam #1—Covers the following:
Shapiro, Chapts. 1-6; Rothschild, Chapts. 1-4;
Lubar, pages noted above;
Rubin; Spierings
8
10/28 / Working with Grief / Shapiro, Chapt. 10-The Cognitive Interweave: A Proactive Strategy for Working with Challenging Clients / Video: EMDR: Working with Grief
Please bring a copy of the transcript of the video to class. You can obtain it at: http://www.zeigtucker.com/pdf/angerbtii.pdf
9
11/4 / Protocols for Special Situations / Shapiro, Chapt. 9-Protocols and Procedures for Special Situations
10
11/11 / Working with Children; Working with Severe Mental Illness / Shapiro, Chapter 11-Selected Populations
11
11/18 / Theory, Research and Clinical Implications / Shapiro, Chapt. 12-Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications / TA Review Session meets 12:00-1:00 PM
12
11/25 / No Class—Happy Thanksgiving!
13
12/2 / Theory and Research (Cont’d.) / Maxfield, Louise. (2007). Current Status and Future Directions
for EMDR Research, Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 1(1), 6-14.
Stickgold, Robert. (2002). EMDR: A Putative Neurobiological Mechanism
of Action, Journal of Clinical Psychology. 58(1), 61-75. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=5938327&site=ehost-live
Rothbaum, B.O. Astin, M.C. & Marsteller, F. (2005). Prolonged ExposureVersus Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for PTSD Rape Victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18(6), 607-616.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=19301820&site=ehost-live
14
12/9 / Exam #2
15
12/15 / No Class / Personal Reflection Paper and Case Report due by11:59 PM.
Grading Criteria: