EMDR trainings for Bosnia-Herzegovina mental health workers resulted with child training in Sarajevo for 75 EMDR psychotherapists aftermath the 1992–1995 war

Abstract

Objectives Bosnia-Herzegovina affected by war 1992-1995, children survived severe war traumatization together with adult war victims. The Humanitarian Assistance Programmes UK & Ireland (HAP) work in partnership with mental health professionals in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) from 2009, providing knowledge and expertise in the treatment of trauma, and specifically in the use of EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing). Aim In this way, we aim to build a body of qualified and experienced professionals who can help children and adolescents, not only for adults. Method Authors described educational process for healing childhood trauma with EMDR considering the history of idea and its realization through training levels. Results Joanne Morris-Smith was invited by the EMDR Association of Bosnia & Herzegovina to provide Child Training in Sarajevo for 75 participants drawn from the 3 cohorts who HAP UK & Ireland has already fully EMDR trained. Many of our trainees work with both children and adolescents as well as adults so they were delighted to get this specialist training. Trainees were instructed to learn about the ways of modifying the standard protocol for children according to their developmental age, and other teaching points. The possibility of using narrative presentation of the traumatic event while applying tactile stimulation was an important discovery. Conclusion EMDR for children and adolescents training of Bosnia-Herzegovina mental health workers to effectively use EMDR with traumatized children and adolescents, with enthusiastic help of EMDR trainer Joanne Morris-Smith from HAP UK & Ireland resulted with increased psychotherapy capacities of EMDR therapists in postwar BH.