PSME456 Special topic

Overview

Teaches the advanced application of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for mental health conditions. It is restricted to suitably qualified and experienced mental health professionals.

In 2024 Otago University will be offering this advanced EMDR Therapy training through the Department of Psychological Medicine, located at the Wellington campus. The course is Aotearoa/New Zealand centric, catering for our unique culture.

About this paper

Prerequisite

PSME 455

Notes

Students applying for this paper will already have a mental health qualification and will have successfully completed PSME 455. Applicants who have completed EMDR Therapy Basic Training in New Zealand are able to apply directly for entry to PSME 456 without completing PSME 455. Those applicants will need to demonstrate competency in the use of EMDR Therapy by submitting a written Case Conceptualisation using the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model and a videotaped interview of the use of the Standard EMDR Therapy protocol. Guidelines will be made available to applicants. All students will be required to have (1) full registration with a regulatory authority under the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act (or an acceptable full membership of a Professional Association); (2) Four years of experience in clinical practice in one-to-one therapies, within a mental health field; (3) a university qualification in a relevant mental health field of at leasta Post Graduate Diploma level; and (4) a current work role in a therapies setting where they have access to suitable clients.

Eligibility

Admission to PSME 456, Special Topic 2 in EMDR Therapy is subject to approval. All applicants are required to have:

1. Full registration with a regulatory authority under the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act (or an acceptable full membership of a Professional Association)
2. 4 years of practice in psychological therapies such as CBT, DBT, IPT which have been formally supervised by accredited supervisors trained in these modalities.
3. A current work role in a therapy setting where they have access to suitable clients.

Applicants who have completed EMDR Basic training approved by EMDRNZ will be eligible to apply but will need to demonstrate equivalence to EMDR PSME 455 by submitting (to course director) a written case history and Case Conceptualisation as well as a 50 minute video recording file of an EMDR Therapy session, utilising Phases 3-7.

Please contact emdr.ouw@otago.ac.nz for more information.

Contact

emdr.uow@otago.ac.nz

More information link

Enrolment Information

Unless you have approval to credit this paper to an existing qualification, your enrolment will be for a Certificate of Proficiency (COP). The PSME 456 is a stand-alone paper that must be completed in one calendar year and can be credited to a qualification at a later stage. Enrol here

Teaching staff

Dr Tom Flewett, Consultant Psychiatrist and Professional Practice FellowDepartment of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Wellington

Maryann Stevens, Clinical Psychologist

And other EMDR specialist tutors.

Paper Structure

PSME 456 Special Topic 2 in EMDR Therapy course syllabus covers advanced EMDR Therapy topics, enabling students to build on the learning from EMDR Therapy basic training.

The course includes online lectures, webinar, supervision and two in person block courses of 2½ days each. Lectures on Attachment Theory, Ego State Theory and advanced skills in the use of Interweaves will lay the foundation for work with complex PTSD, avoidance defenses, attachment trauma and dissociation. This course also includes advanced training in Child EMDR Therapy, addictions, recent traumatic events, anxiety disorders including OCD and Panic Disorder; somatic disorders and the use of EMDR Therapy with chronic pain conditions.

The online lectures occur weekly, leading up to each block course.

Each block course is followed with a series of supervision sessions. Students are expected to complete up to 70 hours of EMDR therapy with clients over the course year.

There are four Assignments including written case conceptualisations, and a 50 minute video recordings of clinical work.

There is a short viva voce at the end of the academic year.

Teaching Arrangements

This Distance Learning paper is a combination of remote and in-person teaching.

PSME 456 is a part-time course that will run from late February to mid-November.

During the academic year, course participants must attend two 2½ day teaching blocks and a final viva voce. The lecture component will be online. Special Topic 2 PSME 456 is a half time full-year academic course.

Course dates to be confirmed.

Teaching Method: Online Lectures and two 2 ½ day in person block courses in Wellington. Attendance at block course is compulsory for all participants.

• Block One – March (dates To be confirmed)
• Block Two – August (dates To be confirmed)

Students are expected to make all travel arrangements to ensure that they arrive in time to be ready for the block course to commence at 12.30pm on the first day and leave on the last day after 5pm. Outside of the block course dates, all online lectures will run weekly on a weekday morning 9am to 12noon.

Block courses include lectures, demonstrations and practica in which students will practice EMDR therapy in pairs working on personal experiences.

The final viva voce will be held end of October/early November.

Leeds A.M., (2016). A Guide to the Standard Emdr Therapy Protocols for Clinicians, Supervisors, and Consultants, Second Edition. Springer Publishing Company.

Knipe, J. (2018) EMDR Toolbox 2nd Edition. Springer Publishing Company. ISBN: 9780826172556

Textbooks

Leeds A.M., (2016). A Guide to the Standard Emdr Therapy Protocols for Clinicians, Supervisors, and Consultants, Second Edition. Springer Publishing Company.

Knipe, J. (2018) EMDR Toolbox 2nd Edition. Springer Publishing Company. ISBN: 9780826172556

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Global perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

Students completing the PSME 456 paper will be able to:

1. Understand and describe key principles to consider when working with clients with complexity secondary to pervasive and multiple traumatic experiences in childhood. They will demonstrate knowledge and skills in advanced titrated processing, advanced cognitive interweaves and the use of the therapeutic relationship to enhance the processing of traumatic material.
2. Demonstrate specific techniques for working with avoidance defences.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of Attachment Theory and how it applies to the use of EMDR Therapy across a variety of presentations.
4. Provide effective stabilization and manualized EMDR therapy to individuals suffering from the following conditions when there is a traumatic origin:
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
• Panic Disorder.
• Somatic sequelae of trauma and trauma responses to illness, injury and pain.
• Addictions -Behavioural and substance.
5. Describe both individual and group techniques for managing recent traumatic events.
6. Utilise a variety of EMDR therapy skills for clients with comorbid dissociation.
7. Demonstrate techniques for working with young people across the age range from 2 -20 years.

Timetable