EMDR

You Are the Expert on Your Child

You know when your child is struggling even if they can’t fully explain why.

They are upset, or shut down, or wound up over something that seems small from the outside.

You have comforted, redirected, talked it through, stayed patient, read everything you could find.

And yet, there is this feeling that no matter how much you show up, you can’t reach what’s happening underneath.

Your child has been acting different lately. They’ve been more anxious and reactive. Clingy. It’s like their nervous system has been running just a little too hot.

School is hard. Friendships are harder.

You know your child. You know something’s not right.

When Emotions Get “Stuck”

Children and teens carry experiences in their bodies and nervous systems that they do not yet have the words, the understanding, or the emotional capacity to fully process on their own.

When they have no other way to process and release what they’re feeling, the distress starts showing up through behaviors, reactions, fears, emotional outbursts, shutdowns, or disconnection.

And as a parent, you are absorbing all of it. You are doing everything you can from the outside of an experience your child cannot fully explain to you.

How EMDR Works

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured therapeutic modality that uses guided bilateral stimulation – typically eye movements, taps, or tones – to help the brain reprocess memories and experiences that remain emotionally unresolved.

It has been extensively researched and is recognized by the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization as an effective treatment for trauma and PTSD.

For children, EMDR offers a route directly into where their difficult memories and emotions are stored in their nervous system.

Instead of having to put words to their feelings to then figure out an insight that makes the difference, EMDR allows your child to release the stuck emotional traumas naturally and quickly.

EMDR for Children and Teens

With children, EMDR usually looks much gentler than most people expect.

Some sessions involve talking.

Others look more like drawing, storytelling, movement, calming activities, or creativity. Whatever helps your child notice what is happening inside their body and emotions in ways that feel safe and manageable for them.

As your child begins following the EMDR protocol, they process what they have been holding. This allows the source of their heavy reactivity to shift.

The goal is to help their beautiful growing brain and body stop reacting like the hard thing is still happening right now.

EMDR Can Help Your Child or Teen

EMDR is an amazing tool.

I’ve seen adults let go of painful memories that haunted them for years prior.

I’ve seen teenagers come into an EMDR session weighed down and depressed, and an hour later they leave our session smiling and hopeful.

Parents have told me that just a few sessions of EMDR with their child, and the reactivity and outbursts practically vanished at home and school.

If you can tell that your child is dealing with heavy emotions, I encourage you to reach out and discuss how EMDR can help them.

I’d Love to Hear from You

The first step is simple:

I offer a free 30-minute consultation where we can talk about what you are noticing in your child and whether EMDR feels like the right fit.

Email me at jessicacohenlcsw@gmail.com whenever you are ready.