EMDR for Kids: How to Playfully Integrate Into Your Practice

Free EMDR worksheets for kids

When Christine Mark-Griffin, LCSW, began working with young kids, she quickly realized that traditional therapy was often not enough to fully unravel the trauma and pain these little ones were carrying. Inspired by her clients' creativity and imagination, she set out to create an EMDR resource specifically designed for use with young clients.

What is EMDR for kids?

Eye movement desensitization reprocessing therapy (or EMDR therapy, for short!) is a type of therapy that can help kids feel better after scary, stressful, or traumatic experiences. It can help your young clients work through big emotions they might be feeling, like worry, sadness, and anger, as well as any unhelpful thoughts or memories that they can't seem to get out of their mind. It can also help them process uncomfortable body sensations, like feeling shaky, having a funny feeling in their stomach, or feeling hot in certain parts of their body.

How can EMDR help kids?

EMDR therapy can help them feel better about a bunch of different problems, like:
  • Bullying
  • Anxiety and worries
  • Sadness
  • Anger problems
  • Parents arguing and fighting
  • Parents divorcing or separating
  • Medical problems
  • Moving to a new home
  • Eating issues
  • Losing a person or pet
  • Experiencing abuse (physical, emotional, sexual) or neglect
  • Having nightmares
  • Sleeping problems
  • Witnessing violence in their neighborhood
  • Experiencing natural disasters, like earthquakes, fires, or tornadoes
  • And much more!

Help your clients learn more about the story of EMDR and get unstuck from scary and traumatic thoughts, memories, and emotions with these free EMDR worksheets for kids. These worksheets will allow you to playfully integrate EMDR therapy into your practice with elementary-aged children.

And if you want more tools to help you use EMDR with young clients, you can order the EMDR Workbook for Kids: A Collection of EMDR Handouts & Worksheets to Help Kids Process Trauma, Stress, Anger, Sadness & More to help you address a variety of common childhood concerns.

Help kids get unstuck from scary and traumatic thoughts, memories, and emotions.
Healing in Your Hands book
Filled with colorful visuals, worksheets, and activities, the EMDR Workbook for Kids will allow you to playfully integrate EMDR therapy into your practice with elementary-aged children. Grounded in the core components of EMDR, the tools in this workbook can address a variety of common childhood concerns.


Meet the Expert:

Christine Mark-Griffin, LCSW, is a certified EMDR therapist and EMDRIA-approved consultant. She is the owner of Spark All Wellness, a private practice specializing in EMDR therapy with children, EMDR consultation for clinicians, and trauma-informed trainings for professional organizations. Christine started her social work career in child protective serves and later transitioned to school-based mental health, where she was a clinical supervisor and trainer. Christine lectures at California State University, Monterey Bay, where she teaches undergraduate courses in abnormal child psychology. Christine lives in San Francisco with her husband, two children, and dog. The things that make her happiest include her family and friends, a good cup of coffee, baked goods, yoga, traveling, cycling, music, and dancing.

Learn more about her educational products, including upcoming live seminars, by clicking here.

Topic: Children & Adolescents | Children and Adolescent Behavioral | Trauma

Tags: Children | EMDR | Trauma

Email Signup