These are my top 5 picks on working with children. I have tried to include a variety of resources that will cover many age ranges. I highly recommend studying with the experts in person whenever you get a chance. Many of these authors teach at the at conferences or offer their own workshops.
Author: Adler-Tapia and Settle
I had the chance to study with Robbie Adler-Tapia and Carolyn Settle at an EMDRIA conference a couple of years ago. I was so impressed with these women that I just had to buy their book. These two are working very hard on establishing research for the efficacy of EMDR with children. This manual takes you through the 8 Phases of EMDR and how to apply it when working with children. It includes forms they use, scripts to say with detailed instructions. It is the “how to” book.
Author: Ann Waldon
This is a fun and playful workbook for children. It takes a child step by step through the EMDR process. One of my favorite parts of the book is that she includes envelopes to put Helpers in, Problems in. It’s a very creative way to teach “Containment” skills to children.
Authors: Tinker and Wilson
Living in Colorado, I’m very lucky with the wealth of EMDR experts who live in this area. Tinker and Wilson wrote this book in 1999 but it is still a valuable resource in working with children. There are lots of ideas on how to resource children and how to find targets. They also go into working with specific traumas such as: automobile accidents, lightning strikes, phobias, bereavement, complex trauma and much more.
Author: Victoria McGuiness
This book is for play therapists who have learned EMDR but are struggling with how to integrate the two modalities. One is very directive and one non-directive. McGuiness leads therapist through this process. She compares the two modalities, how working with children is different then adults, informed consent, integration, how to find targets and process through creativity.
Author: Ricky Greenwald
Ricky Greenwald is considered the expert in EMDR when working with children, especially teens. This book helps therapists with how to approach children with behavioral issues from how to interview them, helping with lack of motivation, self control skills, to trauma resolution. Greenwald includes thorough explanations, scripts and exercises that can be applied right away. If you work with teens this book will be a great resource for you.
You can find all of these books at our online Store
If you have a suggestion for an EMDR book on working with children, please comment on this blog.