Researching the effectiveness of this relatively new trauma treatment. The therapy combines family therapy and EMDR, specifically designed for children of 6-16 years old who have experienced child abuse and neglect (CAN) and for whom evidence-based trauma therapies (EMDR/TF-CBT) have not been effective due to extreme avoidance or severely dysregulated behavior. The therapy consists of three phases and lasts one year with 1 or 2 sessions a week.
Current research aims to include 40 families and will focus on five domains: reducing PTSD, attachment issues, behavioral problems, and emotion regulation difficulties, as well as improving caregiver-child interactions. Caregivers and children will complete questionnaires and participate in observations before, during, and after the therapy. Additionally, caregivers will complete a weekly questionnaire on the child’s behavior and the caregiver-child interaction.