Strengthening the Authentic Adult Self: EMDR Therapy with Adult Attachment/Developmental Trauma 

Participants will learn to employ creative and powerful attachment-based strategies, including internal restructuring of the personality, to assist clients with the preparation/stabiliization and reprocessing phases of EMDR therapy for optimal EMDR therapy outcomes.

Participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate installation of Safe Place for Child and Adult parts of self through a practicum.
• Demonstrate development of an Inner Resource Team through a practicum.
• Demonstrate development and installation of New Rules/New Bonding Contract through a practicum.
• Write the beginning of a therapeutic story during a practicum.
• Name at least 2 preparation phase elements to assist clients in safely transitioning to the processing phases of EMDR therapy.
• Name at least 2 cognitive interweaves that integrate elements from the preparation phase into the desensitization and reprocessing phases of EMDR therapy for safer or more efficient reprocessing.
• Utilize a script for creating new attachment experiences for the Child part of Self.
• Negotiate new roles for Critical Parent and Emotion Regulator-Controller parts of Self.
• Apply therapeutic strategies to assist clients in giving themselves permission to do trauma work.
• Develop awareness of the use of therapist emotional presence as agent of change.

Ann E. Potter, Ph.D. has worked over 40 years in the mental health field as a psychiatric nurse, educator, therpaist, psychologist, evaluator, researcher, writer, presenter, and consultatnt. Her bachelor's degree is in Nursing from Creighton University, master's degree in Counseling from UNOmaha, and doctorate in Counseling Psychology fron UNLincoln. She has been in private practice since 1989.
Dr. Potter’s areas of expertise include trauma, attachment, addictions, personality disorders, domestic violence and sexual assault, and she has specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Radical Openness Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT).  She is a certified therapist and approved consultant in EMDR. She has piloted outcome research related to phase-based trauma treatment (DBT/EMDR) for adults and published articles on the roles adults played as children in alcoholic families, books on trauma treatment, and articles on EMDR therapy.

Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP is co-founder of  The Attachment Trauma and Trauma Center of Nebraksa and has sFrancine Shapiro, Ph.D., and books related to attachment and trauma. Her latest books include a treatment manual for treating attachment trauma in children and accompanying parent guide. As a recognized expert in attachment issues, Ms. Wesselmann presents nationally and internationally.  Past conferences and workshops include presentations for the Association for the Treatment and Training of Attachment in Children and EMDRIA as well as invited presentations at the Menninger Clinic, EMDRIA, The European EMDR Conferences in Rome, Amsterdam, Hamburg, the Netherlands National EMDR Conference, Hong Kong, and a specialty EMDR training conference in Costa Rica.