It has been an exciting time for EMDR therapy in New Zealand with growing interest in learning and applying EMDR therapy in a wide variety of settings
We ended 2022 with our second hybrid conference. Feedback from the post-conference survey expressed appreciation for the depth and usefulness of the presentations, something we are sure will continue at this year‘s conference as well.
As demand for trainings had been continually increasing, EMDRNZ supported the EMDR Institutebased Trainer Training of 2 EMDRNZ Case Consultants: Dr Tal Moore and MaryAnn Stevens. They were supported by the head of the Institute Trainer Training, Dr Gary Quinn (Israel) and senior trainers Nick Cocco (Sydney) and locals Dr Tom Flewett and Astrid Katzur. We have started 2023 with now 4 accredited EMDR-Institute trainers and have accredited Vania Miteva and her training (who had previously been accredited by EMDRAA) as well.
Dr. Tom Flewett’s research on EMDR within a forensic setting has inspired the University of Otago’s Department of Psychological Medicine (Wellington Campus) to support the introduction of a new Special T ̎ opic: EMDR therapy paper in 2023. This year ̎ -long paper aims to be equivalent to the current Basic Training and EMDRNZ has been able to accredited this training, now underway with 36 participants. The planning and design of the second year paper on EMDR with special population is now underway for 2024.
In 2022, we have had 8 successful applications for accredited EMDR Practitioners and 2 for accredited Case Consultants.
Our numbers of Consultants-in-Training is continually growing and we all appreciated the support by a day-long training by Dr Derek Farrell in December 2022.
EMDRNZ continues to offer a one-year free membership for participants of the Part 1 EMDR training and 136 people took advantage of this, bringing our membership to 476 by October 2022.
Being able to offer EMDR therapy to as many people as needed has been a challenge around the world and group-based EMDR interventions are a likely path to support this. There are now two, with a third to start soon, teams of EMDR practitioners offering regular GroupTraumatic Episode Protocol (G-TEP) sessions for survivors of sexual abuse (publicly/ACCfunded).
We are looking forward to hearing about their research soon.
EMDRNZ has continued the financial support of the EMDR Child trainings offered by our Dutch colleagues. This took place again in-person training in February this year.
Another exciting development has been the participation of Dr. Allistair Bush (Case Consultant) in the EMDR Europe Child Trainer Training.
We are looking forward to having a New Zealand-based EMDR Child Trainer and trainings in 2024.
The Board is also exploring the possibility of a working relationship with our EMDR colleagues at EMDRAA (EMDR Association of Australia). Initial conversations have been had about what this might look like and how it might be mutually beneficial. This work will continue in 2023.
We have started 2023 with a review of our accreditations criteria, seeking to update them with the EMDR Europe criteria as our main guide. This process is almost complete and we hope to publish them soon.
After the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023, we have started to consider establishing a Trauma Aid Aotearoa network to fill the gaps in NZ in mental health disaster responses.
There is always more to be done
With best wished from Aotearoa/New Zealand
