They say that Friday was the coldest it has been in DC since 1981. With temperatures in the single digits, and wind chills making it feel even colder, being outside for even brief periods of time seemed unbearable. However, bitter cold weather didn't stop the Holistic Professionals Group from meeting yesterday at The Viva Center. Participants learned from therapist Cathy Canfield, LICSW, LCSW about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR. Cathy shared her wealth of knowledge about how EMDR works, what issues it works best with and with what populations. For example participants learned that Cathy, who is also a play therapist, uses EMDR on children as young as 4. Cathy demonstrated some of the more sophisticated tools of the trade such as a light bar with dots of light that move from side to side. She also took time to walk participants through exercises she uses in sessions that anyone can practice at home. With the introduction of this exercise and a resource list such as the book Getting Past Your Past by Francine Shapiro, participants left with the information needed to delve deeper into EMDR and even test it out on themselves.
If you missed this session but are in the DC area and want to attend future Holistic Professionals Group meetings don't fret! The Holistic Professionals Group meets every 3rd Friday from 9-10:30am. Sessions are chock full of learning, experiential exercises as well as the invaluable opportunity to network with other healing professionals. You can commit to an entire year of membership by joining the group or just drop in.
Next month the Holistic Professionals Group will feature Julie Lopez, PhD., LICSW & Lisa Klein, PT, IMT.C. The pair will be discussing how psychotherapy and physical therapy are being used conjointly to enhance treatment for clients. Come explore the possibilities with your colleagues for performing other conjoint treatment arrangements with the spirit of optimizing our treatment toolbox for those we serve.
