Helping Your Child Heal: How EMDR Therapy Supports Kids' Mental Health

As a parent, there’s nothing harder than seeing your child struggle and not knowing how to help. Whether it’s anxiety, nightmares, a sudden change in behavior, or something they can’t quite put into words—sometimes talking just isn’t enough.

That’s where EMDR therapy can make a real difference. You don’t need to be an expert in mental health to support your child’s healing—you just need to know what options are available.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of those options that’s helping kids move past big emotions, difficult experiences, and even trauma in a gentle, child-centered way.

What Is EMDR Therapy, and How Does It Help Kids?

EMDR is a well-researched, evidence-based therapy that helps the brain "reprocess" distressing experiences so they no longer feel overwhelming. Originally created for adults dealing with trauma, it’s now widely used with children—and adapted to meet their developmental needs.

It’s especially helpful for children who:

• Worry a lot or seem overly anxious

• Get easily overwhelmed or frustrated

• Have experienced something scary (like a car accident, medical procedure, bullying, or loss)

• Have frequent nightmares or trouble sleeping

• Are unusually clingy or withdrawn

• Act out or melt down with little warning

  
  

What Happens During a Child’s EMDR Session?

EMDR with kids looks different than it does with adults—it’s creative, playful, and built around what your child needs to feel safe and understood. Here are the common steps to an EMDR child session

Step 1: Feeling Safe Comes First

Your child’s therapist will spend time building trust. This may include drawing, playing games, telling stories, or talking about superpowers. The goal is to help your child feel safe and in control.

Step 2: Identifying the “Yuck”

With your help and and your child as the guide, the therapist gently explores what’s been bothering them. This might be a memory, a fear, or a feeling that’s hard to shake.

Step 3: Gentle Processing

Using something called bilateral stimulation—tapping, hand buzzers, or eye movements—your child’s brain begins to process the memory in a new way. This doesn’t mean reliving trauma. It’s more like helping their brain file things in the right folder so it doesn’t keep popping up and causing distress.

Step 4: Growing Confidence

Once the yucky stuff feels less intense, the therapist helps your child build up positive thoughts like “I’m brave,” or “I can handle it.” These become the new “files” their brain pulls from.

Step 5: Calm and Closure

Each session ends with calming tools—like deep breathing, visualization, or movement—to help your child feel grounded and safe when they leave

Your Role as a Parent

You are your child’s biggest support—and in EMDR therapy, you’re not left out of the process. Some of the ways you may be involved in your child's care include:

• You may be part of some sessions or receive updates and tools to help reinforce progress at home.

• You’ll learn simple ways to support your child’s regulation and comfort between sessions.

• You’re encouraged to share what you notice—because your insights matter.

Sometimes just knowing there’s a plan and a path forward brings relief to you, too. EMDR is one of many tools available to help children feel more confident, connected, and calm.

If you are interested to see how EMDR may benefit your child, book a complimentary 15 minute consultation with Amy Harrison.

Book With Amy Here