A SOULFLO Therapy Guide
EMDR for Kids and Teens — What Parents Should Know
Curated by SOULFLO Therapy — to ease the struggle of finding the right fit.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or treatment. Reading this does not establish a client-therapist relationship. If any of this resonates, we encourage you to reach out for a consultation to discuss your specific situation.
Does EMDR Work for Kids and Teens?
Yes. EMDR is used effectively with children and teens, adapted to be developmentally appropriate — often incorporating play, art, or storytelling rather than the more verbal, structured format used with adults. Kids process trauma differently than adults do, and a trained child/teen EMDR therapist adjusts the approach accordingly.
Signs Your Child Might Benefit From EMDR
- A specific distressing event (an accident, a medical experience, a scary incident) that your child seems "stuck" on weeks or months later
- New anxiety, clinginess, or fearfulness that started after a specific event
- Sleep disturbances, nightmares, or regression in behavior following a difficult experience
- Difficulty regulating emotions that seems disproportionate to the current situation
- A teen who intellectually understands a past event wasn't their fault but still feels intense shame or distress about it
What an EMDR Session Looks Like for Kids
Sessions are adapted by age and developmental stage. For younger children, this might involve drawing, storytelling, or using toys to represent the bilateral stimulation process. For teens, sessions may look closer to the adult format, though still paced with extra attention to building trust and safety first. In all cases, a preparation phase comes first — building coping skills and a trusting relationship before any memory processing begins.
What Parents Should Expect
- You'll likely be involved in the process , especially with younger children — your therapist will discuss what that looks like and how much detail is shared with you versus kept private with older teens.
- Progress isn't always linear. Your child may seem more emotional for a day or two after a session as they process — this is common and not a sign something went wrong.
- The therapist won't need your child to "perform" the trauma story out loud in detail — much of EMDR's power is in reprocessing without needing extensive verbal narration.
- Confidentiality with teens matters. Older teens especially need some privacy in session to build trust; your therapist will explain the specific confidentiality boundaries used with your child.
How to Prepare Your Child for a Session
- Let them know it's a place to talk about hard feelings and things that happened, without pressure to share anything they're not ready for.
- Avoid over-explaining or "prepping" them on what to say — let the therapist guide the process.
- Reassure them nothing is wrong with them for needing this kind of support.
Meet Your Therapist
Which of Our Therapists Specializes in This?
Nan Wang, APCC/AMFT
Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor & Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
EMDR-trained and works with children, teens, and families.
Mai Eguchi, AMFT
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
EMDR-trained with a gentle, attuned approach for adolescents and young adults processing what they carry.
Frequently Asked Questions
EMDR can be adapted for young children, though the specific approach depends on the child's developmental stage — your therapist will assess fit during an initial consultation.
Your Child Doesn't Have to Carry It Alone
When a hard experience stays stuck, EMDR can help your child or teen move through it — at a pace that honors their age, their story, and their nervous system.