Peace River Center’s Community Action Team Continues to Receive More Specialized Training

By: Julia Bearden

Peace River Center’s Community Action Treatment (CAT) Team has made tremendous strides in the past year to increase specialized training of their therapist’s and staff in order to provide a wider range of treatment options for clients. Some of the training include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), and Play Therapy. Nine members of their team have been trained (four are therapists) in Play Therapy, four in EMDR, and two in TIR making it possible to tailor therapy to the needs of individuals seeking care. The diverse nature of our clients makes it vital to continue to educate ourselves on ways to empower and improve the quality of our clients’ lives.

EMDR is a technique which can be used to target depression, anxiety, phobias, excessive grief, somatic conditions, and addictions (EMDR Institute, 2017). This form of therapy can be integrated with other forms of therapy and is helpful with processing memories/experiences (EMDR Institute, 2017). Traumatic past events can be blocked and individuals will experience no endpoint if they are not confronted and processed (EMDR Institute, 2017). TIR therapy provides relief for emotional and physical past events and can improve a client’s quality of living (Traumatic Incident Reduction Association). Training of TIR techniques safely and effectively helps clients unblock and discover their past incidents which may be affecting them and provide a targeted approach to help them reach an endpoint (Traumatic Incident Reduction Association). Play therapy is a means to connect parents or caretakers with their children’s psychological challenges. It is an alternative language for children to use to communicate with their providers. Training in this type of therapy allows therapists to assist the caretakers with strategies which can be used during interactive play to develop a strong and supportive relationship with their clients. The therapist and caretaker are provided with a communication device and the therapist observes and guides the caretaker during play. The result of utilizing these types of therapy is it helps continue the healing process for all individuals involved.

 

Resources

EMDR Institute. (2017). US Basic Training Overview. Retrieved from http://www.emdr.com/us-basic-training-overview/

Traumatic Incident Reduction Association. (n.d.). Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR). Retrieved from http://tira.info/about-tir.html