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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

What is EMDR?

EMDR, as with most therapy approaches, focuses on the individual’s present concerns. The EMDR approach believes past emotionally-charged experiences are overly influencing your present emotions, sensations, and thoughts about yourself. As an example: “Do you ever feel worthless although you know you are a worthwhile person?” EMDR processing helps you break through the emotional blocks that are keeping you from living an adaptive, emotionally healthy life.

EMDR uses rapid sets of eye movements to help you update disturbing experiences, much like what occurs when we sleep. During sleep, we alternate between regular sleep and REM (rapid eye movement). This sleep pattern helps you process things that are troubling you. EMDR replicates this sleep pattern by alternating between sets of eye movements and brief reports about what you are noticing. This alternating process helps you update your memories to a healthier present perspective.

What is different about EMDR?

  • EMDR focuses on the brain’s ability to constantly learn, taking past experiences, and updating them with present information.
  • Adaptive learning is constantly updating memory network systems.
  • Past emotionally-charged experiences often interfere with your updating process.
  • EMDR breaks through that interference and helps let go of the past and update your experiences to a healthier present perspective.
  • EMDR uses a set of procedures to organize your negative and positive feelings, emotions, and thoughts, and then uses bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or alternating tapping, as the way to help you effectively work through those disturbing memories.

What does an EMDR session look like?

You will be asked a set of questions to access and activate the negative experience and the desired adaptive resolution.

  • Sets of rapid eye movement (or other forms of bilateral stimulation) will be applied.
  • You will be encouraged to just “free associate” and allow the brain to work through the experience.
  • Sets of eye movements will be alternated with brief reports about what you are experiencing.
  • EMDR processing will continue until the past experience has been updated to an adaptive present perspective.
  • With long standing issues, this process may take multiple sessions.

For more information on EMDR or to book your first EMDR session, call us at 912-349-8043

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    • Dear Parent/Guardian:

      Your student has been referred to the School Counseling Telehealth Program with Building Blocks Family Counseling. This is a collaboration between the Effingham School System and Building Blocks Family Counseling- a mental health private practice with locations in Savannah, Pooler, and Rincon.

      How does it work?

      A referral will be sent from your student’s school counselor to Building Blocks. You will receive a call from our office to set up an appointment, get insurance information, complete paperwork, etc. An online intake appointment will be scheduled for your student during the school day (based on times provided by the school counselor). An online intake appointment will also be scheduled between your student’s therapist and yourself to gather information regarding your student. The Therapist will schedule routine parent/guardian check-ins with you and family sessions as needed. Sessions with students will generally be weekly (during school hours) and last for 30-45 minutes. Parent/Guardian sessions can be held during or after school hours and last for 45-50 minutes.

      Paperwork Needed

      In order to provide these services we need the following paperwork completed for each student. A new client intake packet, child/adolescent questionnaire, and a release of information for the school counselor. We will be coordinating sessions with your student through the school counselors at their school so it is important we have the release of information completed.

      Appointments

      Appointment reminders via email, text, and phone will be sent the day before any scheduled appointments. Please make sure we have the best contact information on file so you will receive all of the reminders.

      If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to address these with your therapist. If you feel like your student no longer needs services, please also communicate this with your therapist. For more information on Building Blocks Family Counseling, please go to our website at www.buildingblocks.solutions.

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