Back to All Events

EMDR therapy Regional Annual Conference Northern Ireland Tuesday 7th May 2019

Keynote Speaker:

Salvatore (Sonny) Provetto MSW, LICSW is an EMDR clinician and a trauma consultant for police departments and emergency responders in Northern Vermont. His experiences as a police officer and emergency mental health clinician have guided his clinical practice with first responders for more than 17 years. Sonny consults on issues of stress and trauma with police officers, firefighters, emergency responders and their organizations. He works closely with 10 Vermont police departments including the Vermont State Police and the Vermont Department of Children and Families. Recently, Sonny testified for the Vermont legislature as a subject matter expert on PTSD and influenced legislation making Vermont the first state to recognize PTSD as a compensable work-related injury for first responders. It was through his understanding of EMDR Therapy (one of the gold-standard trauma-focused psychotherapies) and its efficacy that the legislature saw the value of treating first responders immediately after traumatic events. Sonny is the recipient of the 2018 EMDRIA Advocacy Award from the EMDR International Association, for his outstanding work done through Vermont Centre for Responder Wellness.

The title of this year’s conference is:

EMDR for First Responders: Exploring its Application and Usefulness; Sifting the Paradigm in Interventions and Prevention Strategies.


Afternoon Parallel Workshops:

  • EMDR – Our story so far

In this interactive workshop, Prof Miller and Dr McLaughlin will discuss their experiences: becoming an EMDR therapist; completing further professional development relating to Consultant/ Facilitator and Trainer status; working in a research/University setting; setting up NHS-based clinics and starting a private practice. They will share the challenges that they have encountered along the way; explain how they overcame these challenges and discuss the importance of supervision and attendance at workshops and trainings. As mentioned, this workshop will be interactive so please feel free to ask any questions as the aim is to equip you.

Prof Paul W MillerMD BCh BAO DMH MRCPsych

Prof Miller, is a Consultant Psychiatrist based in MIRABILIS Health, a European Approved EMDR Consultant Therapist and EMDR Facilitator – accredited with the EMDR Institute (USA) and EMDR Europe Trainer in Training. He holds a dual CCST in General Adult Psychiatry and the Psychiatry of Old-age and is a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, School of Nursing at Magee Campus of the Ulster University and a Teaching Assistant with the School of Nursing and Midwifery of Queen’s University Belfast; he has an active teaching and research being actively engaged in collaborative research between Ulster University, University of Worcester, and University of Amsterdam. Recently he was invited to join the Council of Scholars in the Future of EMDR Therapy Project. The Council is an intellectual community of 35 EMDR international thought-leaders, working together within the Project parameters to produce material that will advance the field, establish the parameters of EMDR efficacy, and identify areas for future research.

Dr Derek McLaughlin, RN (MH), BSc (Hons), PGCE, D.Phil.

Dr Derek McLaughlin is a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at Queens University Belfast. He is the Chair of the Norther Ireland EMDR Therapy Regional Committee. Derek is part of the team that has established and is now delivering EMDR Therapy education and training in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queens University Belfast. He has contributed to a number of academic papers in relation to EMDR Therapy. Derek is presently supervising a PhD student; this local study will survey levels of PTSD of parents who have a child in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The study will then address the PTSD with EMDR Therapy, to discover if this is effective for this group of people. Derek and is an experienced Mental Health Nurse and EMDR Therapist working with people who have experienced a range of traumas often complex and severe, he supervises a number of professionals in their EMDR Therapy practice.

Adam Getty, CBT & EMDR Therapist

Adam is an Associate Lecturer at Queens University Belfast in the post graduate Diploma for CBT. He is also a CBT and EMDR therapist accredited by BABCP, IABCP and EMDR UK & Ireland, with experience in working with adults. Adam can provide one to one CBT/CPT/EMDR to individuals living with symptoms of anxiety and depression particularly complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In addition to this, Adam is able to provide longer treatment in areas such as self-worth/low self-esteem and specialises in chronic trauma symptoms.


  • NICE Guidelines

In this workshop, Iain McGowan and Derek Farrell will examine the impact of the latest NICE guidelines for PTSD and how they will impact on future EMDR therapy delivery. It will examine how NICE arrived at their decisions on guideline development and will re-examine the evidence base for the use of EMDR with clients experiencing PTSD. Finally, the importance of developing a robust research culture in Northern Ireland will be articulated.

Dr Derek Farrell is a Principal Lecturer in Psychology, an EMDR Europe Accredited Trainer and Consultant, a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, and an Accredited Psychotherapist with the British Association of Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). He is Past-President of EMDR UK & Ireland, Vice-President of EMDR Europe & President of Trauma Aid Europe. He has been involved in a number of Trauma Capacity Building Projects programmes internationally and works on projects in Turkey, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Poland, Palestine, Myanmar, Cambodia and Iraq. In 1995 he commenced a PhD in Psychology researching survivor’s experiences of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy. In 2013 Derek was the recipient of the ‘David Servan Schreiber Award’ for Outstanding Contribution to EMDR. Derek has over 30 years’ experience as a mental health clinician.


Iain McGowan,MPhil, BSc (Hons), RN, FHEA.

Iain is a lecturer in education at Queens University, Belfast. He is programme lead for the BSc (Hons) Psychological Trauma course at QUB . Iain has extensive research experience in the field of PTSD and was awarded an MPhil in 2016. He is currently a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health and an expert reviewer for the National Institute for Health Research for PTSD. Iain is a member of the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Committee. He has been successful in research grants totalling over £1.3 million.

  • Learning Disabilities

The focus of the workshop will be on the application of EMDR as a treatment with adults with learning disabilities and the possible reasonable adjustments that might be made to facilitate access to therapy.


Prof Michael Brown, PhD, BSc (Hons) RN, FHEA

Professor Michael Brown's holds a Chair in Intellectual Disability Nursing at Queens University Belfast. He has extensive academic and clinical experience of EMDR Therapy in the arena of Intellectual Disability Care. His main research focus is on the health needs and inequalities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities and their access to care services and the adjustments necessary to promote and enable equality of access to improve outcomes. Current research is on diabetes and adults with intellectual disabilities, trauma and adults with intellectual disabilities with a focus on EMDR Therapy, health care transitions and young people with intellectual disabilities and mental health legislation and human rights.

Paul, Iain and Derek form the local EMDR therapy research hub at Mirabilis Health.

Venue:

The Ulster Reform Club, 4 Royal Avenue, BT1 1DA, Belfast

(the entrance to the venue is around the corner from Santander Bank entrance)

Price:

Discounted prices for members of EMDR UK & Ireland.

To become a member of the association please refer to www.emdrassociation.org.uk

Member Standard Rate £50.00

Non Member Standard Rate £75.00 + Fees

Payments:

For registration and payments, please access the following link:https://goo.gl/TdXa7d