Course Description

This training explores ways to work more effectively with complex trauma using EMDR therapy in perinatal contexts with a particular emphasis on challenges and difficulties encountered in Phases Two and Four of EMDR therapy.


This training reviews the core procedural processes of EMDR and reviews the Adaptive Information Processing model to explain why some clients with complex trauma may lack much of the needed adaptive information and why they struggle to tolerably activate, slow down, be present, and notice. Helpful modifications to standard resources, attachment resources, and accommodations to facilitate more tolerable activation are explored.


Trainees will learn concrete strategies to work more effectively with severely complex perinatal clients who may have struggled in EMDR therapy when using more standard approaches. The goal of this training is to allow clients with severe trauma to resource well enough to eventually engage in unrestricted processing in EMDR therapy.


This course is composed of recordings from a workshop held in 2025. CE credits are calculated based on the total duration of video content. Supplemental readings are not included in the CE credit calculation. To obtain CE credits, a course quiz must be completed with a passing score of 75%.


For more information on our work at The Touchstone Institute, visit our website.

Course Overview

  • Asynchronous Workshop via Zoom Recording(s)

    This course is structured for students to learn at their own pace.

  • Prerequisites

    Completion of any EMDRIA-approved Foundational/Basic EMDR Therapy training.

  • CE Credits

    Participants are eligible to receive 6 CE credits for this training (see below for specific approvals).

The Prerequisite:

Get EMDR Trained

Join Dr. Mara Tesler Stein and other perinatal mental health practitioners for Foundational EMDR Therapy Training utilizing The Touchstone Institute's EMDRIA-Approved curriculum.
Learn More

Note on Accessibility:

We include captions in all of our live and self-paced trainings. If there is anything else you need to make our trainings accessible to you, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We recognize that every person has access needs and we are happy to do everything we can to meet yours.
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Instructor

Thomas Zimmerman, MS, Ed, LPCC

Thomas Zimmerman, Ms.Ed., LPCC, is an EMDRIA Approved Trainer, Approved Consultant, and therapist who practices in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Much of his advocacy work has focused on helping therapists who work with clients with severe trauma work more effectively and safely using EMDR therapy. Thomas has created and manages some of the largest EMDR therapist communities online. He is the author of the 2024 book, EMDR With Complex Trauma.

Nirit Gordon, PhD

Instructor

Dr. Nirit Gordon has specialized training in trauma treatment, women’s mental health, parenting, and young adulthood. In her clinical work, she integrates relationship-focused, trauma-informed treatment with evidence-based techniques. Nirit is certified EMDR therapist and trainer. Nirit has trained in multiple settings both in Israel and in New York City treating adults and adolescents, including City College Counseling Center, Mount Sinai Morningside’s Trauma-Focused Program, Women’s Health Project, and The National Institute for the Psychotherapies (NIP). Nirit is a trainer at the international EMDR organization EMDRIA as well as at different mental health organizations focusing on training therapists in trauma informed care and women’s mental health. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Integrative Trauma Program at NIP and is an adjunct professor at New York University and Ben Gurion University in Israel. Nirit sits on the board of Non for profits organizations in the mental health field including Connective Non for Profit in New York State and The New Organization for Psychotherapy and Clinical Training in Israel. Dr. Gordon completed her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at New York University’s Department of Applied Psychology. She received her M.A. from NYU’s Transdisciplinary Violence and Trauma Studies Program, and her B.A. in social work from Tel Hai College in Israel with a specialization in the treatment of trauma and post-trauma. Nirit is a mom and nature lover.

Course Curriculum

    1. Get to know Thomas Zimmerman!

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Get to Know Nirit Gordon!

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. Course Description

      FREE PREVIEW

    4. Course Agenda

      FREE PREVIEW

    5. Learning Objectives

      FREE PREVIEW

    6. Values Statement from The Touchstone Institute

    7. Content and Activation Reminder

    1. Manual

    1. Lecture Part 1

    2. Lecture Part 2

    3. Lecture Part 3

    1. About Your Course Quiz

    2. Course Quiz

    1. Receiving your CE Certificate

    2. Course Evaluation

    3. CE Certificate Request

About this course:

  • $225 - $325
  • on-demand
  • 6 CEs (see below for specific approvals)

Tiered pricing options:

Questions? See our FAQ below.

More about our pricing:

We offer tiered pricing for all of our trainings in order to make our courses as accessible as possible for all practitioners. If you are unsure which tier is right for your financial situation, please read through our FAQ section below or visit our website.


Please reach out to us at [email protected] if you are interested in a multi-month payment plan. We are always happy to create a custom payment plan to make it more feasible for everyone to participate in our courses.

Course Agenda

Welcome, Introductions, and Orientation

(page number to PDF training manual in parenthesis) 


Trauma Review from an AIP Lens (5) 


What Makes Complex Trauma So Complex in Perinatal Contexts (6) 


Core Resources for Complex Perinatal Trauma Clients

  • Helpful Tips When “Mindfulness Doesn’t Work for Me” (7) 
  • Modifications to Breathing (8-13) 
  • Modifications to Sensory Grounding (14-15) 
  • Modifications to Body Scan (16) 
  • Modifications to Calm Scene (18-19) 


Understanding and Explaining Containment (20-21) 


Strategies for Working with Clients with Dissociation

  • Understanding Types of Dissociation (22) 
  • Initial Strategies to Engage Parts (22) 
  • Strategies for Managing Dissociation/Abreaction in EMDR (22) 
  • Get Consent from All Parts to Approach the Memory (23) 
  • Strategies for Memory Selection (23) 


How We Interact with the Memory Matters 

  • The Videotape Approach (25-29) 
  • Other Microactivation Approaches (30) Strategies to Help Develop More Body Awareness(31) 
  • Special Considerations in the Perinatal Period 


Strategies for Use Between Sessions (32)

  • These Things Make It Better/These Things Make It Worse (32) 
  • Initial Strategies to Stop Flashbacks Between Sessions (33) 
  • Invitation to Briefly Bring Awareness to the Present (33) 


Strategies for Working with Deficits in Adaptive Information (34) 

  • Parts Work (34) 
  • The Importance of Psychoeducation (34) 
  • Perspective Taking Exercises (34-35)
  • “That’s Just the Way I Am” (35) 
  • Going to a Hospital Nursery Visualization (35) 
  • “What Would Happen If” (35) 
  • Attachment Resources (36) 


The Problem of Developmental Trauma Related to EMDR (36) 


Perinatal Considerations and Attachment Wounding 

  • The Utility of Attachment Figure Resources (39) 


Breakouts or Demonstrations: Developing Attachment Figure Resources (39-44) 


Debrief and Wrap-Up

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • List and describe how to conduct at least three “dip your toe in” resources that tend to be more tolerable starting places for clients with severe trauma. 
  • Describe at least three strategies that can assist clients in the reprocessing phases of EMDR therapy, clear targets with less risk of client decompensation, and increased probability of memory resolution. 
  • List the advantages of attachment resources in the preparation phases of EMDR therapy.
  • Articulate three strategies to help clients develop some of the needed adaptive information for EMDR therapy.

Continuing Education Credits

Submission of a quiz and course evaluation is required to receive a CE certificate for this course. The quiz and course evaluation are made available within the course portal after all lectures have been completed. After passing the quiz with at least a 75% and completing the evaluation, participants will be able to submit a request for their CE certificate. This training offers 6 CE credits.

  • It is your responsibility to verify CE coverage in your State or Province.

  • The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

  • The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training, Inc. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7346. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training, Inc. is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

  • The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training, [provider number:1876], is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: [1/19/2025-1/19/2028]. Social workers completing this course receive 6 continuing education credits.

  • This course is approved by Postpartum Support International (PSI) for continuing education towards obtaining and maintaining the PMH-C.

  • This course is approved by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). The Touchstone Institute is an approved training provider with EMDRIA: approval #22021.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is the Generative Access tier right for me?

    Select this tier if you: Own the home you live in (even with a mortgage); live in a two-income household; have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money; travel recreationally; have access to family money and resources in times of need; work part-time by choice, etc.

  • Is the Sustaining Access tier right for me?

    Select this tier if you: Have income available for recreational activities (going out to dinner, movies, concerts etc.); have consistent work compensated at a median income rate based on your region; pay rent that is not more than 25% of your monthly household income; do not own your own home, etc.

  • Is the Supported Access tier right for me?

    Select this tier if you: Are a graduate student paying tuition; have major medical expenses not covered by insurance; have been denied work, or experience discrimination related to ableism, racism, sexism, gender discrimination or other forms of oppression; are eligible for public assistance; have immigration-related expenses; have ever been denied work due to incarceration history; are supporting adult children, extended family members in need or have other adult dependents; are an elder with limited financial support; are primarily working in a setting with under-resourced populations and your income reflects this work, etc.

  • Are there payment plan options available?

    Yes! We are happy to work with you to create a payment plan that fits your needs. Please reach out to us over email with a brief description of the length of the plan that you are interested in using to pay for this course: [email protected].

  • How can I learn more about your pricing?

    Please visit our website for more information on our approach to pricing our trainings: www.touchstoneinstitute.org/pricing.

  • What is your refund policy?

    More than 14 days notice is required for a full refund minus 7% administrative fee. Cancellations made within 14 days of training are eligible for a 50% refund or full transfer to another training within The Touchstone Institute. Only 1 transfer to another training is allowed. If you can not attend the transferred training your fee will be forfeited. No-shows are not eligible for a refund or transfer. Exceptions to this policy are limited to medically documented circumstances or family bereavements. Failure to attend without prior notification (no-shows) will not qualify for a refund.

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