Winter 2024
By Heena Chudasama
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I hope the seasonal break brought you all some time for rest and reflection, however you chose to spend it. Since the last update, the EDI committee has been working on equality data collection to understand the makeup of the membership and to check that this is being represented at board level. We have also devised a questionnaire to understand the makeup of the Board, which will be reported on when we have the results. All questionnaires are optional, but the more feedback we have, the more impact and change we can have.
Unfortunately, Kevin Dudman has decided to step back from the EDI committee but will continue to work with EMDR UK through his regional group (RG). I would like to thank him for his contribution to date. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all members of the committee who freely give their time to address equity, equality, diversity and inclusion in the Association.
EMDR UK is starting to integrate EEDI into all our practices. This will take time and will be an ever-evolving task as we continue to become aware of the needs of our membership. We are encouraging and requesting that EMDR Europe is also active in this area.
Matt Wesson (president), Kath Norgate (president-elect), and I (chair of the EDI committee) are in the process of writing to EMDR Europe’s standards committee to integrate EEDI (content delivery and accessibility, cultural sensitivity and working with diversity in EMDR psychotherapy) into their standard-approved training. We are keen on this change and hope that EMDR Europe will join us in our goal.
We are working hard on developing some tip sheets on accessibility to events and content delivery for the Association. These will be shared with RGs and special interest groups (SIGs) when they are ready.
Kamla Dadral continues to facilitate the reflective space for ethnically minoritised EMDR UK members to share their narratives and processes and also to think about the next steps as a group. To find out more or to join the reflective group, please contact Kamla Dadral.
I and other members of EMDR UK attended the BAATN (Black African and Asian Therapy Network) Online Conference 2023 (Celebrating Diverse Practice: Spirit, Mind and Body), where Amal Warlaska, an EMDR practitioner, delivered a workshop on processing socially inflicted trauma with EMDR psychotherapy. The workshop was met with curiosity and engagement. I want to thank Amal for introducing the BAATN community to EMDR psychotherapy. Following the conference, I spoke with both Amal and later Eugene Ellis (founder of BAATN) to explore how we may work together and keep lines of communication open. I hope to share further plans with you at a later date.
We are now exploring EEDI training for the Board, those in leadership roles, and members of the Association. We are speaking with both external organisations and those with expertise in relevant areas within the Association, including our membership. In saying this, if you are able to present on any area of EEDI to the association, please do get in contact via email or the digitised answerphone service.
It has been a long-overdue task to integrate EEDI into feedback for events. This is now with the CPD and accreditation committee to hear and act on feedback recovered. Please be assured that the feedback is read and acted on. This is one of many ways you can feedback to the association and share your experiences and voice.
We are continually searching for EMDR therapists (practitioner, consultants, and trainers) who can either deliver a webinar or collaborate with non-EMDR therapists to deliver a webinar related particularly to EEDI. Please get in contact via email to express your interest. If you are a member of the Association, you are also able to deliver a webinar/event in conjunction with your consultant supervisor. This is a great opportunity for consultant supervisors to support their supervisees growth and assist in sharing knowledge in our collective community. Please get in contact with me if you have any questions or would like to discuss sharing your experience and expertise via a webinar.
We have been working with Beverly Coghlan on how to integrate EEDI into the ETQ. Beverly has been very proactive and has drafted guideline for journal submissions and research funding proposals with the scientific and research committee (SRC). I would like to thank her for her progressive and proactive work in this area.
April’s ETQ will be a special edition focusing on EEDI within EMDR psychotherapy research and practice. If you have any ideas for contributions, please email Beverly as soon as possible, but no later than the end of February. The deadline for copy for this special issue is 10th April. Contributions can be anywhere between 500 and 3000 words, so if you have anything that you would like to share with a wider audience, this is a great opportunity to spotlight EEDI.
Olatunde Spence recently recorded a podcast with Russ Hurn following on from her article questioning if EMDR was an anti-racist psychotherapy. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify or however you listen to your podcasts. Femke Bannink Mbazzi, who is presenting in March at EMDR UK Annual Conference 2024 talks a little about her journey to EMDR and adaptations to work in a culturally sensitive way. Please get in contact with me if you have any questions or would like to discuss sharing your experience and expertise via a podcast.
As a reminder the digital answerphone service has been live since May 2023.
Accessible answerphone number: 0151 372 6802
This is an accessible answerphone line for those who cannot email the Association. The answer phone will not be monitored on weekends and during holiday periods. Please be mindful that queries will be responded to as soon as possible but may take a few days. If you are able to email, please do.
Please be aware there is a process of reasonable adjustments and mitigating circumstances that members can access. This may be relating to attending events, applications for accreditation and other support needs relating to engagement with the Association. Please email to be directed to the right person in relation to your query.
As mentioned earlier, there are several ways to feedback to the association.
These include:
