EMDR Research Foundation Receives Donation to Support Children & Adolescents Affected by Trauma

CHICAGO - Jan. 3, 2019 - PRLog -- The EMDR Research Foundation is pleased to announce it has received a generous donation from the 1st Virtual Summit of EMDR Therapy with Children & Adolescents. These funds will support the Hope for Children Fund, a dedicated fund used to support research on Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for children and adolescents.

Founded in 2006, the EMDR Research Foundation is the only organization worldwide dedicated to the promotion of quality, unbiased research in EMDR therapy. EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy effective in the treatment of persons who have experienced trauma.

The 1st Virtual Summit of EMDR Therapy with Children & Adolescents was held in November 2018 for mental health professionals and EMDR-trained clinicians to learn more about the latest research and practice of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents.

Ana Gomez, Chair of the Summit, stated, "We are pleased to donate a portion of the proceeds from the Summit to the Foundation's Hope for Children Fund, as this fund represents the Summit's goal of working with traumatized children and adolescents."

Created in honor of Carol York, the Hope for Children Fund is a dedicated research fund for those donors of the Foundation who want to direct their resources to support EMDR therapy research with children. York died in a tragic auto accident in October 2015. She was a pioneer in working with children and was committed to enhancing the professionalism of EMDR therapy.

According to the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health, almost half the nation's children have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. Early intervention in response to crises, whether mass shootings, individual violence, accidents, or natural disasters has the potential to prevent or mediate the impact of trauma, and later development of PTSD, which is why the Foundation is funding additional research to determine the most effective responses to these events.

"This generous donation from the Summit will be instrumental in furthering this important research impacting children and adolescents affected by trauma," said Wendy J. Freitag,

Ph.D., President of the EMDR Research Foundation.

Each year, the Foundation awards approximately $50,000-$150,000 in research grants to EMDR therapy students and practitioners through a careful and stringent application process.

To learn more about the EMDR Research Foundation and Hope for Children Fund, visit https://emdrresearchfoundation.org/donate/the-carol-york-memorial-fund/.