Supporting Your Child’s Emotions: How EMDR Therapy Can Help
As parents and carers, it can be difficult to watch your child struggle with big feelings they don’t yet have the tools to manage. Outbursts, anxiety, withdrawal, or overwhelming sadness can leave both children and adults feeling stuck and unsure how to move forward. If this sounds familiar, EMDR therapy may offer a way to help your child process their experiences and develop healthier emotional responses.
Why Some Children Struggle to Regulate Emotions
Children’s emotional worlds are complex. While many learn over time to manage their feelings through supportive relationships and everyday experiences, some face extra challenges. These might include:
- Difficult or traumatic experiences (e.g., loss, accidents, bullying, medical procedures, neglect, or abuse)
- Ongoing stress at home, school, or within peer groups
- Sensory sensitivities or neurodivergence, which can make emotional regulation more difficult
- Attachment disruptions or inconsistent emotional support in early life
These experiences can leave emotional “footprints” in a child’s nervous system. When something reminds them of the original experience—even subtly—their brains and bodies can react as though the event is happening again. This can lead to strong emotions, anxiety, or behaviours that seem “out of the blue.”
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, evidence-based therapy originally developed to help people recover from trauma. Over the years, EMDR has been adapted for use with children and young people, with impressive results for a wide range of emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Rather than relying solely on talking, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, taps, or sounds) while a child recalls difficult memories or sensations. This helps the brain to reprocess stuck memories so they feel less distressing and can be understood in a new, more adaptive way.
How EMDR Can Help Children
For children, EMDR therapy can:
- Reduce the intensity of distressing memories and feelings
- Improve emotional regulation and resilience
- Lessen anxiety, nightmares, and behavioural difficulties
- Boost self-esteem and confidence
- Help them feel safer and more secure in daily life
Importantly, EMDR with children is adapted to their developmental level. Sessions often involve creative methods—like storytelling, drawing, play, or movement—to make the process engaging and safe.
What to Expect as a Parent or Carer
You’ll play an important role in your child’s EMDR therapy. In the early stages, the therapist will work with you to understand your child’s history and identify areas where they need support. You may be involved in helping your child feel calm and grounded between sessions, and you’ll be kept informed about their progress (while respecting the child’s confidentiality and therapeutic space).
Parents often say they notice their child becoming calmer, more confident, and better able to manage challenges after EMDR.
Taking the Next Step
If your child is struggling to manage their emotions, EMDR therapy could offer them a pathway to healing and resilience. A trained EMDR therapist here at PTSolutions Ltd, can assess your child’s individual needs and tailor the approach accordingly. Here is some more information about our Child and Adolescent EMDR Therapist, Dr Tine Blee
You don’t have to face this alone. Support is available, and positive change is possible.
