MAKING IT MAKE SENSE:

New Dates TBA

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

ONLINE

Created for EMDR-trained therapists who may be seeking ways to fully integrate EMDR into their practice. Maybe you fit into one or more of these situations...

• feeling overwhelmed by the intricacies of the protocols (it's a lot to keep straight)
• caught a few life-curveballs that shifted your direction and now you're ready to jump back in
• didn't feel connected for one reason or another (it happens)
• work with specific populations and/or settings and seek modifications that weren't addressed in your initial training 

Whatever the reason, this will serve as a reboot.

Participants must have completed all 6 days of an EMDRIA Approved Basic Training. *Please bring all prior given manuals and worksheets and come prepared to present with at least two patients for case conceptualization work.

This refresher offers a space for therapists to deepen their understanding of EMDR protocols while fostering an environment of mutual learning and growth to include:

1. Describe the eight phases of EMDR Therapy: Refresh your knowledge and understanding of the 8 phases of EMDR therapy, including history taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation, demonstrating accurate descriptions and explanations of each phase through written or verbal assessments.
2. Identify three elements of the Adaptive Information Processing Model: Explore the theoretical framework of the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, understanding how it relates to the processing of traumatic experiences and the integration of social justice and healing justice principles, and identify and describe three key elements or concepts of the AIP model, demonstrating understanding and accuracy in written or verbal assessments.
3. Describe two considerations/modifications for complex case presentations: Gain strategies and techniques for addressing complex case presentations in EMDR therapy, including considerations for clients with intersecting identities, complex trauma histories, and co-occurring mental health conditions, and describe two specific considerations or modifications that can be implemented in these cases, providing explanations and examples to support your descriptions.
4. Describe two ways resource development skills can be implemented: Enhance your ability to help clients identify and develop internal and external resources to support their healing process, including resilience, coping strategies, and social support networks, and describe two specific ways resource development skills can be implemented in EMDR therapy, providing examples and explanations of their application.
5. Identify and describe at least five specific internalized belief systems (NC/PC) influenced by toxic societal messaging: Engage in critical dialogue on strategies to identify and describe at least five specific internalized belief systems influenced by toxic societal messaging, such as negative core beliefs related to worthiness, powerlessness, or inferiority, and provide explanations and examples of appropriate interventions to challenge and reframe these beliefs, as evaluated through case studies or role-play exercises.
6. Utilize the criteria for screening for the readiness of the Client and Therapist: strengthening skills in assessing client readiness for EMDR therapy, considering factors such as stabilization, self-regulation, and therapeutic alliance, and explore therapist self-care and readiness to engage in trauma work through a social justice lens, utilizing established criteria or assessment tools to screen for client and therapist readiness and demonstrating accuracy and application in case examples or role-play scenarios.
7. Identify two protocols to work with Specific Populations: Learn specialized protocols and modifications for children, individuals with dissociation, anxiety disorders, and addictions, considering the unique needs and challenges of these populations within the context of social justice and healing justice, and identify and describe two specific protocols or modifications that can be utilized for each population, providing explanations and examples of their application.
8. Describe ways to incorporate Healing-Justice principles in each of the eight phases: Discover how to infuse social justice and healing justice principles into each phase of the EMDR treatment process, from initial assessment and treatment planning to reevaluation and integration, by providing descriptions and examples of how healing-justice principles can be integrated into each phase, demonstrating understanding and application in written or verbal assessments.
9. Identify two strategies to foster Trauma-Informed advocacy and social change: Explore ways to empower clients through trauma-informed advocacy, equipping them with skills to navigate and challenge systemic oppression, and learn how to leverage EMDR therapy as a catalyst for broader social change, and identify and describe two specific strategies that can be utilized to foster trauma-informed advocacy and contribute to social change, providing explanations and examples of their implementation.
10. Provide two reflective practices/skill-building exercises: Engage in reflective exercises, case studies, and skill-building activities to enhance your ability to apply EMDR techniques and modifications with sensitivity and effectiveness within a social justice and healing justice framework, and provide descriptions and examples of two specific reflective practices or skill-building exercises that can be utilized to deepen your understanding and proficiency, demonstrating active engagement and thoughtful reflection iyour learning process and providing evidence of your application of EMDR techniques within a social justice and healing justice framework. These reflective practices/skill-building exercises can be documented through written reflections, case analyses, or recorded practice sessions, showcasing your growth and development in integrating social justice principles into your EMDR practice.
11. Identify two ethical considerations when incorporating social justice and healing justice principles in EMDR therapy: Recognize and describe two ethical considerations that arise when integrating social justice and healing justice principles into EMDR therapy, such as maintaining client autonomy and confidentiality, addressing power imbalances in the therapeutic relationship, or navigating potential conflicts between personal values and professional obligations.
12. Describe two strategies for self-reflection and self-awareness in working with social justice and healing justice principles: Explore and articulate two strategies for fostering self-reflection and self-awareness as a therapist when engaging with social justice and healing justice principles in EMDR therapy, such as engaging in regular supervision or consultation, participating in personal anti-oppression education, or cultivating a mindfulness practice to enhance cultural humility and self-understanding.

By achieving these training objectives, therapists will be better equipped to integrate EMDR therapy, the Adaptive Information Processing model, and social justice principles to provide trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and equitable care to clients from diverse backgrounds.

Sankofa Healing Studio has been approved by EMDRIA as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, No. 21009

EC Program Approval Number: #21009-03

This training provides a certificate for 12 CEs. These CEs will be provided by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). It is necessary to participate in 100% of the training to receive the credits of Continuing Education. A certificate for these CEs is included in the price of the training. ​

Jacqui Johnson, LPC, ATR-BC, CCMHC, PMH-C, RYT

Somatic Healing-Justice Art Therapist+

Board-Certified Art Therapist

Play Therapist 

Hip-Hop Therapist

Emotional Emancipation Circle Leader

Certified Perinatal Mental Health Provider

Registered Kemetic Yoga Teacher 

Trained in Neurofeedback

Clinical Director: Sankofa Healing Studio

Adjunct Professor: Jefferson University

Founder: EMDR & Brainspotiing In Color Group 

EMDR Consultant & Trainer

BSP Consultant

Somatic (Mind-Body) approaches for:

Incarceration - Community Violence - Racial Trauma and Collective Healing in the Black Community - Ancestral Healing - Parts Work; Shadow Work - Ongoing Traumas and Traumatic Stress - Groups - Complex PTSD - Perinatal Experiences - Intensive Healing Spaces for Therapists

Holistic/Ancestral foundations:

Healing Circles - Reiki - Chakras - Crystals - HipHop - Sound Healing

Founder/Clinical Director of Sankofa Healing Studio

(She/Her/Hers Pronouns) Jacqui Johnson, a Somatic Healing-Justice Art & Play Therapist+, prioritizes the need to bridge the Black mental health access gap while upending oppression within healing spaces. Her advanced training in multiple evidence-based modalities informs her unique holistic style blending Art, Play, Storytelling, Hip-Hop, Brainspotting, EMDR, and Energy-based practices. Jacqui is an educator who lectures widely, provides supervision, and consultation, and leads international initiatives that increase training accessibility to Therapists of Color. 

Jacqui’s expertise and community work are rooted in the importance of gender and trauma-responsive care. She addresses head-on the complex intersectionality of adverse childhood experiences, race, community violence, and the (in)justice system. This belief is what led her to work with people within the criminal justice system. Jacqui developed and facilitates trauma-responsive art therapy groups at the Philadelphia county jail for women and incarcerated youth, addressing the unique challenges that individuals with trauma, compounded by incarceration, face. She believes that reclaiming our past, provides us with valuable knowledge to protect our future, while understanding and shifting our present condition

EMI (Expressive Media, Inc.) 

*Board Member/Treasurer

Our mission is to promote the healing power of the arts by creating, collecting, and disseminating outstanding educational films, as well as clinical and historical footage. 

IDHA (Institute for the Development of Human Arts) 

*Board Member

IDHA is advancing a new paradigm of Transformative Mental Health. This is the practice of personal and collective healing rooted in: systemic change, experiential knowledge; holistic care.

PRC (Philadelphia Reentry Coalition)

*Steering Committee

The Reentry Coalition brings agencies and organizations working on reentry in Philadelphia together to collectively reduce recidivism.

In-Person training courses are held in facilities that are in accordance with the American Disabilities Act. Please contact admin@SankofaHealingStudio.org to request special accommodations for disability (ADA).

We warmly welcome you to participate in our training sessions, designed with a trauma-sensitive and transformative justice lens. These sessions may involve exploring personal topics potentially connected to emotionally intense experiences. We kindly request you to choose subjects that feel comfortable and respectful within this learning environment, remembering that this isn't the space to address unresolved major traumas.

As we navigate this collective learning journey, you will have opportunities to engage with fellow participants in a unique way. Partnerships will be formed randomly, inviting you to experience different perspectives and interactions. In these partnerships, you and your assigned partner will take turns assuming the roles of clinician and client, deepening empathy and understanding from both vantage points.

Prior to delving into any presenting issues, you will be introduced to a variety of grounding and stabilization techniques, offering a toolkit to navigate the sessions effectively. Collaboratively, we will explore the creation of treatment plans. Please remember that disclosing specific personal information isn't necessary for effective learning within this EMDR context; our focus will be on understanding and processing core negative beliefs.

Though past events may be acknowledged during treatment planning, you are never required to process anything that feels uncomfortable or not fitting. This is a learning space, not a therapy session. We heartily encourage all participants to honor their own boundaries and express their needs during the training, embodying principles of transformative justice and community accountability. In this space, we learn, grow, and support one another together.