Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for prolonged grief: theory, research, and practice.

Prolonged Grief Disorder occurs within 7-10% of the bereaved population and is a more complicated and persistent form of grief which has been associated with suicidality, mental health disorders, sleep disturbance, poor health behaviors, and work and social impairment. EMDR is a fitting treatment option for those with Prolonged Grief, focusing on processing past memories, blocks, current triggers, future fears, and preparing the person for living life beyond the loss in line with the Adaptive Information Processing Model and grief frameworks. This paper discusses the theory, research regarding the application of EMDR with prolonged grief, and gives insight and guidance to clinicians working in this area including a case example.

Schema therapists' perceptions of the influence of their early maladaptive schemas on therapy.

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative survey aimed to explore schema therapists' perceptions of how their early maladaptive schemas are activated in their therapeutic work, and how they manage their reactions. METHOD: An online qualitative survey was conducted with 22 schema therapists. Following brief demographic questions, participants were asked three open-ended questions about their schema activation and associated reactions. An inductive-deductive hybrid thematic analysis of the qualitative responses identified four superordinate themes and 12 subthemes. RESULTS: Participants described several negative impacts on their therapeutic work, including avoiding limit setting, becoming argumentative or aggressive, detaching or avoiding, and over-functioning. An array of strategies for managing schema and countertransference reactions were identified, including refocusing on the client's vulnerability, caring for one's own vulnerability and connecting with one's healthy adult self, and engaging in supervision, training, personal therapy, and self-care. Notably, several participants described how their internal reactions can be used advantageously to conceptualize and support clients, and to facilitate therapists' personal development. CONCLUSION: The findings highlighted that although schema and associated countertransference experiences can be challenging, awareness and effective management of therapists' reactions can benefit treatment and promote personal growth.