Live training • Registration closes May 14, 2026 (Central)
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EMDR CONTINUING EDUCATION TRAINING
Invisible Threads: Addressing the Losses and Trauma of Adoption through EMDR Therapy
Adoption inherently involves loss — of biological connection, cultural continuity, and often, early secure attachment. These early disruptions shape memory networks in ways that standard EMDR protocols may not fully address.
Learn to recognize adoption-related trauma within the AIP model and apply EMDR interventions adapted for attachment disruption, identity fragmentation, and developmental loss.
A live, intermediate-level EMDR continuing education training for licensed mental health professionals.
with
Linda Russell, LPC, PhD
EMDRIA-Approved EMDR Trainer | Licensed Professional Counselor | Adoption & Attachment Specialist
May 15, 2026 | 8:00 AM PT | 9:00 AM MT | 10:00 AM CT | 11:00 AM ET
Live Virtual
EMDR Basic Training Required
Live training · 90-day replay access
Secure checkout · Instant confirmation • Zoom link in your account • CE Certificate issued upon attendance verification
PRICING
Registration closes May 14, 2026 (Central)
Live training with 90-day replay access
Secure your seat before registration closes.
Live training · 90-day replay access
Secure checkout · Instant confirmation • Zoom link in your account • CE Certificate issued upon attendance verification
SAVE WITH EARLY BIRD PRICING
Early-bird ends May 1, 2026 (Central) · Registration closes May 14, 2026 (Central)
Live training with 90-day replay access
Early-bird pricing expires in:
Live training · 90-day replay access
Secure checkout · Instant confirmation • Zoom link in your account • CE Certificate issued upon attendance verification
WHEN ADOPTION IS THE WOUND BENEATH THE SYMPTOM
Clients with adoption histories often present with symptoms that appear familiar — anxiety, relational difficulty, identity confusion, affect dysregulation — but the underlying drivers are distinct. Early separation, ambiguous loss, disorganized attachment, and identity rupture create memory networks that standard trauma-processing approaches may not fully reach.
Attachment disruption is embedded in the earliest memory networks — often preverbal
Identity fragmentation may present as ambivalence, not pathology
Grief in adoption is chronic and ambiguous — not a single event to target
Cross-cultural displacement adds layers of loss that intersect with trauma processing
Clinicians may not recognize how Erikson's developmental stages are disrupted by early adoption experiences
This training provides an adoption-informed framework for understanding these patterns within EMDR therapy — and practical strategies for addressing them across all eight phases.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This training is designed for licensed mental health professionals who have completed EMDR Basic Training and want to strengthen their clinical work with clients who have adoption histories.
It is especially relevant for therapists, counselors, social workers, psychologists, and marriage and family therapists working in trauma-focused settings.
Please note: The morning session is open to all licensed clinicians. The afternoon session assumes completion of EMDR Basic Training and is not designed for clinicians without that foundation.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Understand how adoption creates distinct trauma patterns — and how to address them within EMDR therapy across all eight phases.
Understand how adoption creates distinct trauma patterns — and how to address them within EMDR therapy across all eight phases.
Adoption involves loss that often precedes explicit memory: loss of biological connection, early attachment relationships, cultural continuity, and identity coherence. These losses don't resolve at a single developmental stage — they resurface across the lifespan and can underlie presenting concerns that never get named as adoption-related.
This training uses the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model as the clinical framework for understanding how early separation, disorganized attachment, and developmental disruption shape memory networks, presenting concerns, and therapeutic engagement. Rather than treating adoption history as background context, the course integrates adoption-informed principles into EMDR case conceptualization, assessment, preparation, and reprocessing across all eight phases.
Attachment disruption and its role in early memory network formation within the AIP model
Ambiguous and chronic grief as distinct from event-based loss — and what that means for targeting
Identity fragmentation in adoptees across developmental stages, including the impact on Erikson's psychosocial tasks
Preverbal and developmental trauma: clinical implications for history-taking and Phase 1–2 work
Cross-cultural displacement and its intersection with trauma processing
Phase-specific EMDR adaptations for clients with disrupted attachment histories
The training combines lecture, clinical case examples, experiential exercises, and guided discussion to move from conceptual understanding to applied clinical strategy.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
This training equips clinicians with adoption-informed EMDR strategies for recognizing and addressing attachment disruption, developmental loss, and identity fragmentation within the AIP framework.
Recognize the unique manifestations of trauma, loss, and complicated grief in adoption, including psychological and developmental consequences for adoptees
Identify clinical implications for using EMDR therapy to treat adoption-related trauma, including dissociation, identity disturbance, and affect intolerance
Apply EMDR therapy techniques adapted for adoption trauma across different developmental stages and relational contexts
Explain the relationship between infant/early attachment and the AIP model in the context of adoption, including implications for memory processing and case formulation
Describe clinical considerations for each phase of EMDR therapy (Phases 1–8) when working with clients with disrupted attachment histories
Recognize how Erikson's psychosocial stages of development are disrupted by adoption-related trauma and how this impacts treatment
TAKE THIS INTO YOUR NEXT SESSION
The strategies in this training — from adoption-informed case conceptualization to phase-specific EMDR adaptations for attachment disruption, identity fragmentation, and developmental loss — are designed to be applied in clinical work right away, starting with your next client session.
Live training · 90-day replay access
Secure checkout · Instant confirmation • Zoom link in your account • CE Certificate issued upon attendance verification
HOW THIS CHANGES YOUR CLINICAL WORK
When adoption-related trauma is accurately recognized and addressed, clinicians can move beyond surface-level symptom treatment and work with the deeper developmental roots of distress. Rather than interpreting attachment disruption, identity confusion, or chronic grief through a general trauma lens, clinicians gain a framework for understanding how the adoption experience itself shapes memory networks, relational patterns, and the therapeutic process — and how to respond with informed, phase-specific EMDR interventions.
This is not an add-on technique. It is a structured way of understanding how adoption-related developmental trauma continues shaping the present — and responding with attuned, AIP-informed clinical care.
MEET YOUR PRESENTER
Linda Russell, LPC, PhD
EMDRIA-Approved EMDR Trainer | Licensed Professional Counselor | Adoption & Attachment Specialist
Dr. Linda Russell is a Licensed Professional Counselor and EMDRIA-approved EMDR Trainer with over 28 years of experience specializing in adoption, trauma, and attachment. As CEO of Breakthrough Counseling and Family Preservation Outreach, she combines clinical expertise with a focused commitment to strengthening family systems and understanding the developmental impact of early separation and relational disruption. Dr. Russell's work spans private practice, education, and nonprofit leadership, and she serves as an expert witness in attachment-related cases. Her training in this course draws on contemporary adoption research, attachment science, and the AIP model to help clinicians recognize and address the layered trauma embedded in the adoption experience.
Train with a clinician and educator specializing in adoption-related trauma and EMDR therapy.
COURSE DETAILS
- DATE:
- May 15, 2026
- TIME:
- 10:00 AM CT / 9:00 AM MT / 8:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM ET
- FORMAT:
- Live Virtual (Zoom)
- LOCATION:
- Zoom link available in your account after registration
- REPLAY ACCESS:
- 90-day replay access is included for registered participants. The replay does not replace live attendance requirements for EMDRIA or CE credit.
- EMDRIA CREDITS:
- 6 (under review)
- APA CREDITS:
- 6 (under review)
- LEVEL:
- Intermediate
- PREREQUISITES:
- EMDR Basic Training Required
- PRICE:
- $249.99
Questions? Scroll down to meet the presenter and review CE requirements below.
COURSE AGENDA
This agenda reflects a balance of lecture, clinical case discussion, and guided practice.
- 9:30 AM Registration
- 10:00–11:00 AM Introductions & Overview
- 11:00 AM–12:00 PM Activity
- 12:00–1:00 PM Lunch
- 1:00–2:00 PM Lecture
- 2:00–3:00 PM Activity
- 3:00–4:00 PM Lecture
- 4:00–4:45 PM Activity
- 4:45–5:00 PM Questions, Evaluation & Wrap Up
COMMON QUESTIONS
Is this training appropriate if I recently completed EMDR Basic Training?
Yes. If you have completed an EMDRIA-approved EMDR Basic Training, this continuing education training is appropriate. The course focuses on how adoption-related trauma shapes attachment, identity, and emotional regulation — and offers practical strategies for addressing those patterns within EMDR therapy across all eight phases.
Who is this training designed for?
This training is designed for licensed mental health professionals who have completed EMDR Basic Training and want to strengthen their ability to recognize and address adoption-related trauma within EMDR therapy. It is suited for clinicians working with adopted children, adolescents, or adults, or clinicians who encounter attachment disruption, identity fragmentation, or ambiguous loss in their caseload.
Do I receive EMDRIA-approved CE credits?
EMDR & Beyond is an EMDRIA-approved continuing education provider, and this course offers 6 EMDRIA credits (under review). Licensed mental health professionals who meet attendance requirements will receive continuing education credit consistent with EMDRIA standards once approved.
Will a recording be available?
Yes. Registrants receive 90-day replay access after the live training. Replay access is included for review, but participants must attend the live virtual session and meet completion requirements to receive live-training EMDRIA or CE credit.
Will this conflict with AIP?
No. This training is grounded in the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model that underlies standard EMDR protocol. The course applies an adoption-informed lens to AIP-based case conceptualization while maintaining fidelity to EMDR principles across all eight phases.
Is this experiential?
Yes. This training includes lecture, clinical case examples, guided activities, and practice components. Participants will explore strategies for identifying adoption-related trauma patterns and applying adapted EMDR interventions.
Is this appropriate if my clients have adoption histories but don't present adoption as the issue?
Yes. Many clients with adoption histories present with anxiety, relational difficulty, identity confusion, or affect dysregulation without identifying adoption as a source. This training helps clinicians recognize when adoption-related developmental trauma may be underlying the presenting concerns — even when the client doesn't name it directly.
Accreditation & Compliance Information
EMDRIA CREDITS: 6 (under review)
APA CREDITS: 6 (under review)
Accreditation Learning Objectives (EMDRIA Compliance)
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the unique manifestations of trauma, loss, and complicated grief in adoption, including the psychological and developmental consequences for adoptees.
- Identify at least three clinical implications for using EMDR therapy to treat adoption-related trauma, including dissociation, identity disturbance, and affect intolerance.
- Apply at least three EMDR therapy techniques adapted for use with adoption trauma across different developmental stages and relational contexts.
- Explain the relationship between infant/early attachment and the AIP model in the context of adoption, including implications for memory processing and case formulation.
- Describe three or more clinical considerations for each phase of EMDR therapy (Phases 1–8) when working with clients with inadequate or disrupted attachment histories.
- Recognize Erikson's psychosocial stages of development and understand how trauma, particularly early adoption trauma, disrupts developmental tasks related to trust, identity, and intimacy.
Continuing Education & Credit Information
EMDR & Beyond is the provider of continuing education (CE) credits for this program and remains fully responsible for the program and its content.
EMDR & Beyond is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
This training is intended for doctorate- and master’s-level mental health professionals, including Psychologists, LMFTs, LMHCs, LPCs, LISWs, LMSWs, and other master’s-level practitioners who have successfully completed an EMDR Basic Training.
Licensed professionals are responsible for contacting their regulatory board to determine individual course approval.
EMDRIA Credit Information
EMDR & Beyond is an EMDRIA-approved EC Provider (#15007). This program (#15007-94) is approved for 6 EMDRIA Credits. Eligibility for EMDRIA credits is limited to participants who have completed an EMDRIA-approved Basic EMDR Training.
Certificate & Attendance Requirements
Certificates are issued electronically after attendance verification and completion requirements are met.
To receive CE or EMDRIA credits for live in-person or live virtual attendance, participants must attend the entire program in real time. Partial credit is not available, and viewing a recording does not qualify for live credit.
For the on-demand version (typically available 20–30 days after the live event), participants must complete the full curriculum and pass a post-quiz with a minimum score of 75%.
Certificates are automatically released once the quiz is successfully completed.
Course Evaluation & Support
Completion of the course evaluation is encouraged but not required to receive CE or EMDRIA credits. Participants who prefer not to complete the evaluation may contact Kenya Rocha at [email protected] to request certificate release.
For assistance with the learning platform, CE or EMDRIA credit attainment, or accommodation requests, please contact Kenya Rocha at [email protected].
RESERVE YOUR SEAT
May 15, 2026 · Live Virtual
Grievance Policy
EMDR & Beyond is committed to equitable treatment of all participants and to resolving grievances in a fair and timely manner. Written grievances should be submitted to Kenya Rocha at [email protected]. Grievances will be reviewed and, when appropriate, corrective action will be taken to prevent future occurrences.
Cancellation Policy
Refunds are available within three (3) days of course purchase, less a $50 processing fee. Purchases made after this period are non-refundable.
Conflict of Interest Policy
There is no known commercial interest or conflict of interest related to this workshop.
ADA Compliance
This course complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Participants requiring special accommodations should contact Kenya Rocha at [email protected] in advance.