PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
ANDREW LEEDS
workshop 1
Beyond resistance. Learning from impasses, ruptures, and inadequacy in EMDR therapy
Dr. Andrew M. Leeds, Ph.D. is a California licensed Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist with over 45 years of private practice psychotherapy experience. He maintains a full-time practice in Santa Rosa, California where he specializes in the assessment and treatment of acute and chronic posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and dissociative disorders. He also provides group and individual consultation for clinicians regarding the application of EMDR.
Dr. Leeds is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer in EMDR and an EMDR Europe accredited EMDR trainer. He has conducted EMDR training for more than 14,000 clinicians at some 150 training programs in the United States, Canada, France, England and Japan. Dr. Leeds received initial training in EMDR in 1991. He is the author of A Guide to the Standard EMDR Therapy Protocols for Clinicians, Supervisors, and Consultants, 2nd Ed. (2016) Springer Publishing Company: New York and over 60 journal articles and book chapters.
LUCA OSTACOLI
workshop 2
EMDR Integrated Approach To Childhood Neglect In Adults.
Psychiatrist, Full Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Turin. Director of Psychology Unit ASLTO5, Turin. Psychodynamic and Body Centered Psychotherapist, specialized in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Sensorimotor, Mindfulness-Based Interventions.
Participation in research activities with public and private institutions. Coordinator of the Embodied Minds Research Group,. Member of international consortia. Winner of national and international grants, including a Horizon 2020 European project on the prevention of depression in patients with organic diseases. Research grant by the EMDR Research Foundation, USA, in 2015 and 2020, and EMDR Europe in 2016 and 2023 for RCT comparing the efficacy of EMDR to CBT for the treatment of Depression.
Winner of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) Outstanding Research Award 2018, Atlanta, USA. Winner of the Francine Shapiro EMDR Award for Research 2019, European EMDR Association, Cracow, Poland. Past Member of the Council of Scholars, now Member of the Research Group of the EMDR Global Alliance.
Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the School of Medicine and Surgery of Turin, teacher at Specialization Schools in Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology, Oncology and at the Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery, S Luigi Hospital.
Dean of the Master's Degree Course in Rehabilitation Sciences and Health Professions and of the Bachelor's Degree Course in Psychiatric Rehabilitation Therapy, University of Turin. Member of the Board of the Doctorate Course in Experimental Medicine and Therapies, of the Board of the School of Specialization in Psychiatry and of the Board of the School of Medicine, University of Turin.
Member of EMDR Italian and Europe Association, participated to emergency interventions in mass disasters and war. Onorary member of the Ukraine EMDR association.
Member of the European Depression EMDR Network (EDEN).
Leader of intensive training workshops on the EMDR centred psychotherapeutic treatment of trauma, attachment and depression all over Italy and Europe. Leader and supervisor of trainings for health care workers in the management of trauma, stress, conflicts and team buildings for over 20 years.
Contribution in the development of experiential training models with innovative technologies on communication and doctor-patient relationship in collaboration with leader Training agencies. Co-Coordinator of the Emotional Lab project, an innovative didactic experience in the Master’s Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery, University of Turin, in collaboration with the Start Up IGOOVER, expert in virtual reality training. supported by neurobiology and innovative high-tech services.
Author of more than 50 publications in international journals.
Co-author with A Hoffman et al. of the book “EMDR treatment of Depression”, edited in Germany, Italy and United States.
SARAH DOMINGUEZ
workshop 3
Enhancing EMDR with Imagery: Practical Strategies for Complex Cases
Sarah Dominguez PhD is a clinical psychologist and the director of The Wattle Centre, a psychology centre based in Sydney, Australia. At the Wattle Centre, Sarah sees clients in private practice and delivers training for mental health practitioners in evidence-based trauma-focused interventions. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has been an invited presenter at many national and international conferences.
Sarah is an accredited consultant and trainer by the EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAA). Sarah serves on the EMDRAA board and is a member of the EMDRAA Scientific Committee. She delivers EMDR therapy basic training to therapists across Australia and offers several on-demand courses, such as EMDR Refresher and Using EMDR and Schema Therapy, on her website.
EVA ZIMMERMMAN
workshop 3
The potential of EMDR therapy in gynaecology and obstetrics
Eva Zimmermann is a Senior Trainer accredited by EMDR Europe and a specialist in psychotraumatology and dissociative disorders with additional qualifications in victim support and emergency psychology. For 17 years she worked as a psychologist and psychotherapist in the gynaecology and obstetrics department of the Fribourg Cantonal Hospital. She continues to work closely with local gynaecologists and endocrinologists. She has her own practice in Murten, Switzerland.
She has been a country representative on the European EMDR Board for many years and has also been a member of the Swiss National EMDR Association. She is a member of the Standards Committee of the EMDR Europe Association. She is also a past president of ESTD (European Society for Trauma and Dissociation). She teaches EMDR therapy in Switzerland and is involved in humanitarian projects, in Haiti, Nepal, Algeria, Rwanda and most recently Ukraine.
She has co-edited several books on EMDR and written chapters for several books on EMDR and dissociation.
ESTHER LEUNING
workshop 4
EMDR for clients with autism, a world to win!
Esther has worked as a child psychologist in the Dutch mental healthcare system for 25 years. She is currently in training to get her clinical license and become a certified sexologist by the NVVS (Dutch-speaking association for sexology). She is a supervisor at the Association for Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Therapy (VGCt) and a supervisor for the association EMDR Netherlands (VEN).
She currently works at Karakter child and adolescent psychiatry, at the mental healthcare line Neurobiological Developmental Disorders (ASS-ADHD) within the University Center of Nijmegen. She treats children and adolescents with autism and co-morbid problems, including Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD). She has conducted research into the effects of EMDR on this group. Furthermore, she is a member of the Special Interest Group EMDR and Autism of the association EMDR Netherlands (VEN).
Esther is co-author of the book “Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction in practice. The Work of Byron Katie in psychotherapy”. She also wrote chapters for the ‘EMDR Handbook for Children and Adolescents’ and the ‘EMDR Practical Book Part II - Applications for New Patient Groups and Disorders’. Esther was a lecturer at the RINO group in Utrecht for a long time, where she taught Trauma-sensitive care.
One of Esther’s mantras is: “Keep searching, change is always possible, also for clients with autism.”
NAOMI FISHER
workshop 4
You’re Okay Just As You Are: EMDR and Neurodiversity
Dr Naomi Fisher is a clinical psychologist, an EMDR-Europe Accredited Trainer and C&A Consultant. She has been practicing EMDR since 2005 and has used EMDR in primary care, specialist trauma services, the police service and in the voluntary sector.
She now works in private practice in Devon, England, with neurodivergent young people and their families. She has a PhD in autism in addition to her doctorate in clinical psychology. She is the author of several books for parents of neurodivergent children, including When the Naughty Step Makes Things Worse and A Different Way to Learn: Neurodiversity and Self-Directed Education.