Hi, I’m Kevin, a child therapist at Intersection Therapy & Advocacy in North Vancouver, British Columbia. I provide child therapy support for kiddos between the ages of 4 to 10 years old. If you’re a parent or caregiver, I know how much you want to support your child’s emotional well-being. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is one of the ways I help children work through tough experiences so they can heal, grow, and thrive.
Interested in booking a consultation today?
What Is EMDR Therapy for Children?
Children don’t use words as their first language—they use play. That’s why everything I do in therapy is play-based. EMDR with children incorporates movement, art, storytelling, and creative tools to help them process memories and emotions that might feel too big to handle.
Think of your child’s brain as a backpack. When something difficult happens, it can feel like a heavy rock has been added to the pack. Over time, those rocks make it harder to move forward. EMDR helps your child take those rocks out, one by one, to make sense of them. Our goal is to support your kiddo so their journey feels lighter and more manageable.
Using playful and creative methods, I guide children through the healing process in a way that feels safe and even fun. One analogy I love to use is “chewing up bad memories.” This comes from Ana Gomez’s Dark, Bad Day...Go Away, which helps children understand that their brains can digest tough memories, just like their stomachs digest food.
How EMDR Can Help Your Child
EMDR therapy is especially helpful for:
Worries and Fears: Helping children sit with uncomfortable feelings of worry or fear that come up, and feel more capable and more confident in their everyday lives.
Trauma: Supporting children in healing after distressing events like accidents, medical procedures, or loss.
Bullying or Discrimination: A child may have faced bullying at school related to their gender expression or identity, leading to fear, self-doubt, or social withdrawal. EMDR can support them to process the hurtful experiences and building on their sense of self-worth and advocacy.
Phobias: Through play, working through specific fears, such as fear of the dark, animals, or other situational phobias, by processing their emotional roots.
Attachment Challenges: Strengthening emotional bonds by working through past hurts.
With EMDR, we try to support children not just to heal—but to grow. They move from “I can’t handle this” to “I’m strong and capable.”
What Makes EMDR for Children Different?
Play is the heart of how I work with children. Whether we’re building a story together, using toys to represent feelings, or drawing pictures of their experiences, I meet children where they are—on their terms.
During EMDR sessions, we might use movements like tapping or tossing a toy back-and-forth to help the brain process stuck memories. By making therapy playful and engaging, I support you and your child to feel safe and supported throughout the process.
Working Together as a Team
When your child is working through big emotions or memories, they’ll need your support as well. Caregiver involvement is essential in the therapy process. I work closely with you to help your child heal - both inside and outside of our session times.
We’ll have regular check-ins and consultations to keep you informed and involved. Where possible, you will participate in the therapy sessions with your child. I’ll also share tools and activities that you can use at home to support your child’s progress. Together, we’ll create a team around your child, giving them the care they need to succeed.
It’s important to know that healing can sometimes feel harder before it gets better. Processing tough memories can bring up big feelings. But with the right support—and a focus on trauma-informed care—we can help your child move through these challenges and come out stronger on the other side.
Let’s Get Started
At Intersection Therapy & Advocacy, I focus on providing trauma-informed care for children ages 4-10. My child-friendly approach integrates EMDR with playful methods like AutPlay Therapy and Expressive Play Therapy. Therapy begins with an 8-week commitment of weekly sessions, with regular caregiver consultations to keep you involved in the process.
If you’re curious about EMDR therapy for your child, I’d love to connect. I offer a free 20-minute consultation to answer your questions and help you decide if this approach is a good fit for your family. You can also learn more about me and my approach.
Schedule a consultation or learn more about my services in North Vancouver, BC.