Rhythm and Processing (RAP): EMDR Therapy and Complex Racial Trauma 

Course Description

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a highly effective, evidence-based approach for resolving difficult memories for trauma survivors. However, successful reprocessing of this dysfunctional material requires the presence of sufficient adaptive information. Racial trauma involves experiences of oppression and discrimination tied to a person’s social identity, creating stressors that share distinct similarities with complex trauma. Thus participants are introduced to the concept of complex racial trauma as well as its similarities and differences with complex PTSD.

This training seeks to inform psychologists to engage with client histories and conducting assessments in ways that are more conscious of identity-based stresses and dissociative symptoms. A video of the use of a RAP-informed EMDR therapy approach is presented with a discussion relating to its implementation, limitations, and theoretical foundations.

The three phase model of treatment for complex trauma clients is presented through an EMDR therapy-informed lens. Psychologists are guided through the use of stabilization techniques, trauma treatment recommendations, and strategies for integration. Reasonable adjustments to the resourcing phase are described so that clients can develop resources to engage in EMDR processing of traumatic memories whether related to identity, culture, or historical traumatic experiences.

The course ends by providing an overview of Rhythm and Processing (RAP) strategies, offering a framework for integrating Anti-Racist Psychotherapy as an adjunct to EMDR specifically within phases 1 and 2.

This activity has been been approved for 6 CE credit hours for psychologists. Archer Therapy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Archer Therapy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

It is your responsibility to verify that APA CE credits can count for your specific license in your specific state or province.

Safer Space Guidelines

In recognition that there is never any safe space but only safer spaces, this training recognizes that there is always a possibility of miscommunication and/or discord that can arise between different individuals. For these reasons the following guidelines are meant to promote a safer space in our trainings.

Participant Safety and Response Protocol

During our trainings, we prioritize the emotional and psychological safety of all participants. If you experience distress or adverse reactions related to the training content, please immediately inform the facilitator or training assistant. If you have concerns that during practicum you might have done something wrong or that your “client” may have had a negative outcome, let us work together, talk about it so that we can provide appropriate support to all who are involved.

We can provide a designated “quiet room” for immediate decompression and recovery, staffed with a trained therapist who can help to provide care for a period of time.

Follow-up for additional mental health support services after training will be the participants responsibility, but a scheduled conversation with the trainer can also take place.

Disclaimers

We anticipate that participants may experience unanticipated difficulties in the practicum portion. We cannot take responsibility for what may come up or what may continue to come up subsequent to the practicum or residual experiences, but these are the supports and accommodations to make sure you have as safe as possible experience in training. We will have breakout rooms, facilitators that can give guidance for what target to work on, you will have support in reprocessing if you have difficulty, but someone may need to communicate.

Grievance and Complaint Resolution Procedure

We welcome your feedback in this training and if any ruptures occur, we want to know about them so that we can work to find a resolution and learn to do better. 

Our grievance processes are always available on our website at:
https://archertherapy.com/organizational-policies/

Emergency Contacts and Support Resources

For immediate psychological support during the training, please send us an email at [email protected] or text with the number provided in the LMS.

Feedback Mechanism

Your feedback is invaluable to us. We encourage all participants to provide ongoing feedback throughout the training. You can anonymously submit your thoughts and suggestions through our dedicated online feedback form at: https://archertherapy.com/contact-page-therapy/, or by dropping your written feedback into the designated boxes located in the training venue for in-person trainings. All feedback will be reviewed daily by our training team to make immediate improvements where feasible.

Anti-Bullying and Non-Discrimination Policy

Our training is committed to creating an inclusive and respectful environment free from bullying, discrimination, and microaggressions. We do not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, disability, or any other characteristic.

When applicable, we expect that you will use pronouns requested as other participants identify. Deadnaming, racial slurs, or any other audio/visual form of discrimination or intimidation using words, imagery, or other forms of media will be flagged.

Any reports of such behavior will be taken seriously and may result in immediate removal from the training and potential further action. If you witness or experience harassment, please report it immediately to any staff member or through our confidential reporting form. We strive to ensure that everyone in our training feels safe, respected, and valued.

Training Objectives

• List three core differences between PTSD and complex PTSD.
• Identify the three aspects of the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) theory that underlie EMDR’s effectiveness.
• Define three elements of racial trauma from the Anti-Racist Psychotherapy perspective.
• Identify the two paths for change from the predictive processing framework.
• List three components integral to memory reconsolidation.

Training Agenda

Prerequisites

• If you are seeking EMDRIA credits you need to make sure you are eligible to recieve themed.

Payment and Cancellation Policy

• Full payment is required prior to completing each part of the training.  Payment is accepted when you register through the payment links or you can pay by check payable to Archer Therapy and mailed to:

• Archer Therapy
  50 rue Jacques-Cartier
  Unit 104
  Salaberry-de Valleyfield, Quebec
  J6T 4R3, Canada

• Cancellation Policy: If you are not satisfied with your training for any reason and at any time, you can request a full refund, and it will be granted. Contact us at: [email protected] to request a refund or to cancel a training you have joined.  

By Registering for this Training, You Acknowledge

• CEs: You have read the CE information above. This course offers APA CE credits only. No other CEs are offered. It is your responsibility to make sure that you can apply APA credits to your specific license in your state.  Please see the prior section about CE credit details.
• Training Information & Eligibility: You verify that you meet the eligibility requirements of being a Master’s level behavioral health clinician or are a graduate student with an appropriate recommendation, see Prerequisites section above.
• You have read and consent to the Payment and Cancellation Policy, Safer Space Guidelines, Disclaimers, Grievance and Complaint Procedures, Anti-Bullying and Non-Discrimination Policy in the sections above.
• We strive to collect just enough of your personal information to meet the training requirements. We do not share your information beyond what is necessary to meet training obligations. To read more about our privacy policy, see here: https://archertherapy.com/privacy
• Professionalism: You will show up on time and be fully present for each session, acting in a professional manner. You will reach out to your faculty member or any assistants if any unexpected problems arise. You agree to refrain from all alcohol and illicit drug use during the training and agree to speak with your faculty member or an assistant if you anticipate that your impairment due to prescribed medications might pose a problem during the training. The faculty and staff reserve the right to remove trainees at any time if the trainee creates an unsafe or unprofessional environment for you or for other trainees, or for any other reason, at their sole discretion.
• Accommodations: We follow the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We ask that if you are in need of any special accommodations that will allow you to take your training with us online or in-person, please email us with any special requests thirty days before the scheduled training. If, during the training, a need for an accommodation arises, you are expected to contact your instructor and/or practicum assistant immediately and we will discuss the best possible solution. Online trainings offer closed captioning.
• Confidentiality: There is no client relationship or other privilege that would create a duty rising to the level of clinical confidentiality in this training setting. However, you are expected to respect the confidentiality of other trainees in the group, and your trainer will explain the importance of confidentiality. Trainees who observe a problem with another trainee are expected to bring the problem to the lead trainer or other training staff. Similarly, if a staff member observes an issue with professionalism, they reserve the right to discuss that issue with the lead trainer.
• Preparedness for Doing Your Own Work: Throughout the training, you will be expected to participate in a working practicum experience in the role of therapist, client, and observer. This means that you will be expected to do a small piece of your own, authentic clinical work. If you are currently in counseling or being treated for a mental health condition, it is recommended that you speak with your provider, alerting them that you are participating in the training. If you have received a major mental health diagnosis (past or present), you acknowledge that you are taking this training and engaging in this practicum at your own risk, and agree to alert faculty or training staff before or during the training if any complications arise. You acknowledge that everyone taking part in the practicum experience is new to this therapy and agree to keep the space as safe as possible for all involved. If any problems arise, you agree to address them with faculty or staff members.

About the Trainer

David Archer, PSW, MFT, MSW is a social worker, couple and family therapist, and anti-racist psychotherapist from Montreal, Canada (Tiohtià:ke). Archer is an award-winning researcher, EMDRIA-Approved EMDR Therapy Trainer, and his writings are now included as required reading for all new EMDR Basic-trained therapists. He is a recipient of the SSHRC doctoral fellowship, the Emerging Leader award from EMDRIA, the Community Service Award from ABPsi, and is an ISSTD fellow.

In Archer’s private practice, he specializes in treating complex PTSD, dissociative symptoms, and identity-based trauma by using Rhythm and Processing (RAP), an approach that utilizes music, videos, cultural leisure, ancestral resources, and the natural environment to heal traumatic memories and maladaptive beliefs. 

Archer has published five books and three audiobooks focusing on anti-oppression, complex trauma, and revolutionary recovery. They include Anti-Racist Psychotherapy, Racial Trauma Recovery, and Transforming Complex Trauma: Reflections on Anti-Racist Psychotherapy. He seeks to educate the public on mental wellness, promote transformative trauma therapies, train racially diverse anti-racist therapists, and inspire revolutionary therapists across all fields toward the betterment of our society and the next generation.