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General Assembly 2022

EMDR Lebanon Association had its annual General Assembly Meeting on March 26, 2022, at the association’s headquarters in Beirut. Ms. Lina Ibrahim, the president of the association, gave a presentation where she summarized all the activities and events that took place in the past year as well as the main difficulties the association had been facing in 2021, both internally and country-wise. Ms. Ibrahim also discussed general consultation issues and ended the meeting with an overview of the action plan for 2022 and the board elections. 
As an overview and recap, the following are the main activities of EMDR Lebanon’s project for the years 2020-2023:
– Basic EMDR Therapy Training course 
– Trauma Psychosocial Support Training Course – Plus
– Children and Adolescents EMDR Training Course
– Training of EMDR Trainer
– Training of EMDR Consultants
– Training of TPSS+ Supervisors 
– Treating around 1000 Beneficiaries
One of the main concerns EMDR Lebanon officials for the year 2021 was the Basic EMDR training courses that are taking place online around the world. Therefore, the administrative board decided not to acknowledge or approve these online training courses for the following reasons: (1) they don’t satisfy the requirements set by the association in terms of practicum, number of clients to work with, the number of EMDR sessions, and number of individual and group consultation sessions, (2) internet connections are not reliable in any place around the world and especially in Lebanon, and (3) some online courses are taking a high number of participants, that is, more than what can be recommended for a training course.
The president also gave an overview of the training schedules for 2022 activities related to EMDR training courses and the TPSS+ Training course. 
Ms. Ibrahim ended the meeting by discussing the upcoming board election’s timeline, for the current Administrative Board’s duration will end on July 10, 2022. The election day will take place in early July 2022.

Basic EMDR Summary & Guidelines – Level 2

To reinforce what the trainees learned in Basic EMDR Training Course level 2 that took place in January 2022, a Summary & Guidelines Meeting was organized for them. It took place on the 19th and 20th of March 2022 at the EMDR Lebanon Headquarters. The trainees, divided into 2 groups with a 1-day workshop for each, received a summary of the content that was presented in Level 2 workshop. This meeting was delivered by the approved EMDR Consultant, Ms. Lina Ibrahim.

During the few months after completing Level 2 workshop, our trainees had the opportunity to apply the newly learned techniques and skills. This Summary and Guidelines workshop gave them a chance to receive a recap of the information and a capacity to ask questions and receive answers. A healthy discussion was done over the new definition of EMDR Therapy, memory networks, complex trauma, case conceptualization according to Adaptive Information Processing Model, treatment planning, and the variations to the Standard EMDR protocol.

Ms. Lina Ibrahim also discussed how to prepare their next group consultation’s beneficiary cases which will take place in May 2022.

Basic EMDR Training Course – Level 2

In the last several months, our trainees worked on strengthening their EMDR skills acquired in level 1 of the Basic EMDR Therapy Training Course. The level 2 workshop of the Basic EMDR Training Course took place from the 26th until the 30th of January at the Coral Beach Hotel & Resort, Beirut. During the workshop the trainees worked to advance their knowledge in EMDR therapy approach.
This interactive training was led by the internationally accredited EMDR trainer Dr. Derek Ferrell from the United Kingdom. He was assisted by a team of Lebanese facilitators and consultants-in-training. The workshop was delivered in the English language and translated instantaneously to Arabic. The training focused on how EMDR therapy can be used with individuals that have complex clinical presentations. It was an opportunity for the trainees to share some of the cases that they had treated and to discuss the different ways that they used with different case complexities while using EMDR therapy.
Twenty-five psychologists, who completed the requirements of level 1, attended this 5-day training which consisted of both theory and practice. During the first half of each day, the trainees dwelled into the theoretical aspect of the EMDR approach. The second half was allocated to practice. During level 2, trainees were introduced to “Blind to Therapist” protocol, which differs from the standard EMDR protocol in that the client does not reveal to the therapist the traumatic/negative experience that they are working on. They also learned “The Flashforward” protocol that can be applied to clients who suffer from Phobia
Parallel to the training, with the aim of studying the effectiveness of EMDR therapy on patients living in Lebanon, we continued tracking down clinical outcomes, by collecting data from beneficiaries receiving EMDR treatment as part of this project.
The training received a lot of positive feedback from the participants. They will later receive individual and group consultation until Level 3 that will take place in July 2022.

TPSS+ Supervision Level 1

The 2 TPSS+ trainers, Mr. Frank Hofmann, Ms. Mirjam Goihl, returned to Lebanon to give group supervision for the psychosocial providers who are attending the TPSS+ training course. The group supervision meetings took place on the 11th and 12th of December 2021 at the Golden Tulip Serenada Hotel in Beirut.
30 trainees attended 2 days of group supervision; they were divided into 3 groups. Each group was led by one of our trainers and our supervisor Mrs. Maureen Mahfouz.
Each trainee presented a case of a beneficiary they worked with. They demonstrated the skills that they learned during the level 1 of the training course. They presented how they collected the background information, how they noted down the issues and situations that the beneficiaries were suffering from, and how they applied the intervention that they had learned. The trainees talked about the challenges that they faced and shared their successes. 
EMDR Lebanon Association is currently engaged in the preparations and organization of the Trauma Psychosocial Support Plus Training Course – Level 2, scheduled to take place in March 2022.

TPSS+ Level 1 Summary Session

As part of the Trauma Psychosocial Support plus Training Course (TPSS+®), an essential follow-up summary session took place. The psychosocial provider trainees received a summary of the content that was covered in level 1 last October 2021.
All 33 participants from level 1 attended this session which was delivered by the TPSS+ Supervisor, Mrs. Maureen Mahfouz. The participants were divided into 2 groups with a half-a-day session for each on the 6th and 7th of November 2021 at the EMDR Lebanon Headquarters.
In addition to receiving a summary and explanation of the content that was covered in level 1, participants were also given directions on how they are expected to work with beneficiaries within their own organizations. They were also given guidelines for intervention sessions, safety protocols, and which assessment tools to use. In addition, the trainees received instructions on how to present a case, which they will apply in the TPSS+® group supervision workshop scheduled next month.

Trauma Psychosocial Support Plus Training Course – Level 1

EMDR Lebanon Association organized its first Trauma Psychosocial Support plus Training Course (TPSS+®) which will take place from 2021 till 2023.
The TPSS+ Training Course is a psychosocial-support training program developed by Trauma Aid Germany. It aims to teach psychosocial and mental health service providers the impact of negative life events on people’s psychological and social well-being and the way to deal with traumatized people who have experienced a crisis on a massive or on an individual level. The TPSS+ Training Course is composed of 3 levels. Each level consists of a 5-day workshop, group consultation, field practicum, and case presentations.
Level 1 workshop took place from the 9th till 13th of October 2021 at the Coral Beach Hotel & Resort, Beirut.
Thirty-three psychosocial providers attended the workshop. It was presented in the English language by the internationally accredited EMDR consultants, Mr. Frank Hofmann and Ms. Mirjam Goihl from Germany. They were supported by a team of 2 Lebanese facilitators.
The training was interactive and filled with lots of activities. The participants learned many psychosocial techniques and exercises and self-care skills.
Participants have enough time to practice and apply what they learned until Level 2 in March 2022.
This training is also funded by Terre des Hommes Germany and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation & Development.

Group EMDR Consultation 2021 – Level 1

As part of the Basic EMDR Training Course Level 1, group consultations with EMDR trainees took place over a series of 3 consultations during the month of September 2021 in which trainees got the chance to present cases and discuss them within the group and receive constructive feedback. The group consultations were led by the approved EMDR consultants, Ms. Lina Ibrahim and Dr. Youssef Akoury.
Trainees were divided into 3 groups, with 1 full day workshop for each group. Training was delivered on the 18th, 19th, and 26th of September 2021 at the EMDR Lebanon Headquarter in Beirut.
Having had their initial experience delivering EMDR therapy to beneficiaries, our trainees presented 1 case that they applied EMDR therapy with. During the presentations and discussions, they shared the systematic steps they followed in applying EMDR therapy. All trainees had the opportunity to talk about the challenges they faced, and the benefits that they got from the expertise of our approved consultants, who guided their work and pinpointed the distinctive clinical techniques used in EMDR treatment approach. The trainees also shared how these workshops and training have enriched their therapy techniques and aided them in their work with the beneficiaries. 
EMDR Lebanon Association is currently preparing for the Basic EMDR Training Level 2, scheduled to take place in January 2022.

Basic EMDR Training – Summary & Guidelines Level 1 Meeting

As part of the Basic EMDR Training Course, an essential follow-up meeting took place. The psychologist trainees received a summary of the content that was covered in level 1 last June 2021.
The workshop was delivered by the approved EMDR Consultant, Ms. Lina Ibrahim. The trainees were divided into 2 groups with a 1-day workshop for each on the 31st of July and 1st of August 2021 at the EMDR Lebanon Headquarters.
Trainees were given tools and requirements needed for their work with beneficiaries. They received assessment tools, consent forms (beneficiaries need to agree to undergo psychological scales), and worksheets (to facilitate their work with the beneficiaries). Also trainees were instructed on how to upload data of tests and assessments of the beneficiaries to the EMDR Lebanon secure online system.
Ms. Lina Ibrahim also discussed guidelines on how to apply EMDR therapy with a beneficiary and on how to present a case in group consultation. The latter will take place in a different workshop and each trainee will present one case and benefit from group discussions.

Basic EMDR Training Course 2021 – 2023 – Level 1

EMDR Lebanon Association is organizing another Basic EMDR Therapy Training Course for licensed Lebanese Psychologists that will take place over a span of one year and a half.

Part 1 of the Basic EMDR Therapy Training Course is a 5-day workshop of instruction and practice, and it took place from the 23rd to the 27th of June 2021 at the Coral Beach Hotel & Resort, Beirut. It was presented in the English language and translated instantaneously to Arabic. It was delivered by the internationally accredited EMDR trainer Dr. Derek Farrell from the UK. He was accompanied by a team of 6 Lebanese facilitators and consultants-in-training.

Thirty-One participants attended the Basic EMDR training. They are experienced practicing psychologists, some of which are working with NGOs that provide psychosocial support to refugees and vulnerable people and others who are working in private sectors, that is, universities, hospitals, or private clinics.

The training was very successful and the participants were excited about learning and practicing EMDR therapy. They will be practicing the EMDR protocol and procedure before they begin applying it on their clients. They will receive individual and group consultation by our consultants until Level 2 that will take place in January 2022.

Special thanks to Terre des Hommes Germany and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation & Development for providing this opportunity for EMDR Lebanon Association to fulfill one of its missions.