EMDR HAP and the HAPKIDS Project

EMDR HAP or the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program is "an international non-profit EMDR-Humanitarian Assistance Programs (HAP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is the mental health equivalent of Doctors Without Borders: a global network of clinicians who travel anywhere there is a need to stop suffering and prevent the after-effects of trauma and violence." Volunteers for EMDR HAP travel the world providing training, treatment and consultation for communities who have experienced trauma and violence. After responding to the earthquakes in San Francisco and the terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City, EMDR HAP has responded to international disasters including, Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast Region of the United States, the Tsunami in South Asia; the terrorist attacks that occurred on 9/11 in the United States; the killing of students in a high school in Columbine, Colorado; the floods in Central and South America; a school of students who witnessed a plane crash into the building next to their school in Milan Italy; and, to regions of the world with on-going trauma including Palestne and Israel. These are but a few of the events to which EMDR HAP volunteers have responded. To learn more about EMDR HAP and EMDR HAPKIDS please explore the EMDR HAP website at http://www.emdrhap.org/.

What is EMDR HAPKIDS? EMDR HAPKIDS is a fledgling part of EMDR HAP that focuses on bringing together professionals who focus on working with children. In addition to the EMDR HAP trainings, HAPKIDS' goal is to focus on offering training, treatment, consultation and services to communities where the most vulnerable children need support and mental health professionals need specialized training in working with children. Many amazing child specialists have traveled the world volunteering for EMDR HAP and many more amazing individuals are working in the trenches to help children. As I have volunteered for EMDR HAP, I have had the honor of meeting these individuals who are helping children.

Dr. Bob Tinker and Dr. Sandra Wilson have worked in a refugee camp near Hemar, Germany with ethnic Albanians from Kosovo providing training and mental health services.

Reyhana Seedat from South Africa has provided many services for EMDR HAP including a recent trip to providing EMDR training and treatment in Gaza.

Mona Zaghrout-Hodali and Ferdoos Alissa are providing services at the East Jerusalem YMCA in Beit Sahour, Palestine where they offer training, supervision, and treatment to children.

In 1999, after 2 earthquakes killed some 25,000 people and displaced 750,000 Dr. Jim Knipe, EMDR HAP Project Coordinator for Turkey, lead a team of volunteers to Turkey in collaboration with the Turkish Psychological Association to provide mental health services to victims.

Janet Wright, Peggy Moore, Jim Knipe and many others have traveled repeatedly to the Middle East to provide specialty child EMDR services and training in collaboration with local mental health professionals.

Dr. Nacho Jarero, Dr. Lucinda Artigas along with a group of EMDR professionals have responded for over 10 years to the disaster needs of communities in Central & South America. During this time they created an "EMDR Butterfly Hug or Group Protocol" to work with groups of victims and especially with children.

Dr. Isabel Fernandez and her team responded to the needs of a school of children in Milan, Italy after a plane crashed into the building next to the school.

These dedicated professional volunteers are representative of the international community of individuals working to stop pain and suffering especially with children.

For more information:

http://www.emdrhap.org/ The EMDR HAP website

http://www.emdria.com/ The EMDR International Association website with links to other international EMDR organizations

http://www.emdr.com/ The EMDR Institute website

http://www.emdr-europe.org/ The EMDR Europe website