EMDR Therapy in Young Children, a Double-blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

"Children will receive an EMDR psychotherapy comprising 8 treatment phases. As the treatment progresses, the child will proceed to desensitize the events of adversity experienced.~Phase 1 and 2, before the desensitization phases:~1. History of the patient (collection of anamnesis)~2. Securing the patient, preparing for the desensitization phases~ Desensitization phases, to be repeated for each traumatic event to be desensitized:~3. Evaluation of the target to be treated~4. Desensitization~5. Installation of positive beliefs~6. Body scanner (verification of body non-response)~7. Closure, verification that the patient is in a stable emotional state allowing him to leave the session~ Reassessment phase, to be repeated for each traumatic event that has been desensitized:~8. Reassessment of the traumatic target, verification of complete desensitization."

Children in the control group receive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) administered by the Lenval Foundation (CHU de Nice - France) within the Pediatric Psychotrauma Assessment Center (Centre d'évaluation du psychotraumatisme pédiatrique - CE2P).Cognitive and behavioral therapies are a standard treatment in the care service. Children in the control group will receive CBT specific to the treatment of PTSD in children under 6 years of age. CBT treatments dedicated to early childhood trauma have already been tested in the United States, and have shown evidence of effectiveness in randomized controlled trials (Mc Guire et al., 2021; Scheeringa et al., 2011).