Group EMDR Therapy
Providing Group EMDR Therapy services for trauma recovery in a supportive environment, in person at our office in Burlington and virtually online across Ontario.
Recover from your trauma and begin living a more peaceful life.
Group Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a brief and targeted intervention for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute distress. In addition, it helps with recovery from recent traumatic events, or past traumatic events and adverse childhood experiences that have been recently triggered.
The aim of our groups is to help you reduce PTSD/acute distress from a traumatic event, while also strengthening your grounding and stabilization skills. In Group EMDR Therapy we help you prepare for the future through building and strengthening future-focused resilience.
People who are dealing with traumatic memories, including flashbacks and other PTSD symptoms, can benefit from EMDR therapy. Group EMDR therapy can be beneficial, especially for folks who struggle with talking about their traumatic experiences. In group – we learn stabilization and grounding skills, process individually the trauma through guided instructions incorporating eye movement, without the need to share personal information regarding your traumatic experiences.
Why EMDR Therapy in a Group format?
At Christina Janiga Psychotherapy we strive to facilitate healing, growth, and inclusion by delivering medically-evidenced based therapy. Group options for psychotherapy enable us to provide wider access to effective, evidence-based trauma treatment in a safe and supported setting.
We promote safety (first!) and confidentiality for all participants.
Trauma can be difficult to share with anyone, let alone talking about it with strangers. Our groups provide a supportive space where you DO NOT have to talk about your trauma AND still have the opportunity to reprocess it. Reprocessing is done individually through guided instructions incorporating eye movements within a group setting and with professional support by your side.
What is shared are positive experiences, about the adaptive information we learn along the way – both past and present! Research demonstrates that being seen and heard are often essential components of trauma recovery.
The safety of the group is paramount! The pre-screening intake session and group guidelines foster a safe, respectful, and private environment.
How Does Group EMDR Therapy Work?
We implement a specific EMDR Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (G-TEP) in our EMDR Therapy Groups. Groups (size of groups vary between 2-10 people) meet either in person at our Burlington office location or remotely through a secure virtual link.
Our groups are divided into a two-part programme, co-facilitated by a Certified EMDR Therapist (Christina Janiga) and two or three experienced, trauma-trained Psychotherapists and supervised Intern Psychotherapists.
Each group consists of 2-hour weekly group therapy sessions over the course of 3 weeks.
We offer two groups for processing. Part one must be completed before registering for Part Two.
Part One: Group EMDR Therapy
Part One includes grounding, stabilization, and preparation – foundational to all trauma recovery! As well as an opportunity for trauma reprocessing.
Part Two of Group EMDR Therapy
Part two offers further opportunities for trauma reprocessing and future focussed resilience building for future challenges.
Types of Group EMDR Therapy
We offer various groups at this time specific to sexual violence survivors, individuals suffering with chronic pain, and general recent traumatic events. Through our pre-screening/intake process, we are careful when placing people into appropriate group settings.
Depending on the groups, we incorporate G-TEP, Specific Sexual Violence Survivors (SVS) EMDR Group Therapy, and the Flash Technique/4 Blinks Technique. Groups can have up to 10 participants, in a safe, contained environment with two or three psychotherapists for support.
If you require Group EMDR Therapy for your organization, family, school, or small group, please contact us.
You are tired of fighting posttraumatic (PTSD) symptoms alone.
Group EMDR Therapy with our team at Christina Janiga Psychotherapy helps you:
- Understand your PTSD symptoms and triggers.
- From a culturally and neurodiversity-affirming perspective learn strategies that are healthy and effective for you to reduce your PTSD symptoms.
- Strengthen your grounding and stabilization skills.
- Effectively process and reduce PTSD/acute distress from traumatic events and experiences.
- Build future-focusing resilience.
Who benefits from Group EMDR therapy?
Group EMDR Therapy is suitable for a wide range of concerns, issues, and demographics – from past childhood adverse experiences to recent traumatic events. It has been shown to reduce distress and PTSD symptoms, and individuals gain further stabilization techniques to help with future challenges.
With traditional 50-minute EMDR psychotherapy sessions it may take 8-12 EMDR sessions for one traumatic event to be reprocessed. The intensive, longer 2-hour Group EMDR Therapy sessions provide for an accelerated process over 3 sessions.
Learn more about the benefits of EMDR Intensives.
Group therapy can work well for small groups including couples, families, and those impacted by the same traumatic event (work or school place traumas, survivors of natural disasters, individuals coping with physical illnesses, and the loss of a loved one (i.e., death by suicide).
Before you engage in Group EMDR Therapy, we recommend you have an available and established support person and/or psychotherapist. We accept VQRP+ program, and recommend you check with your insurance provider that Group Psychotherapy is covered under your plan. If you are unsure if it would be a good fit for you, please contact us for more information.
We also encourage the following prior to registering for our Group EMDR Therapy:
You are able to self-regulate and self-soothe from triggers and PTSD symptoms.
You are ready to process past or recent traumatic events.
You have a psychotherapist, family doctor/GP, or health professional to engage with between attending each group (if needed). If you are attending EMDR Groups as an adjunct to individual therapy, engaging with your therapist between group sessions can help integrate your group work into your overall treatment plan.
If you have difficulty with the first session of Part One Group EMDR Therapy, then a psychotherapist will be there to provide support and additional resources. We may also indicate that further stabilization is needed with your therapist before registering for future groups.
If you do not have a regular psychotherapist and don’t know where to find one, please take a look at our Team of Trauma Trained Psychotherapists or search your area through Psychology Today.
There are certain situations where you might not be ready for Group EMDR Therapy with Christina Janiga Psychotherapy. These situations include, but are not limited to:
Instances of severe mental illness
Ongoing difficulties with substance abuse
Severe instability at home
If you are currently experiencing a severe mental illness, we recommend you seek outpatient services at a local program within your community. Please see our Resources Page for links to local supports within the Burlington, Halton Region, and across Ontario.
Benefits from Group EMDR Therapy
Trauma symptom reduction
Trauma stabilization
Fosters connection and reduces isolation
Prevention of deterioration of symptoms
Co-regulation with others
Understand more about yourself through the eyes of others (through shared positive experiences only)
Community empowerment
Group EMDR Therapy helps you feel more regulated and connected.
Our team at Christina Janiga Psychotherapy has extensive experience in helping people overcome trauma and find relief from symptoms of PTSD. We offer a range of evidence-based treatment approaches, including Individual EMDR Therapy, Group EMDR Therapy, and EMDR Intensive Therapy, to help you manage and reprocess trauma so you can live a more fulfilling life.
We understand that seeking help for trauma and PTSD symptoms can be intimidating, and we are here to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible for you.
Our therapists are warm, compassionate, and non-judgmental, and we are committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for you to reprocess your trauma and distressing experiences.
You DO NOT talk about your trauma in our Group EMDR Therapy. Only positive experiences are shared in our groups.
If you are ready to take the first step towards recovering from your trauma and living a more restful and happier life, we invite you to contact us to schedule an appointment.
Our team is here to support you on your journey towards finding relief from your symptoms and facing forward with strength, courage, and resilience.
YOUR NEXT STEPS
Group EMDR Therapy is meant to help you increase grounding, stabilization, and reprocess your traumatic experiences. Together, as a collaborative group, where only positive experiences are shared (no traumatic processing is shared) you will reduce your PTSD symptoms. You will find the most effective coping strategies that work best for you and be equipped for future challenges.
Invest in your healing.
Investing in yourself is an important step towards finding the happiness and fulfillment you deserve. By seeking group therapy and working with trained psychotherapy professionals, you can get to the root of the problems you are experiencing and reprocess the traumas that are holding you back. Together, in a positive and confidential environment, you will work on healing old wounds and developing future-focused strategies to help you move forward in a way that feels authentic and fulfilling.
Book Your Pre-Screening Intake Session
Pre-screening is required. Christina Janiga Psychotherapy uses a trauma questionnaire and phone (or virtual) screening to determine who can benefit the most from this therapy. Participants must be physically located within the province of Ontario.
During this initial 75-minute pre-screening intake session, you will meet with our trained Intern Psychotherapists (supervised by Christina Janiga), who will help define the psychotherapy group dynamics and discuss the details of informed consent for Group Therapy.
During the screening, the therapist will gather information about you and your biological, psychological, and social history and how this is impacting your current situation. This helps identify the best Group Therapy program for you.
*To help reduce costs, pre-screening intake sessions for EMDR Group Therapy are provided through our Internship Program and are at NO COST for you to complete.
Part One: Group EMDR Therapy
Fees
$200 per 2-hour Group EMDR session.
Week 1
Foundational trauma safety and stabilization, including grounding, connection and preparation.
Week 2 and 3
2-hour sessions focused on reprocessing a traumatic event. No trauma information is shared amongst the group.
Part Two: Group EMDR Therapy
Fees
$200 per 2-hour Group EMDR session.
Week 1 and 2
2-hour sessions focused on reprocessing a trauma event (may be the same or different event from Part 1). No trauma information is shared amongst the group.
Week 3
Provides a future-focused session to help you prepare for future challenges, building resilience, and confidence in your resources and strengths.
Upcoming Group EMDR Therapy Dates
2024 Dates
Fees
$200 per 2-hour Group EMDR session.
FULL – September 20th, 27th, October 4th, 10am – 12pm ** Part One **
November 8th, 15th, 22nd 10am – 12pm ** Part One **
*To help reduce costs, pre-screening intake sessions for EMDR Group Therapy are provided through our Internship Program and are at NO COST for you to complete.
More about our Group EMDR Therapy Facilitators
We are a team of skilled registered psychotherapists and EMDR Therapists with a goal to help you achieve deep and lasting change by getting to the root of your struggles with trauma and PTSD symptoms.
We believe in the power of therapy to help people overcome challenges and live fulfilling lives. Our Christina Janiga Psychotherapy Team of trauma-trained therapists can provide you with a safe and supportive space you need to begin to recover from your trauma.
Facilitator: Christina Janiga
Certified EMDR Therapist, EMDR Consultant
Registered Psychotherapist
Please note: All pre-screening intake sessions for our Group Therapy are completed by our Intern Psychotherapists and are supervised by Christina. Through our Internship Program we continue to support our community in accessing affordable psychotherapy. Pre-screening is free and at no cost to complete.
Secure Services
Christina Janiga and associated employees of Christina Janiga Psychotherapy offer virtual psychotherapy and counselling sessions through secure, Canada-based software called JaneVideo. JaneVideo is a secure and encrypted online video platform that meets all of Canada’s privacy requirements and laws.
For more information, please Jane’s privacy policies.