Birth, Reproductive & Medical Trauma EMDR Program
Focused Trauma Treatment for Experiences that Continue to Affect You.
Some birth, pregnancy and medical experiences stay with us long after they are over.
A Birth, Reproductive & Medical Trauma EMDR Intensive may be appropriate if you are experiencing ongoing distress linked to a specific traumatic or overwhelming experience.
You may notice:
Intrusive memories — unwanted memories, images or thoughts about what happened that return unexpectedly
Distress when reminded — feeling overwhelmed, upset or physically activated when reminded of the experience
Avoidance — avoiding conversations, appointments, places or situations connected to what happened
Feeling on edge — increased anxiety, hypervigilance or difficulty relaxing
Changes in mood or beliefs — ongoing fear, guilt, shame, grief, helplessness or changes in how you see yourself or the world
Body responses that feel stuck — feeling as though your body continues to respond as if the event is happening now.
This program is specifically designed for experiences such as traumatic birth, emergency caesarean, pregnancy complications, fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, NICU experiences or frightening medical events.
An intensive may be particularly suited to people who:
Can identify specific experiences they would like to work on
Have sufficient stability and support to engage in trauma processing
Are seeking focused trauma treatment rather than ongoing therapy
Suitability is determined through assessment to ensure this approach matches your current needs.
Why an EMDR Intensive?
Weekly therapy is a valuable and effective approach for many people.
However, some traumatic experiences benefit from dedicated therapeutic time, allowing greater continuity than a traditional weekly or fortnightly appointment.
An intensive provides a structured pathway across assessment, preparation, trauma processing and integration.
The intention is not to rush the work. Trauma treatment requires thoughtful pacing, preparation and attention to your individual circumstances.
Each program is individually formulated and tailored to your treatment goals, with planned therapeutic breaks throughout the day to support regulation, reflection and integration.
A Thoughtful Approach to EMDR
Birth, reproductive and medical trauma are often complex experiences.
A traumatic event may also involve fear, helplessness, grief, loss of control, changes in identity and the impact of what happened afterwards.
My approach is informed by the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model underpinning EMDR and integrates attachment-informed and parts-informed perspectives.
Treatment is individually formulated and carefully paced rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.
Designed Specifically for Birth, Reproductive & Medical Trauma
This program has been developed specifically for people navigating birth, reproductive and medical trauma.
This may include:
Traumatic birth experiences
Emergency caesarean birth
Assisted birth (forceps or vacuum)
Birth injury
Pregnancy complications
Hyperemesis gravidarum
Fertility treatment and IVF
Pregnancy loss and miscarriage
Stillbirth and loss
NICU or Special Care Nursery experiences
Medical procedures and healthcare-related trauma.
Treatment is tailored to your individual experiences, goals and current capacity.
A Focused Episode of Specialist Care
The Birth, Reproductive & Medical Trauma EMDR Program is designed as a defined episode of specialist care.
The program provides focused EMDR treatment for identified birth, reproductive or medical trauma experiences.
Many people who attend are already connected with a psychologist, psychiatrist, GP, obstetrician, midwife or other healthcare professional.
Following completion of the program and integration session, ongoing care is generally continued with your existing treating team or another appropriate provider if further therapy is recommended.
Your Intensive Journey
Frequently Asked Questions
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An EMDR Intensive may be appropriate if you are seeking focused trauma treatment for a specific birth, reproductive or medical experience that continues to affect you.
This format may be helpful if you:
Continue to experience distress linked to a traumatic birth, pregnancy, fertility or medical experience
Feel that a specific experience remains unresolved
Would benefit from a concentrated period of trauma-focused work rather than a traditional weekly therapy format
Have sufficient stability and support around you to engage in trauma processing.
Suitability is determined through an initial consultation, comprehensive assessment and treatment planning session. This ensures the intensive is clinically appropriate and that we have clear treatment goals for the work.
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An intensive is not the right format for everyone or every stage of treatment.
This approach may not be recommended if you are currently experiencing:
Acute safety concerns or significant risk
A mental health crisis requiring more immediate or intensive support
Significant life disruption or instability that makes trauma processing difficult to engage in safely
Circumstances where your immediate needs require ongoing stabilisation, crisis support or a higher level of care.
An intensive works best when there is enough stability to reflect on and process traumatic experiences.
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The purpose of the assessment process is to determine whether this model of care aligns with your current needs.
If an intensive is not recommended, this is not a reflection of whether your experiences are significant or deserving of support. It simply means another treatment approach or timing may better support your current circumstances.
Where appropriate, recommendations for alternative care will be discussed.
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The EMDR Intensive is designed as a focused episode of specialist care with a clear beginning, middle and completion point.
The program provides dedicated time to work on identified birth, reproductive or medical trauma treatment goals, followed by an integration session to support consolidation of the work and discuss next steps.
Ongoing therapy with me following completion of the intensive is not available as part of this program.
This structure allows me to maintain a dedicated focus on providing specialist trauma treatment and consultation work, while supporting continuity of care through your existing psychologist or healthcare team where appropriate.
If further therapy is recommended following the intensive, this will be discussed during the integration session and recommendations for ongoing support can be provided.
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Yes, absolutely!
Many people who attend this program are already connected with a mental health clinician. The intensive is designed to complement your existing care, not replace it.
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An intensive provides focused treatment for identified therapy goals. However, it is not designed to address every life experience, difficulty or area of distress.
Many people come to therapy with layered experiences, including previous trauma, attachment experiences, grief, relationship difficulties, mood challenges or longstanding patterns that may extend beyond the specific focus of an intensive.
During assessment, we will identify the most clinically relevant goals for the intensive and determine what can reasonably be addressed within this format.
For some people, the intensive may provide the focused trauma treatment they are seeking. For others, further therapeutic work may be recommended afterwards.
This is not because the intensive has been unsuccessful — it reflects that psychological experiences are complex and sometimes require different forms of support over time.
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Payment plans are not available for this program.
To secure your intensive booking:
A 50% deposit is required at the time of booking in order to reserve your booking
The remaining 50% balance is payable at the commencement of the intensive day.
Your appointment is not considered booked or held until the deposit has been received.
The assessment session, EMDR treatment planning/preparation session and the follow up session are payable on the day of each appointment.
Please note: that cancellations within 14 days of the intensive date will result in the deposit being forfeited, as this time has been reserved specifically for your treatment.
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If you have a referral under a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan and remaining eligible sessions available under the Better Access initiative, Medicare rebates may be available for eligible appointments within the program.
Eligible appointments include:
Comprehensive Assessment & Formulation session — one Medicare rebate
EMDR Treatment Planning & Preparation session — one Medicare rebate
5-hour EMDR Intensive Day — one Medicare rebate
Integration Session — one Medicare rebate
The 5-hour intensive day is considered one psychology consultation (not 5) for Medicare purposes, meaning than only one Medicare rebate can be claimed for the intensive day.
Where eligible, this allows for up to four Medicare rebates across the program based on the current Medicare rebate at the time of your treatment. Medicare eligibility and rebate amounts are determined by Medicare and may change over time.
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To access Medicare rebates, you will need:
A current Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP
Remaining eligible psychology sessions available under the Better Access initiative
Your Medicare card details.
Eligible rebates can be processed following payment of each appointment.
If you are unsure about your Medicare eligibility or remaining sessions, your GP or Medicare can assist you with confirming this before commencing the program.
To ensure you can access any eligible Medicare rebates, please ensure your referral is current and provided prior to your first appointment.
Interested?
The first step is a complimentary 15-minute consultation to briefly discuss what has brought you here, answer any questions about the intensive process, and determine whether this model of care may be suitable for your current needs.