What is unique about EMDR Therapy?

Psychological distress is caused and maintained by unprocessed memories. 

Many other psychotherapies help us to learn more adaptive responses that are maintaining distress about triggers.

In comparison, 

EMDR Therapy helps us to process memories that are causing both the distress and the unhelpful responses to triggers.

The clients processing system is Adaptive.

When all is well, the body and brain usually work together to receive and connect and process information to learn and grow.

When this system is overloaded, it cannot tolerate all memory fragments at once so it stalls and overtime develops problem responses to manage the memory fragments. 

EMDR Therapy facilitates the client to build trust in their Adaptive Processing system(AIP). The AIP system reveals what pieces of the puzzle are required to reprocess it effectively.

The memory moves from feeling like a fragmented distressing re-experience into a neutral or enabling memory that is held with useful learning and increased adaptive sense of self.

Are all psychotherapies improving the capacity of the AIP system to some degree? Probably, and if the AIP capacity is strengthened, it may be more able to spontaneously process relevant memories. 

But it is a side effect. Some things stay stuck no matter how many emotional regulation skills we use.

What we do know is that EMDR Therapy provides an evidence-based theoretical model and structured therapy process to directly and effectively process memories still causing and maintaining psychological problems.

 Join us in 2026 !!

EMDR Therapy Training with University of Otago, Wellington

 homegrown in Aotearoa NZ.


The University of Otago offers Aotearoa NZ’s first University-based postgraduate training in EMDR Therapy. 

The Post Graduate Certificate (Health Sciences) endorsed in EMDR Therapy 

2 year, part time, NZQA level 8, online lectures plus in person block courses in Wellington.

The first year is also an EMDRNZ accredited Basic Training.

MaryAnn Stevens (Course Director) and Dr Tom Flewett ( EMDRNZ and EMDR Institute Trainers) have developed this training to meet the needs of New Zealand’s mental health practitioners. It is aligned with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is tailored to New Zealand’s unique culture and environment.

O For experienced Mental Health Clinicians providing individual therapy.

O Integrates well with other modalities and into many professional and cultural contexts.

O Strong evidence base as an effective treatment for many mental health conditions. 

O cultural adaptability and transdiagnostic treatment outcomes.

EMDR Therapy is one of the most complex psychotherapies and a high level of experience in assessment, conceptualisation and therapeutic process skills is required before being eligible to undertake the training.

In 2026, Dr Erica Chadwick and Dr Anna Clarkson (All highly experienced Clinical Psychologists and EMDR Practitioners) will join MaryAnn Stevens to lead the teaching team. A number of other experts will be joining us to present on their areas of expertise.


For a Webinar about EMDR Therapy at Otago and Strawberries: https://youtu.be/UsCcN54oUiE

MaryAnn Stevens 

NZ Clinical Psychologist , 

Director, Otago University EMDR programme, 

EMDR Institute Trainer,  EMDRNZ Accredited Trainer.


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