News and Resources
Paper: A Critique of the 2025 APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults: Underrating EMDR Effectiveness
Why do some clinical guidelines rate EMDR differently from other evidence-based treatments for PTSD? In this thought-provoking article, Chris Lee, Ad de Jongh, Derek Farrell, Larissa Meysner, Sarah Dominguez and Sharif El-Leithy critically examine the 2025 APA PTSD Guideline, highlighting methodological concerns and reviewing the research that supports EMDR therapy as a highly effective treatment for trauma.
Resource: EMDR Therapy in Legally Sensitive Matters
This practical resource provides guidance for EMDR therapists working in legally sensitive contexts, where a client’s experiences may be relevant to current or future legal proceedings. Drawing on Australian case law and trauma-informed practice, it offers considerations around consent, timing, documentation, record keeping, and maintaining the therapist’s therapeutic role while supporting ethical and clinically sound care.
Webinar: Keeping Up with EMDR Research
All mental health practitioners are encouraged to keep up with the latest research to ensure their knowledge and clinical skills are grounded in current evidence. However, this can become increasingly difficult with the proliferation of research each year and the significant demands on individuals' professional and private lives. This session will provide EMDR therapists an update on current literature, focusing on the most relevant research from the last 12 months.
ABC News: EMDR is being heralded as 'life-changing' for mental health treatment. But what is it?
This article explores EMDR therapy, an evidence-based treatment recognized for its effectiveness in healing trauma and emotional distress. Clinical psychologist Dr. Sarah Dominguez shares insights on how EMDR helps reduce the emotional impact of traumatic experiences through guided bilateral stimulation, supporting lasting recovery.
Article: United We Stand; EMDR as an Integrative Perspective
Dr. Sarah Dominguez explores how EMDR therapy integrates techniques from multiple therapeutic approaches to offer flexible, client-centred treatment. This integrative perspective enhances outcomes while maintaining the integrity of each modality.
Podcast: Understanding EMDR
In this podcast episode, Sarah Dominguez shares her experience as a trainer and discusses how EMDR therapy is evolving globally. She explores its growth from a treatment primarily for PTSD to a broader, integrative approach that can stand alone or complement other therapies.
Research and Resources
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IREM Frequency Study - Ongoing
Sexual Assault Resource Centre, Perth
Sarah is on the study board of a large, multinational, randomised controlled trial investigating the difference between two trauma-focused interventions (EMDR and imagery rescripting) on PTSD symptoms for adult survivors of childhood trauma. The study also examines the role of treatment frequency on outcomes.
Medicare for EMDR - 2020
On behalf of the EMDR Association of Australia, Sarah co-authored an application to Medicare to have EMDR acknowledged as a specific targeted intervention for PTSD, in line with current literature. Based on the success of this application, Sarah was asked to attend the Medical Service Advisory Committee Meeting in Canberra to respond to the application in person. This application was approved in May 2020, and Medicare now formally acknowledges EMDR as an evidence-based treatment for PTSD.
EMDR for Depression - 2019
The Hollywood Clinic, Perth
Sarah was the lead researcher in a randomised controlled trial investigating the efficacy of additional individual therapy sessions for people in a group mood and anxiety management program. As well as overseeing all aspects of recruitment and data collection, she supervised a research team and delivered evidence-based interventions (CBT and EMDR) and psychometric assessments. Sarah received grants totalling $23,000 from the EMDR Association of Australia and the Hollywood Private Hospital Research Foundation to support this research.
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Dominguez, S. K. (2022). EMDR therapy for depression: Implications for mental health. Go With That. EMDR International Association.
Dominguez, S. K., Matthijssen, S. J., & Lee, C. W. (2021). Trauma-focused treatments for depression. A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 16(7), e0254778.
Dominguez, S., Drummond, P., Gouldthorp, B., Janson, D., & Lee, C. W. (2020). A randomised controlled trial examining the impact of individual trauma‐focused therapy on people receiving group treatment for depression. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice.
Dominguez, S. K., & Lee, C. W. (2019). Differences in international guidelines regarding EMDR for posttraumatic stress disorder: Why they diverge and suggestions for future research. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 13(4), 247-260.
Dominguez, S. K., & Lee, C. W. (2017). Errors in the 2017 APA clinical practice guideline for the treatment of PTSD: What the data actually says. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1425.
Wibbelink, C. J., Lee, C. W., Bachrach, N., Dominguez, S. K., Ehring, T., van Es, S. M., ... & Arntz, A. (2021). The effect of twice-weekly versus once-weekly sessions of either imagery rescripting or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for adults with PTSD from childhood trauma (IREM-Freq): a study protocol for an international randomized clinical trial. Trials, 22(1), 1-22.
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