Page 124 - Post-traumatic stress disorder in adults with mild intellectual disability: Screening, assessment, and brief intensive EMDR therapy

Chapter 5
While researchers held multiple discussion meetings to compare
interpretations and reduce potential bias, and participants shared both
positive and negative experiences, it cannot be entirely ruled out that social
desirability may have influenced some responses during the interviews. All
therapists involved were highly experienced in both EMDR and working with
people with intellectual disabilities, and they received supervision multiple
times during the therapy process, which likely reduced differences in how
therapists conducted EMDR (e.g., timing of cognitive interweaves or dealing
with avoidance behaviour). This raises questions about the potential role of
therapists’ expertise in the acceptability and effectiveness of this treatment
format. Specifically, it would be valuable to explore whether participants’
positive experiences with different therapists are influenced by therapist
expertise and whether these experiences would remain consistent if the
treatment implementation became less uniform.
Finally, building on clients’ experiences, further research into the
organisational aspects of the therapy process is needed. One area worth
exploring is whether increased involvement of professional caregivers, for
instance, by accompanying clients after sessions to provide emotional
support, could enhance the therapeutic process.
Conclusion
Brief Intensive EMDR therapy with rotating therapists is not only effective
(Versluis et al., 2025a), but also well received by adults with MID-BIF and
severe behavioural problems, who generally express positive experiences
regarding both the intensity of the treatment and working with multiple
therapists
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