ST ALBANS PSYCHOLOGY
EMDR Therapy at St Albans Psychology
At St Albans Psychology, EMDR is offered by Dr Paul Workman, Clinical Psychologist and experienced EMDR Europe–accredited therapist working with adults, adolescents, and children. EMDR is an evidence-based therapy that helps people process distressing or overwhelming experiences that continue to affect them in the present.
When experiences are not fully processed at the time they occur, they can remain “stuck”, leading to ongoing emotional distress, physical sensations, or unhelpful beliefs about oneself. EMDR supports the brain to process these memories safely and effectively, allowing them to feel more distant, less intense, and less disruptive to everyday life.
EMDR can be helpful for difficulties including trauma, anxiety, phobias, low mood, experiences linked to medical procedures, and significant life events or losses. Work with children and adolescents is carefully adapted to be developmentally appropriate and may involve play, drawing, or storytelling. With adults, therapy is collaborative, paced, and grounded in safety and choice.
All EMDR therapy at St Albans Psychology is trauma-informed and tailored to the individual, with a strong emphasis on building a trusting therapeutic relationship.
Attachment-Informed EMDR
Dr Paul Workman has completed specialist training in attachment-informed EMDR, an approach draws on attachment theory and related frameworks for understanding developmental and relational trauma, integrating them alongside standard EMDR therapy. While EMDR is highly effective for processing specific traumatic events, many people (particularly those who experienced difficulties in their early relationships) benefit from an approach that also considers the broader patterns of how we relate to ourselves and others.
Attachment-informed EMDR pays close attention to the therapeutic relationship, early relational experiences, and the ways in which attachment patterns shape current emotional responses. This can be especially helpful for people presenting with complex trauma, longstanding relationship difficulties, low self-esteem rooted in early experiences, or difficulties with emotional regulation. The approach allows for careful preparation and stabilisation work before trauma processing, with sensitivity to how the therapeutic relationship itself can support healing.
This approach is particularly suited to clients who have experienced developmental or relational trauma, inconsistent caregiving in childhood, or difficulties in close relationships that feel rooted in long-standing patterns rather than specific events.
For clients presenting with single-incident trauma, standard EMDR may be the most appropriate approach — we will discuss and agree the right fit with you during your initial consultation.
If you're interested in a consultation for EMDR Therapy
Get in touch so we can discuss if it may be useful for you