Younger children often take very easily to EFT. Teenagers are often tired of feeling emotional pain, especially anxiety, and willing to try most anything. Hormones are beginning to rage; they don’t understand what is going on in their body. They are confused about many things. They are very concerned about being “cool” and not looking foolish. And, to make matters worse they are not really sure exactly what is “cool.”
Some children, especially those with abuse in their history, can be a different story! They are not easily convinced to do, or try, or believe anything. They often learned that a simple invitation to do something, go get an ice cream cone for instance, can turn into something else, something sometimes very ugly and painful. They are suspicious – with good reason! Rapport can be more complicated to develop with teens and preteens, particularly with a traumatic history.
Rapport is an important concept for all clients. At times, rapport is fairly easy to establish, other times, particularly with clients experiencing multiple traumas, it can be a slow, time-consuming, and ongoing, task. Don’t rush it.
I was talking today with a therapist about using EFT with children and shared an example from another therapist who was referred a 12-year-old boy to “try EFT with him.” After going over the EFT handout with him they started tapping. The boy objected and said they were just trying to make him look silly and got up and left. At our residential program, we generally had another chance with our rather captive audience. But, in private practice, you may not get that other chance.
Three problems here: 1) the staff did not have personal background knowledge of the child’s history; 2) the staff did not have a personal rapport or a clear picture of the child’s personality and how he currently viewed, or framed, h
is world; 3) The standard handout we gave kids with the picture of the EFT points drawn on a face had been the only explanation he gave about EFT.
It was too much, too soon.
Keys to keep in mind no matter the age of your client:
1) Conduct your own intake, whether with a parent about a child, or an adult himself, to assess early childhood trauma.
2) Take the time to develop deep rapport with your client – of any age. Just because they come to you for help – and especially if they were brought to you by someone else – does not mean rapport comes quickly. Severely traumatic histories, particularly, make building rapport an ongoing process. Don’t rush it.
3) Pre-frame EFT, even with children. When you have some understanding of their background, their personality, and their frame of the world you can decide which of the many ways to use to explain – to bridge – EFT.
4) (I know I said 3 tips but I like to add value :-) Going slow can be the fastest way to get there. Just because EFT can work quickly doesn’t mean we have to – or should. Each client’s journey is on a different timetable.
Every client has their own path, their own journey, their own timing.
