Bringing EMDR into the room with young children and their caregivers, without either model losing its shape.
Phill Stepka, PsyD, IMH-E is a licensed clinical psychologist in the United States and has trained and worked in a variety of clinical, research, and academic settings with infants, children, adolescents, adults, and families for over 20 years. Prior to moving to Texas in 2021, he served as clinical faculty in the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Psychiatry Department, teaching faculty for the Harris Center for Infant Mental Health at LSUHSC and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He is a member of the Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) Global Steering Committee; an endorsed CPP National Trainer; an endorsed Infant Mental Health Mentor-Clinical; Certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); an Endorsed EMDR Consultant; and Credentialled Telehealth Provider.
Dr. Stepka is actively involved in the training of infant mental health practitioners and trauma-informed clinicians at the individual, agency, university, state, national, and international level. He co-authored the book Treating Infants and Young Children Impacted by Trauma: Interventions that Promote Healthy Development and has been involved in research and publications addressing infant mental health, sexual abuse, telehealth, and military families. He has maintained a clinical private practice since 2010 and provides services to residents of Louisiana, Iowa, Texas, and over 40 PsyPact states via telehealth.
Live virtual on Zoom • Friday, October 23, 2026, 2:00 PM Central • 2.5 EMDRIA Credits approved • $150
Phill Stepka, PsyD, IMH-E
Phill’s argument across the session is that the AIP model and the technique of bilateral stimulation are two different things, and that clinicians give up a lot of ground by treating them as one. Separate them, and a great deal of EMDR becomes available inside a CPP frame without either model losing fidelity.