The Boston Area Trauma Recovery Network (BATRN) is a volunteer organization of licensed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapists trained to respond to recent traumatic events.
-The Boston Area Trauma Recovery Network is an affiliate of the Trauma Recovery Humanitarian Assistance Program. For more information on EMDR HAP, please visit www.emdrhap.org
Our Mission
We have a Trauma Recovery Network Coordinator- Marlene Kenney, EMDR Consultant- Rebecca Rosenblum, Steering Committee of four members- including Christine DelGreco Bisson, Gail Neves, Elizabeth Planje and Maria Saino- and over 70 volunteers.
OUR HISTORY- WHAT WE HAVE DONE
Our first mobilization was by invitation to assist communities in Staten Island following Hurricane Sandy in 2012; a core group of seven clinicians trained and 2-3 would go to NY every Saturday to see those affected by the storm. We did this until April 15, 2013 when the Boston Marathon bombing happened, which shifted our focus to Massachusetts and grew our ranks to 135, training 85 of them in early EMDR interventions over the next 15 months. Over 18 months of mobilization we served 90 people, providing treatment to 75 residing in eastern Massachusetts and facilitating referrals for 15 more – many of whom lived far away. We were again active during the Covid pandemic, providing EMDR interventions for first responders and therapists. Recently, we have been reorganizing to determine the best way to meet the changing needs of our communities.
WHAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE
We are not a clinic, and while many of our members practice EMDR therapy in clinics or other settings, our purpose is not to provide therapy – for fee or for free. Our services are event focused and time limited. We provide up to five sessions of EMDR intervention. We serve individuals in the Greater Boston Area. There is a different trauma recovery network in western Massachusetts. For connections to other humanitarian assistance groups, please contact HAP at https://www.emdrhap.org/. Should you be looking for a individual therapist able to provide ongoing EMDR treatment and psychotherapy, referrals are available by searching the directory at www.emdria.org.