Arianne Struik

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Arianne Struik

My name is Arianne Struik and I’m a clinical psychologist/ family therapist and EMDR consultant.

The Institute for Chronically Traumatized Children (ICTC), founded by Arianne Struik, provides training, supervision, consultation, and research on the treatment of chronically traumatized children and their families. After working in child and adolescent psychiatry for 20 years in the Netherlands, where I developed the award-winning Sleeping Dogs method to motivate children that are unable or unw

illing to engage in trauma treatment, I became director of the Institute for Chronically Traumatized Children (ICTC). We started in Perth, WA, and moved to Agnes Water QLD Australia in 2019.

11/06/2026

After sharing that I have done my last EMDR intensive in Tasmania, many people reached out.⁠
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Let me explain why.⁠
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Intensive EMDR work can create profound healing in a short time. It is focused, deep, and transformative — especially for children and families in remote areas.⁠
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But this kind of work also demands a lot from the therapist.⁠
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In August, I felt burned out. And I realised something important:⁠
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If we want to model regulation, resilience, and safety for traumatised children, we must build those into our own professional lives too.⁠
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This isn’t about stopping meaningful work. It’s about doing it in a way that lasts.⁠
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I will continue teaching, supervising, and delivering trauma treatment — just with healthier boundaries.⁠
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Healing children is important. Sustainable therapists are essential. 💙⁠
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09/06/2026

“Let Sleeping Dogs Lie?” It's not an option.

When a child avoids trauma therapy, it’s not because they’re unwilling—it’s because they don’t feel safe.

But unprocessed trauma doesn’t disappear. It quietly disrupts development, relationships, and mental health.

📘 Treating Chronically Traumatized Children: The Sleeping Dogs Method gives you a step-by-step guide to help children engage in trauma therapy, safely and effectively.

Now available in English, Dutch & Danish.
🔗 Learn more: https://www.amazon.com.au/Treating-Chronically-Traumatized-Children-Sleeping/dp/0367076152

03/06/2026

Struggling with children who:

– Avoid therapy?
– Seem unmotivated?
– Dissociate in sessions?

The Sleeping Dogs Method can help.

Now available as a recorded workshop here 👉️ https://www.ariannestruik.com/calendar-2/treating-chronically-traumatized-children-with-the-sleeping-dogs-method/

28/05/2026

I'm honoured to have written two chapters for the Oxford Handbook of EMDR with Children and Adolescents — one on the Sleeping Dogs Method and one on EMDR with dissociative disorders, co-authored with Kirsten Hauber.⁠
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We based our work on the latest research and clinical insights, and we’re excited to contribute to this important field.⁠
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🧠 Get yours now right here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/handbook-of-emdr-for-children-and-adolescents-9780198918400
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26/05/2026

In August, I felt burned out.

That was a wake-up call. I made some important changes in how I work to make this work sustainable for the long term.

One of those changes:
This will be my last EMDR intensive in Tasmania.

Recently, I was interviewed on ABC Radio about what EMDR therapy is and how it is being delivered in North West Tasmania. It was meaningful to share how trauma treatment is reaching children and families even in remote areas.

Intensive EMDR work can be incredibly powerful. It can shift years of trauma in a few focused days. But it also requires a lot - emotionally and physically.

If we want to help children regulate their nervous systems, we must take care of our own.

So December was my final EMDR intensive.
Grateful for the families, professionals, and communities I’ve worked with in Tasmania. 💙

Sustainable trauma work matters.

You can listen to the podcast right here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/hobart-evenings/evenings/105631606

21/05/2026

Sometimes, you plant a seed — and it grows in beautiful ways you never expected. 💙⁠
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I recently received a message from three psychologist and psychotherapist colleagues in Naples, Italy, working with severely traumatised children in highly vulnerable family contexts.⁠
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They have been studying the Sleeping Dogs Method, using the ESTD Guidelines and materials from my website. After seeing my presentation at the EMDR Europe Congress in Bologna (2024), they began integrating the Sleeping Dogs approach into their own clinical model.⁠
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They shared that the method helped them systematise their work and clearly identify the barriers they encounter daily with chronically traumatised children.⁠
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Even more special:⁠
They presented an Italian adaptation of the Sleeping Dogs Method at two national congresses. They creatively expanded the model by integrating tools from their own clinical practice — and even illustrated each barrier with original drawings of a small dog symbolising different defence patterns. 🐾⁠
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Reading their message reminded me why we share knowledge.⁠
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When clinicians across countries adapt, refine, and creatively build on a model to help children heal — that is how the field grows.⁠
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Thank you, Monica Romei, Giulia Palombo and Maria Rosaria Marra, for your beautiful work in Naples. 💙⁠
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19/05/2026

Unprocessed trauma affects all areas of development.

This workshop helps you learn when & how to safely wake the dogs.

Watch the full Sleeping Dogs training on demand now: https://www.ariannestruik.com/calendar-2/treating-chronically-traumatized-children-with-the-sleeping-dogs-method/

📘 Includes tools, videos, and real cases.

14/05/2026

When children are unwilling to start trauma therapy, we often label them as “resistant.” But in the Sleeping Dogs Method, we look deeper:
Often, it’s the parents who hold the key.

Parents can motivate, encourage, and lower their child’s emotional barriers—even when the parents themselves have trauma, or were part of the child’s traumatic experience.

Real healing begins when families are part of the process.

Want proof? A recent Swedish study shows the same:
Parents play a critical role in helping children join support groups and engage in treatment.

Read the study: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13691457.2024.2405846

11/05/2026

Working with children who are stuck in survival mode?⁠
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My book Treating Chronically Traumatized Children' is a must-read for therapists, case workers, and caregivers working with children who:⁠
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🔹 Don’t want to talk about the trauma⁠
🔹 Seem “unmotivated” or “resistant”⁠
🔹 Dissociate, act out, or shut down⁠
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This book introduces the Sleeping Dogs Method—a structured, step-by-step approach to safely engage these children in trauma treatment.⁠
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🗣️ Available in:⁠
🇬🇧 English⁠
🇩🇰 Danish⁠
🇳🇱 Dutch⁠
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📖 Learn how to assess barriers, stabilize families, and build readiness for EMDR or TF-CBT—without rushing or retraumatizing.⁠
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Buy now:
https://www.amazon.com/Treating-Chronically-Traumatized-Children-Arianne/dp/0367076152/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
⁠

07/05/2026

Last week my colleagues and I presented at the EMDRAA conference on Field Hospital EMDR

Delivering EMDR standard-protocol that is efficient, fast, and focused.

Providing comprehensive EMDR to young people with chronic trauma—particularly those in out-of-home care—can be lengthy and costly. Limited time and resources inspired the development of Field Hospital EMDR.

Doctors in field hospitals who triage and operate for “good enough” survival outcomes, reprocessing the maximum amount of trauma with minimal preparation

So grateful to share insights and laughter with brilliant minds 💙

Association of Australia
Family Services

Address

PO Box 407, Agnes Water
Brisbane, QLD
4677

Website

https://ariannestruik.com/

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