Culturally Relevant Trauma Therapy
EMDR Africa Conference 2025
6-7 October 2025
Kampala Uganda
Venue: Makerere University School of Public Health Auditorium next to University Eastern Gate
Agenda
All times GMT/UTC+3
Conference registration, verification, and guest seating.
Rev. Dismas Eddie Bwesigye, President of the EMDR Uganda Association and Member of the EMDR Africa Executive Committee.
Dr. Rosco Kesuja, Chair of the Department of Psychology.
Dr. Hafswa Lukwata, Head of the Division of Mental Health, Health Ministry of Uganda.
The EMDR Global Alliance President, Dr. Andre Montiero.
Music, Dance & Drama Performance by the Department of Performing Arts and Film School of Liberal and Performing Arts, Makerere University.
Tea Break.
1. Prof. Femke Bannink Mbazzi (EMDR Uganda): Cultural Adaptations in EMDR with Children and Adults in Africa.
2. Marieke Meijerink-Miedema: Introduction to EMDR for Non-EMDR Clinicians - Workshop Session (Location: Dining Room, School of Public Health, Makerere University).
Moderator: Dr. Gisela Roth
1. Dr. Hasina Andrianarivony Bakohariliva (EMDR Madagascar): Aspects of the practice of EMDR therapy in Madagascar.
2. Aboh Ogbole, MSc (EMDR Ghana): Exploring EMDR therapists' perspectives and experiences in Nigeria (Online).
3. Rev.Fr. Dr. Siver Kibu (EMDR Kenya): PTSD among healthcare professionals working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in Cameroon.
Official Conference Photo
Kizito Wamala (EMDR Uganda): EMDR for Refugees in Uganda: Practical Field Adaptations.
Joyce Laker (EMDR Uganda): EMDR Among War-Affected Individuals.
EMDR Kenya Team: Culturally Relevant Stabilization Tools.
Najia Sabeen, M.A.
Arlene Nduku, PsyD.
Alice Blanchard, M.Sc.
Zawadi Kimari, M.Sc.
Prof. David van den Berg (EMDR Europe - the Netherlands): EMDR & Psychosis.
Dr. Gisela Roth (EMDR Kenya).
Conference registration, verification, and guest seating.
Dr. Gisela Roth (EMDR Kenya): EMDR Four Field with Children and Adults (Includes experiential exercise).
Tea Break
Vivian Olgah Kudda Mukiibi (EMDR Uganda): EMDR Therapy with Human Rights Defenders.
Moderator: Prof. Femke Bannink Mbazzi (EMDR Uganda)
1. Dr. Dzifa Abra Attah (University of Ghana): Adverse Childhood Events in Medical Students in Ghana.
2. Dr. Arlene Nduku, PhD (EMDR Kenya): Efficacy of EMDR on Post-traumatic Stress, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders among Orphaned Children in Institutions of Care in Kiambu County, Kenya.
Team Uganda
Moderator: Prof. Femke Bannink Mbazzi (EMDR Uganda)
1. Zawadi Kimari, M.Sc., (EMDR Kenya): Exploring the Impact of Trauma on ADHD Presentation and the Efficacy of EMDR.
2. Beatrice Murunga, M.A., (EMDR Kenya): Impact of EMDR Therapy on PTSD and Depression Symptoms Among Urban Refugees in Nairobi, Kenya.
Lunch / Exhibition Stands / Online EMDR Demonstrations Tools.
Mark Nickerson, LICSW (EMDR, USA): EMDR Informed Interventions for Problematic Anger and Violent Aggression.
Presentation of the Catherine Mbau Award.
Jannetta Bos (EMDR Europe): Surviving Rape - Disgust and Symptoms of PTSD - Implications for Treatment.
Rev. Dismas Eddie Bwesigye (EMDR Uganda).
Presenters
Dr. Gisela Roth
Born and raised in Germany, she started out working in Uganda and Zimbabwe as a general medical doctor, later started and ran a home-based AIDS care team, and then specialized in psychiatry and psychotherapy to support church based global workers. First Level 1 training in EMDR in 1999. She moved to Kenya in 2005 to work with Tumaini Counseling Center. She co-organized the first Kenyan EMDR training in 2007. As a founding member of EMDR Kenya and the EMDR Africa Association, she serves as a member of the executive committee and heads the standards and training committee of the latter. She currently continues with online work from Germany. Her current project is getting African EMDR consultants trained as EMDR trainers.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Siver Kibu
Rev. Fr. Dr. Siver Kibu is a psychotherapist and a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He holds a Doctorate in Christian Counseling from Salt Lake Bible College of America and a Ph.D. Fellow in Clinical Psychology at Daystar University, Nairobi. He earned a Master of Science in Clinical Counselling from the University of Bamenda, along with Bachelor's degrees in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Cameroon and Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome. He is a trained EMDR therapist and certified traumatologist from the Green Cross Academy of Traumatology, USA. He is also a Kenya Counselling and Psychological Association (KCPA) accredited counselor/Psychologist. He is a visiting lecturer and a counselor at AOSK Chemchemi Ya Uzima College - Kenya.
Vivian O. Kudda-Mukiibi
Vivian Olgah Kudda-Mukiibi is a committed Ugandan Clinical Psychologist with a decade of experience, specializing in trauma work. She has designed and delivered mental health and psychosocial support services across various settings, including clinical, refugee, school, and community settings. Vivian is skilled in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and also conducts neuropsychological and educational assessments for both children and adults. Her EMDR expertise has benefited civic actors and human rights defenders. She currently practices at the Psychology Practice in Naguru and Minders Wellness and Psychological Centre in Ntinda.
Prof. Femke Bannink Mbazzi
Femke is a clinical and educational psychologist and EMDR therapist based in Uganda. She works at Psychology Practice and is an Associate Professor at the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit in Entebbe, where she heads the Disability Research Group. She is the EMDR Africa research Committee Lead and has given presentations about cultural adaptations in EMDR at the EMDR UK, EMDRIA, and EMDR Europe conferences.
Aboh James Ogbole, MSc
Aboh is a clinical psychologist and PhD candidate at Ghent University, Belgium, specializing in trauma-focused interventions for military populations. His research examines the efficacy of EMDR in treating post-traumatic stress disorder among Nigerian soldiers, emphasizing culturally specific implementation. Aboh has conducted mixed-method studies on military mental health and trauma outcomes, integrating clinical practice with evidence-based research. Dedicated to culturally relevant trauma therapy, his work advances strategies to strengthen mental health care for soldiers and improve trauma services in resource-constrained, conflict-exposed settings like Nigeria.
Dr. Hasina Andrianarivony Bakohariliva
Dr. Hasina Andrianarivony Bakohariliva is a Child Psychiatrist, Researcher, and Teacher at the Faculty of Medicine of Mahajanga, Madagascar. She has been an EMDR Europe accredited Practitioner since 2017, trained by Trauma Aïd France with Martine Iracane Coste, and became an EMDR Europe Consultant in 2024. Hasina serves as Vice President of the EMDR Madagascar Association, is a member of the Standards and Subcommittee of EMDR Africa since 2024, and belongs to the EMDR France Association. She works at the Universitary Hospital PzaGa Androva Mahajanga, part-time in the Child Psychiatric Unit of the Pediatric Department, and is the referral Child Psychiatrist for minors who are victims of sexual assault at the UNICEF-supported Vonjy Center.
Dr. David Van Den Berg
Dr. David Van Den Berg is a practicing Clinical Psychologist, professor of Clinical Psychology at the VU University Amsterdam, and head of the Mark van der Gaag Research Centre (MRC) at Parnassia Psychiatric Institute in The Hague. As a therapist, David is specialised in cognitive behaviour therapy for psychosis and post-traumatic stress. David is a supervisor for the Dutch Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy and a member (practitioner) of the Dutch Association for EMDR. With colleagues, David led the Dutch Treating Trauma In Psychosis trial, and he is the principal investigator on the Re.Process trial, from which the results are expected to be released next year. Besides studying the effects of psychological and psychosocial interventions for people with psychosis, David leads several research projects aimed at reforming the Dutch Mental Healthcare system.
Dr. Arlene Nduku, PsyD
Dr. Arlene Nduku, PsyD is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with adults, children, and adolescents impacted by trauma. She earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from United States International University–Africa (USIU-A) and completed advanced training in trauma therapy. Dr. Nduku specializes in culturally responsive, evidence-based interventions, including EMDR, CBT, and brief therapies. She recently led a research project on EMDR with children in residential care in Kenya, focusing on PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Her work reflects a strong commitment to expanding access to effective mental health care in low-resource settings. She currently serves as Chairperson of Research for EMDR-Kenya and is an EMDR Supervisor-in-Training.
Mark Nickerson, LICSW
Mark Nickerson, LICSW is a psychotherapist, EMDR consultant, and trainer based in Amherst, MA, USA. He is a senior trainer for the EMDR Institute, founded by Dr. Francine Shapiro, who selected and trained him. He is a past Board President of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). He is the Director of EMDRAdvancedTrainings.com, which provides livestream and on-demand advanced trainings by EMDR experts and offers country-related discounts. He is an editor and chapter author in Cultural Competence and Healing Culturally Based Trauma with EMDR Therapy: Insights, Strategies and Protocols (Springer, 2023, 2nd edition) and The Wounds Within (Skyhorse, 2015). Since 2010, he has provided plenaries, presentations, and advanced EMDR trainings throughout the US and internationally, with a major focus on culturally relevant EMDR.
Zawadi Kimari, MSc
Zawadi is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and PhD applicant at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, researching EMDR in treating ADHD among trauma-exposed adults. She is EMDR Level 2-trained, with additional certifications in EMDR for depression, complex early childhood trauma, and creative EMDR for children and adolescents. With over eight years of experience, her clinical work spans trauma-informed care, neurocognitive assessment, and complex comorbidities. Zawadi has served as a clinical lead and CME coordinator, organizing hybrid symposia and multidisciplinary panels. Her published work includes peer-reviewed articles and commentaries on ADHD, telepsychiatry, social media, and culturally responsive mental health care in sub-Saharan Africa.
Laker Joyce Ocen
Laker is a trained trauma counsellor working in Northern Uganda. For the past 20 years, Joyce has been supporting victims of war who experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder through Narrative Exposure Therapy and EMDR. Joyce holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and Psychology from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda (1997), a Postgraduate Diploma in Conflict Management & Peace Studies from Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda (2009), and a Diploma in Trauma Counselling, equipping her to bridge evidence-based approaches with local realities.
Jannetta Bos
Jannetta Bos is a psychotherapist, family therapist, registered sexologist, and EMDR supervisor with extensive experience in trauma treatment in humanitarian and cross-cultural contexts. She has worked for more than a decade at Arq Centre ’45, a leading institute for survivors of war and persecution, and has trained and supervised internationally in EMDR, cognitive behavioural therapy, and Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy. For nearly 20 years, Jannetta has volunteered with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) as a mental health trainer and consultant in conflict and post-conflict settings, including South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Sierra Leone. She has facilitated EMDR programs in Botswana and supported community-based trauma healing with genocide survivors in Rwanda. Her work highlights the importance of culturally sensitive approaches to trauma therapy, integrating global best practices with local knowledge and resilience.
Dr. Dzifa Abra Attah, PhD
Dr. Dzifa Abra Attah is a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Ghana Medical School. With over 15 years of clinical and academic experience, she focuses on trauma therapy for survivors of abuse, particularly women and young people. She leads the TALKIT research project, an artificial intelligence initiative addressing negative self-talk among medical students, and the Building Resilience in Medical Students project. Dr. Attah has published on digital mental health interventions, trauma care, and psychosocial wellbeing. She is a passionate advocate for mental health equity and gender-based violence prevention, who combines research, community engagement, and International partnerships to advance trauma-informed, culturally sensitive mental health services in Ghana and across Africa.
Kizito Wamala
Kizito Wamala, Psychotherapist & Graduate Fellow in Clinical Psychology, Makerere University. He has been in clinical practice for over 17 years, treating torture survivors, GBV survivors, and survivors of war trauma using EMDR, Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), and Trauma-focused ACT (ACT-T), as per treatment organizations’ rules where I worked. He is experienced in using group, couple, and individual models - manualised and non-manualised. He is also trained and supervised as an Emotionally Focused Therapist. He has been involved in clinical research and therapeutic interventions development and co-authored several publications. Kizito is experienced in developing, facilitating, and supervising Mental Health capacity-building programs. He has completed a 4-year clinical capacity-building program for CVT-ALIGHT in 5 refugee settlements in Southwestern Uganda. He is familiar with and experienced in working with refugees and host communities, as well as nationals, in Psychosocial interventions and Psychotherapies.
Beatrice Murunga, MA
Beatrice Murunga is a Psychotherapist, Lecturer, and Trainer with over 26 years of clinical experience. She is the founder of Mosaic Counseling Services and lectures at Daystar University, Nairobi, where she trains and supervises psychology students. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology from George Fox University (USA) and is pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Daystar University in Kenya. Beatrice has led psychosocial and trauma healing programs across the Great Lakes Region of Africa, co-founding the Peacebuilding, Healing and Reconciliation Programme (PHARP) and training hundreds of lay trauma counselors in Rwanda and the DRC. A certified EMDR practitioner and supervisor, she cofounded EMDR Kenya Association and sits on the EMDR Africa Council. Her passion is developing culturally relevant trauma interventions that bring healing to conflict-affected communities.
Marieke Meijerink-Miedema
Marieke Meijerink-Miedema completed her training as a clinical psychologist in the United Kingdom in 1999, where she lived and worked for a total of ten years. In 1999, she completed her EMDR basic training with Roger Solomon and Gerald Puk of EMDRIA. In 2004, she returned to the Netherlands, where she continued her EMDR training, culminating in her accreditation as an EMDR Europe trainer in 2023. Since 2009, she has run her own private practice, ViaMarieke, in Enschede for adults. In addition to EMDR, Marieke has done training in CBT, Schema Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Emotion-Focused Therapy for individuals. In her practice, she mainly provides trauma treatments.
EMDR Africa Executive Committee
Dr. Gisela Roth
Born and raised in Germany, Dr. Gisela Roth started out working in Uganda and Zimbabwe as a general medical doctor, later started and ran a home-based AIDS care team, and then specialized in psychiatry and psychotherapy to support church based global workers. First Level 1 training in EMDR in 1999. She moved to Kenya in 2005 to work with Tumaini Counseling Center. She co-organized the first Kenyan EMDR training in 2007. As a founding member of EMDR Kenya and the EMDR Africa Association, she serves as a member of the executive committee and heads the standards and training committee of the latter. She currently continues with online work from Germany. Her current project is getting African EMDR consultants trained as EMDR trainers.
Rev. Dismas Eddie Bwesigye
Rev. Dismas is a psychotherapist and retired Mental Health Chaplain who served at Uganda's National Mental Referral Hospital, where he integrated spiritual care with clinical mental health services. Currently in private practice, serving as President of the EMDR Uganda Association and as a member of the EMDR Africa Executive Committee, Bwesigye has been instrumental in promoting Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy throughout Uganda and across the African continent. His unique background combining psychotherapy expertise with chaplaincy experience has made him a respected leader in advancing evidence-based trauma treatment in the country.
Alice Blanchard, M.Sc.
Alice Blanchard, M.Sc., has more than 35 years of psychotherapy experience, over 30 of them in Kenya. She is Director of the Courtyard Wellness Centre, integrating diverse therapeutic approaches to support mental health and wellbeing. As Co-founder and Chair of EMDR Kenya Association and member of EMDR Africa Executive Committee, Alice has been instrumental in expanding trauma treatment across Africa. An EMDR Consultant and facilitator for many years, she is passionate about building local capacity, raising professional standards, and empowering Kenyan practitioners to address growing community needs. Her work continues to shape the future of trauma treatment in Africa, blending compassion, expertise, and a vision for stronger, more sustainable mental health care.
Anne Dewailly
Anne Dewailly is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and EMDR Europe consultant. As vice president of Trauma Aid France, she has facilitated and supervised EMDR trainings in many countries (Lebanon, Romania, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tunisia, Madagascar). She has been living and working in Africa for 14 years. Her clinical practice includes the treatment of psychological trauma with a focus on cultural adaptation, as well as issues related to exile and expatriation. She is a co-founder and member of the executive committee of the EMDR Africa association.
Reyhana Seedat MED. Sc. S.W.
Reyhana Seedat is a psychotherapist with over 29 years of private practice experience in Durban, South Africa. In 2009, she became the first EMDR trainer in Africa, pioneering approaches that integrate EMDR with culturally relevant trauma therapy for diverse communities. She is a co-founder of EMDR South Africa and Emdr Africa and sits on the Executive Committees of both. Her work emphasizes adapting trauma interventions to local cultural contexts, particularly in supporting children and communities impacted by war, genocide, and natural disasters. She has trained professionals and child protection workers across Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Palestine-Gaza, and Indonesia, often in collaboration with UNICEF and the Humanitarian Assistance Programme (HAP). Reyhana has presented at international conferences, including the EMDR Asia Conference in Bali. Through her training, supervision, and mentorship, Reyhana continues to strengthen trauma-informed care across Africa and beyond.
Suki Jaffe, M.A. Clin. Psych
Suki Jaffe, M.A. Clin. Psych (UCT), is a Clinical Psychologist who has been in private practice in Cape Town since 2001. She specializes in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, parent–infant psychotherapy, and EMDR therapy. She is an EMDRIA-certified therapist and Approved Consultant, as well as an EMDR Africa Consultant. Suki is actively involved in supervising EMDR therapists across South Africa. She serves on the Executive Committee of EMDR South Africa and EMDR Africa and has facilitated at EMDR trainings since 2005. She has presented widely at conferences, professional interest groups, and teaching institutions on trauma, attachment, and parent-infant psychotherapy. Her work integrates clinical practice, teaching, and supervision, with a particular focus on dyadic and relational frameworks.
What I am looking forward to...
Partners
$50 ONLINE
$30 OPTIONAL DINNER
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