Deany Laliotis, LICSW

Founder and CEO of 
The Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy.

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A Career Devoted to the
Craft of EMDR Therapy

Deany Laliotis has been practicing and teaching EMDR therapy since 1993, almost from the moment the model was introduced to the field. 
In the years that followed, she became one of its most respected teachers, serving as Senior Trainer and Director of Training for EMDR Institute Inc., the program founded by Dr. Francine Shapiro to train clinicians worldwide.

That role placed Deany at the center of EMDR's evolution from a promising technique into a comprehensive psychotherapy. She was not observing that evolution from the outside. She was part of it, helping shape how thousands of clinicians learned to understand and apply the model at its highest level. 

Carrying the Standard Forward

When Dr. Shapiro passed in 2019, Deany faced a question every clinician eventually faces: what do you do with everything you have been given?

Her answer was The Center.
Not a scaled-up credentialing program.
Not a clearinghouse with a broad pool of trainers.

A boutique training organization built on the same standard she had spent twenty-six years developing — where every trainer is personally mentored by Deany, where the clinical philosophy runs through everything, and where a clinician can train from their first EMDR course all the way through the Master Certificate in Relational EMDR Therapy®.

"No one gets to where we are alone.  If we're fortunate enough to encounter people in our lives that see something special in us and take us under their wing, we can rise to the challenge.  Francine Shapiro was that person for me. She embodied the courage as well as the vision to create a pathway to healing that revolutionized therapy and how we understand change.  As ambassadors of this model, it is both a privilege and a responsibility to pay it forward and share our learning with others."
Deany Laliotis, LICSW

What Deany Believes About EMDR Therapy

EMDR therapy is not a technique to be applied. It is a comprehensive psychotherapy, one that demands clinical judgment, relational presence, and a deep understanding of how human beings heal.

That conviction was shaped over decades of watching clinicians master the protocol and still struggle with the moments a protocol cannot script.

The pause when a client isn't ready.
The interweave that requires real attunement, not a scripted line.

Deany saw that gap consistently enough to build something in response. That response is Relational EMDR Therapy®, an approach that puts the therapeutic relationship, the WE between therapist and client, at the center of the work rather than treating it as a backdrop to the procedure. 

This belief shapes every training The Center delivers. Protocols are never taught in isolation.

Clinicians learn how to think in AIP, how to be present with a client processing something painful and unfamiliar, and how to bring their best selves to the work. The self of the therapist is not incidental to EMDR therapy. It is central to it.

Watch: Deany's journey with
EMDR Therapy

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The Art and the Science

EMDR therapy works because of both the precision of its procedures and the quality of the therapeutic relationship. We teach both, because clinicians need both to do this work well.
Beyond Symptom Relief

Clinicians come to us because their clients need more than symptom management. They need real, lasting change in how they relate to themselves and others. That is what Relational EMDR Therapy® was built to do.
Growth as a Clinical Responsibility
Every faculty member at The Center is still learning. Active case consultation, ongoing advanced training, and a commitment to lifelong learning aren't optional here. They're how we hold ourselves to the same standard we ask of our trainees.
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Deany's Credentials and Background

  • LICSW — Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
  • EMDRIA-Approved Trainer™️
  • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™️
  • Director of Training, EMDR Institute Inc. (1993–2019)
  • Mentored directly by Dr. Francine Shapiro, originator of EMDR therapy
  • Developer of Relational EMDR Therapy®
  • Founder & CEO, The Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy (est. 2020)
  • Featured in Forbes on AI and the future of mental health care
  • Recurring contributor, Let's Talk EMDR (EMDRIA podcast)
  • International speaker and trainer: United States, Europe, Latin America

Deany Laliotis has been at the forefront of EMDR therapy - training clinicians, mentoring faculty, and carrying forward the standard Dr. Francine Shapiro built.

"In the 25 years since I was first trained in EMDR, Deany Laliotis stands out as one of the very best teachers I have ever had the pleasure to learn from. Her warm and engaging style, and clear and concise ability to distill complex information into nuggets that I can quickly and easily incorporate into my practice are truly unique. She is one of the first leaders to bring an attachment lens to the model of EMDR, which has contributed to the growth in the model as a fully formed therapeutic approach to treatment. When I see that Deany has a new Advanced training, I know that I'll be attending!"

Naomi Rather, Ph.D., LCMHC
Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist & Supervisor
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Clinician
Newington, NH

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Ready to train with us?

Explore the full continuum:  from Basic Training through the Master Certificate in Relational EMDR Therapy®.
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The Center Informational Brochure

One Place for Everything — Training, Certification and Community

Please download The Center's general brochure for more information on courses, consultation, and certification.

Frequently asked questions

How long has Deany Laliotis been training clinicians in EMDR therapy?

Deany Laliotis has been practicing and teaching EMDR therapy since 1993 — more than thirty years. She began her training career at EMDR Institute Inc., the program founded by Dr. Francine Shapiro to train clinicians worldwide, where she served as Senior Trainer and Director of Training for over two decades. Since founding The Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy in 2020, she has continued training clinicians across the United States and internationally, bringing the same standard of depth and rigor she developed during her years at the Institute.

What was Deany Laliotis's relationship with Dr. Francine Shapiro?

Deany Laliotis worked directly alongside Dr. Francine Shapiro, the originator of EMDR therapy, from 1993 until Dr. Shapiro's passing in 2019. During that time, Deany served as Director of Training for EMDR Institute Inc. — the program Dr. Shapiro developed to train clinicians worldwide — and was mentored by her throughout. That relationship shaped Deany's understanding of what EMDR therapy is capable of when taught with depth and rigor, and it is the foundation on which The Center was built.

What credentials does Deany Laliotis hold?

Deany Laliotis holds the following credentials: Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), EMDRIA-Approved Trainer, and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant. She served as Senior Trainer and Director of Training for EMDR Institute Inc. from 1993 to 2019. She is the developer of Relational EMDR Therapy®, a framework for applying EMDR therapy through an attachment and relational lens with clients who have experienced complex developmental trauma. She is also a recurring contributor to Let's Talk EMDR, the podcast produced by the EMDR International Association, and has been featured in Forbes on the topic of AI in mental health care. She is also an international keynote speaker on the topic of EMDR.

Why did Deany Laliotis found The Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy?

Following the passing of Dr. Francine Shapiro in 2019, Deany founded The Center in 2020 with a clear purpose — to make the standard of EMDR training she had spent twenty-six years developing accessible to clinicians at every stage of their professional journey. Rather than building a broad credentialing network, Deany built a boutique, faculty-driven organization where every trainer is personally mentored and evaluated by her, where the clinical philosophy runs through every level of training, and where a clinician can develop from their first EMDR course through the Master Certificate in Relational EMDR Therapy® within a single, coherent community.

What is Relational EMDR Therapy® and did Deany Laliotis develop it?

Relational EMDR Therapy® is a clinical framework developed by Deany Laliotis, LICSW that positions the therapeutic relationship as a central and strategic component of EMDR treatment. Rather than treating the therapeutic alliance as background rapport, Relational EMDR Therapy® uses the relationship between therapist and client as both a source of clinical information and a vehicle for healing — particularly with clients who have experienced complex developmental trauma and attachment injuries. Deany developed this framework over decades of clinical practice and teaching, and it is the foundation of The Center's Master-level training and the Master Certificate program.

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