FAQ & Support

All participants must be licensed to practice independently. Or, if not licensed, have completed master’s level coursework in a mental health discipline, currently on a licensing track and supervised by a licensed clinician with the appropriate clinical supervisor’s letter on file with your application. All participants should have a current psychotherapy caseload. This professional training is designed to help participants integrate the application of EMDR therapy into their clinical practice. Other EMDR training programs are available that will accept managers and researchers who do not carry an active psychotherapy caseload.

To register for any of our trainings, go to the Training page that has an overview of all of our training offerings from the EMDR Basic Training to our Master Retreats.  Click on "Basic" which will take you to the main page about our Basic trainings.  Scroll down to the list of trainings and click on the specific training dates you want to register for. That will take you to next page where the Registration button is located. Click there and fill out your application.  Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email that we have received it. We will let you know within 5 business days if it's been approved, or if we need more information. Please note:  In order for your registration for the training to be approved, we must receive all the required information or documentation no later than one week before the start date.

The basic training is organized into three parts typically held over three weekends. Each weekend includes a didactic portion with lecture, discussion, and videotape demonstrations of EMDR skills and concepts. Trainees will practice EMDR methods with one another to address real issues as a way to learn the process as well as to understand it from a client's point of view. There is a case consultation component in each weekend segment where trainees will learn to apply EMDR therapy with their current clients.  There are three post-training case consultation sessions to help you apply what you're learning with your clients.  All in all, the EMDR Basic Training through The Center is a 6-month process from the first weekend segment to the last case consultation session because we are committed to providing you with a solid foundation in the core elements of this powerful methodology.

Your training materials are yours to keep.  Forever.  As an added bonus, since you have to set up an account with us in order to access your your training materials, they will continue to be updated over time as we keep them up to date!  We also have video recordings for the EMDR Basic Training for your review during your training experience and for 6 months after your Part 3 segment to support your learning experience.  Additionally, your training materials include two appendices with Worksheets and Forms for Practice as well as Resources for Practice to keep handy as a quick reference.

Yes, there is.  The standard tuition rate for the EMDR Basic Training, to include the minimum hours required for case consultation is $1795.  The discount for individuals that work full-time (30 or more hours per week) for non-profit and government agency therapists is $1395.  If there are several people in an agency that want to take the training together or your agency has training funds and would like to support their staff in taking the training, please contact our co-director, Dan Merlis at dan@emdrtherapy.com for assistance.

Tuition is refundable up to 30 days in advance less the application fee. Withdrawals between 14 and 29 days from the start date of the training are refundable less a $250 administrative fee. Withdrawals less than 14 days from the start date are not refundable.  The tuition, less a $350 administrative fee, can be credited towards a future Basic Training at the Standard Rate.  All requests for cancellations must be submitted in writing by email to admin@emdrtherapy.com.  There are no refunds or credits once the training begins.  If you have to withdraw from the training, we will offer you a one-time option of enrolling at a future Basic Training at the reduced rate of $450 if space allows. The Center reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the training at its discretion and will credit one’s tuition towards a future date or offer a full refund.

Any clinician who has completed a basic training and is eager to take their next steps as an EMDR therapist is eligible to apply for an Intermediate training.  There are two intermediate-level trainings:  Just Beyond the Basics:  a 3-day, 12-hour course without practice, which is a good stepping stone from the EMDR Basic Training, whether you just completed the training a few months before, or it's been a while and you want to refresh your skills.  The Craft of EMDR Therapy takes you more into complex trauma and advanced case conceptualization and treatment planning with practice to hone your skills with expert EMDR therapists to guide you into taking a deeper dive.

Any therapist who has completed the EMDR Basic Training is eligible to take any Advanced course.  All trainings that are classified as "Advanced" are non-practice courses that focus on attachment styles of the client as well as the therapist as we delve deeper into the complexity of developmental trauma and its enduring impact beyond the traumas themselves.  Instead, we get into more advanced case conceptualization and explore a client's adaptations, i.e., what they learned in response to what happened to them that now has a life of its own.

Of course it depends.  How much have you actually applied EMDR therapy since you were trained?  Do you struggle to learn new things and it just takes time and repetition, or is it more about the uncertainty of EMDR reprocessing and just "letting whatever happens, happen?"  If it's about learning new things, get into case consultation and take an Intermediate training.  If it's about tolerating uncertainty, then perhaps it's a bigger question about what fits for you.  That said, it's a reasonable investment to take our one-day Refresher course that is offered twice a year and use it as an opportunity to self-evaluate where you are in relationship to integrating EMDR into your practice.  If you're using it and want to use it more and it's about comfort and familiarity, take the Intermediate Course with practice.  It includes the one-day Refresher as a bonus before the training begins, free of charge.

In short, YES.  The Advanced training category through The Center is set up to be comparable to other EMDR Advanced Trainings that are offered by other providers.  It has been customary in the EMDR community to categorize all trainings beyond the Basic Course as "Advanced," but have found that it is too broad a category, making it challenging for clinicians to determine what their next steps might be.  The Intermediate training offering is your next step if you're treating clients who fit the broad category of complex trauma.  This training is predominantly focused on skills acquisition, from case conceptualization to making clinical choices over time that are informed by both the client and the method.  Our Advanced Trainings do not include practice and are more focused on developmental trauma and attachment, offering conceptual maps as well as taking a deeper dive into studying the moment to moment unfolding of experience in reprocessing sessions.

All tuitions are refundable less the application fees.  See specific trainings for Refunds and Cancellation details relating to each training.  Generally, practice-oriented courses have a $100 application fee if you cancel 30 days or more from the start date of the training, and non-practice courses have a $50 application fee if you cancel more than 30 days out.  There are higher fees and credits if you cancel within the 30-day window.  All requests to cancel your registration for a training must be made in writing by email to the Training Coordinator, Jeanette Faircloth.

The EMDR Basic Training is a foundational course.  You will be considered trained in EMDR therapy after completing our EMDRIA-approved, EMDR Basic Training, but you will not be certified as an EMDR therapist until you complete EMDRIA's requirements for certification, which requires additional coursework, case consultation and a minimum number of hours of practice with your clients.  For many therapists, certification takes at least a year and is worth the investment. Please click the EMDRIA link for more information: https://www.emdria.org/emdr-training-education/emdr-certification/

Training to become an EMDRIA-approved Consultant is a credential that is widely recognized across the country and abroad for those who want to mentor therapists in their journey to become proficient in the clinical application of EMDR therapy. As part of our growing community through The Center, we train our CITs about the importance of the therapeutic relationship and and the Self of the therapist as part of the conversation about why the clinician is stuck with their clients. While fidelity to the protocols and procedures are important, what is more important is what's best for the client.  Teaching our clinicians how to think and to have greater clarity about their clinical choices is how we train our CITs.  This EMDRIA-approved process takes about a year or longer and is for therapists that would like to help other clinicians learn the craft of EMDR therapy.  Please contact our office at info@emdrtherapy.com to request a brief interview.

Becoming a trainer requires a true passion for EMDR therapy and a commitment to teach it with excellence so our trainees can help their clients heal.  It is an investment in time, effort, funds and an exquisite ability to be a team leader with a cohort of talented faculty.  It's a person who gives direction and takes direction well.  We are only able to mentor potential trainers who want to make The Center their new home.  For more information and to express your interest, please email us at info@emdrtherapy.com.

Masterclass trainings and retreats are for experienced EMDR psychotherapists who are already using EMDR with clients who have complex trauma and attachment difficulties.  In order to fully benefit from these trainings, it is strongly recommended that you have taken at least two advanced courses from The Center (either Intermediate or Advanced).  These practice-based courses are specifically designed to take a deeper dive into Relational EMDR Therapy℠ which is an attachment-focused way of working with developmental trauma using the therapeutic relationship as part of the healing journey.  With an emphasis on the Self of the therapist as a central component of these trainings, these courses are for therapists who themselves are on the continual journey of personal and professional growth and transformation.

Both Masterclasses and Master retreats are practice-based trainings for the experienced EMDR psychotherapist who wants to further refine their skills with the hands-on guidance of a skilled EMDR instructor.  The Master retreats are more intensive as well as restorative and are located in all-inclusive resort settings that allow for some down time.  There are 4 practice sessions in the Master retreat over a 6-day course, where there are only 3 practice sessions in a 3-day course in a Masterclass.  The Masterclasses tend to be more cost-effective as they are more accessible and centrally located in major cities where many participants can commute to the training.  Those who would have to travel will likely have fewer expenses than they might at an all-inclusive retreat location.  If you've been working especially hard and are feeling a little crusty around the edges, this package is a well-deserved gift!

EMDR therapy is easy to learn but hard to do well.  Our clients are complex, their problems are multi-faceted and our method is powerful.  It's a confluence of variables that invites us to continue to learn, to practice, to talk about our cases and to examine how we relate to our client's difficulties.  The Masterclasses are about the hero's journey and how we, too, are transformed by the work we do.   In order to master our craft, we have to examine what we bring to it for better and for worse.  For those of us who are committed to personal and professional growth, this pathway is for you.