Becoming an EMDR therapist starts with completing an approved basic training program, which requires a minimum of 50 hours split across lectures, hands-on practice, and consultation. You’ll need to already hold (or be working toward) an independent license to practice mental health in your state. From there, the path branches into optional certification and advanced specialization, each with its own requirements and time investment.
Eligibility Before You Start
You can’t simply sign up for EMDR training as a standalone credential. To be eligible for an EMDRIA-approved basic training, you must be independently licensed to practice mental health, or actively working toward independent licensure in your state and setting. That means you’ll typically need to be a licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. Graduate students and pre-licensed associates can enroll at some training programs, but they’ll need to complete licensure before they can pursue certification.
What Basic Training Looks Like
The EMDRIA-approved basic training has three components with minimum hour requirements:
- Instructional content: 20 hours of lectures, slides, and training materials covering EMDR theory and protocol
- Supervised practicum: 20 hours of “learning by doing,” where you practice EMDR techniques with other trainees under supervision
- Consultation: 10 hours of guidance from the training team as you begin using EMDR with actual clients
Most programs split this into two training weekends (often called Part 1 and Part 2), with a gap of several weeks or months in between so you can start seeing clients and bring real cases to consultation. The consultation hours are spread out in developmental increments across the full training period rather than completed all at once.
During training, you’ll learn the eight phases of EMDR therapy: history taking and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation. Each phase builds on the previous one, and trainees are expected to demonstrate competence with the full protocol before completing the program.
Cost of Training and Consultation
Training fees vary by provider, but the EMDR Institute (one of the largest training organizations) charges $750 per training weekend for licensed clinicians and $685 for pre-licensed therapists, graduate students, and those working at nonprofits. Since basic training involves two weekends, you’re looking at roughly $1,370 to $1,500 for the instructional and practicum portions alone.
Consultation fees are separate. Group consultation sessions typically run $30 to $50 per hour, while individual rates vary by consultant and tend to be higher. With 10 required consultation hours at the basic level, expect to add at least $300 to $500 for group sessions. If you pursue certification later, the additional consultation hours will increase that total significantly.
EMDR Trained vs. EMDR Certified
Once you finish your basic training, you’re considered “EMDR Trained” through EMDRIA. This designation allows you to use EMDR therapy in your clinical practice right away. Many therapists practice at this level for years, and it’s a perfectly legitimate stopping point.
EMDR Certified Therapist is a separate, voluntary credential that signals deeper competence. To apply, you must have completed your basic training and hold full independent licensure. The certification process requires additional clinical hours using EMDR with clients and more consultation beyond what basic training provides. EMDRIA describes certified therapists as having “honed knowledge and skills beyond the initial training.” Both trained and certified therapists can use EMDR, but certification can strengthen referral networks and signal a higher level of commitment to the modality.
Becoming an Approved Consultant
The most advanced designation in the EMDR professional track is EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Consultants are the therapists who guide new trainees through their learning process, and the requirements reflect that responsibility.
To qualify, you need to have provided a minimum of 15 consultation hours to other therapists on their use of EMDR, spread across at least five different consultees. At least three of those five must have completed an EMDRIA-approved basic training. You also need to complete 20 hours of “consultation on consultation,” essentially receiving supervision on your own consulting work from an existing approved consultant. At least 10 of those 20 hours must be individual rather than group sessions.
This path takes years to reach. Most therapists spend considerable time building clinical experience and deepening their EMDR skills before pursuing consultant status.
Specialization After Basic Training
Once you have your foundational training, EMDRIA and other organizations offer continuing education in population-specific and issue-specific applications of EMDR. Common advanced tracks include EMDR for childhood trauma, complex trauma, addiction, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. These aren’t separate certifications but rather specialized trainings that extend what you learned in your basic program.
Complex trauma training, for example, teaches therapists to move beyond standard trauma resolution to address the broader life disruptions that clients with prolonged or repeated trauma experience. These advanced courses are particularly useful if your caseload skews toward a specific population or diagnosis, and many count toward continuing education requirements for both your state license and EMDRIA certification.
Realistic Timeline
If you already hold an independent license, the fastest path from start to “EMDR Trained” is roughly three to six months. That accounts for the two training weekends plus the consultation hours spaced between and after them. Certification adds months or years depending on how quickly you accumulate the required clinical and consultation hours. Reaching Approved Consultant status is typically a multi-year commitment on top of that.
For pre-licensed clinicians, the timeline depends heavily on how far along you are in your licensure process. You can begin training while working toward licensure, but you’ll need to complete it before applying for certification. Planning your EMDR training to overlap with the final stages of licensure is a practical way to avoid delays.