EMDR Trained vs Certified

How a per­son is equipped to prac­tice a type of ther­a­py can be con­fus­ing, espe­cial­ly when phras­es seem to be the same, like EMDR trained vs cer­ti­fied. The terms “EMDR trained” and “EMDR cer­ti­fied” are often used to char­ac­ter­ize clin­i­cians’ knowl­edge of doing Eye Move­ment Desen­si­ti­za­tion Repro­cess­ing (EMDR), but they have dis­tinct mean­ings, despite some­times being used inter­change­ably.  EMDR trained and EMDR cer­ti­fied rep­re­sent dif­fer­ent lev­els of a ther­a­pist’s expe­ri­ence and exper­tise in EMDR ther­a­py.¹ The dif­fer­ence is sig­nif­i­cant, par­tic­u­lar­ly for clients seek­ing a high lev­el of com­pe­tence and safe­ty in their treat­ment.

EMDR Trained therapist

A ther­a­pist who is EMDR trained has com­plet­ed the basic foun­da­tion­al train­ing pro­gram in EMDR ther­a­py.² This train­ing, typ­i­cal­ly approved by the EMDR Inter­na­tion­al Asso­ci­a­tion (EMDRIA), involves a com­bi­na­tion of:

• Instruc­tion and Lec­ture (20 hours): Learn­ing the the­o­ret­i­cal basis of EMDR, its eight-phase mod­el, and the stan­dard pro­to­cols.³  
• Super­vised Practicum (20 hours): Hands-on prac­tice ses­sions with oth­er clin­i­cians to learn and apply the EMDR tech­niques.
• Con­sul­ta­tion (10 hours): A required num­ber of hours of case con­sul­ta­tion with an EMDRIA-approved con­sul­tant to dis­cuss cas­es and receive feed­back.⁵

Upon com­plet­ing this basic train­ing, a clin­i­cian is qual­i­fied to use EMDR ther­a­py with clients and can refer to them­selves as “EMDR trained.“⁶ This is the essen­tial first step for any ther­a­pist want­i­ng to inte­grate EMDR into their prac­tice.

EMDR Certified Therapists Near Me

An EMDR cer­ti­fied ther­a­pist is an option­al and more rig­or­ous process that goes beyond the basic train­ing.⁷ It sig­ni­fies a high­er lev­el of pro­fi­cien­cy and com­mit­ment to the prac­tice of EMDR.⁸ To become EMDR cer­ti­fied by EMDRIA, an EMDR trained ther­a­pist must meet sev­er­al addi­tion­al cri­te­ria, includ­ing:

• Exten­sive Expe­ri­ence: The EMDR trained ther­a­pist must have at least two years of expe­ri­ence in their field and must have con­duct­ed at least 50 EMDR ses­sions with at least 25 clients.⁹ 
• Advanced Train­ing: Com­ple­tion of 12 addi­tion­al hours of advanced EMDR train­ing and con­tin­u­ing edu­ca­tion.
• Inten­sive Con­sul­ta­tion: The EMDR trained ther­a­pist must com­plete 20 addi­tion­al con­sul­ta­tion hours with an EMDRIA-approved con­sul­tant, often a mix of indi­vid­ual and group ses­sions.
• Let­ters of Rec­om­men­da­tion: The EMDR trained ther­a­pist must pro­vide let­ters of rec­om­men­da­tion from their EMDR con­sul­tant and pro­fes­sion­al peers who can attest to their skills and eth­i­cal prac­tice.¹⁰

This process can take a year or more to com­plete after the ini­tial train­ing. Once the require­ments are met and the appli­ca­tion is approved, the EMDR trained ther­a­pist then becomes an EMDR cer­ti­fied ther­a­pist.

Why EMDR Certified is Better for Clients

While an EMDR trained ther­a­pist can pro­vide effec­tive treat­ment, an EMDR cer­ti­fied ther­a­pist offers sev­er­al advan­tages for clients, par­tic­u­lar­ly those with com­plex trau­ma or more chal­leng­ing sit­u­a­tions.

• Demon­strat­ed Exper­tise: Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion is a for­mal recog­ni­tion of a ther­a­pist’s com­mit­ment to excel­lence and a high­er lev­el of pro­fi­cien­cy.¹¹ It shows that they have not only learned the basic pro­to­col but have also demon­strat­ed their abil­i­ty to apply it effec­tive­ly in a wide range of sit­u­a­tions. Cer­ti­fied EMDR Ther­a­pists also have dou­ble the con­sul­ta­tion hours with top EMDR con­sul­tants as EMDR trained ther­a­pists.
• High­er Stan­dard of Care and Safe­ty: The con­sul­ta­tion process is a crit­i­cal part of cer­ti­fi­ca­tion. It pro­vides a space for the ther­a­pist to get feed­back from an expert EMDR clin­i­cian on their tough­est cas­es, ensur­ing they are apply­ing the EMDR pro­to­col safe­ly and eth­i­cal­ly.¹³ This min­i­mizes the risk of retrauma­ti­za­tion and helps ensure the best pos­si­ble out­comes for the client.¹⁴ Even after cer­ti­fi­ca­tion, many EMDR cer­ti­fied ther­a­pists con­tin­ue their con­sul­ta­tions to fur­ther refine and expand their skills.
• More Expe­ri­ence and Con­fi­dence: The exten­sive expe­ri­ence and con­sul­ta­tion required for cer­ti­fi­ca­tion means the ther­a­pist has worked with a greater num­ber of clients and cas­es.¹² This leads to increased con­fi­dence and a deep­er under­stand­ing of how to nav­i­gate the nuances of the ther­a­py, espe­cial­ly with com­plex trau­ma, dis­so­ci­a­tion, or co-occur­ring issues.
• Com­mit­ment to Pro­fes­sion­al Devel­op­ment: Main­tain­ing EMDR cer­ti­fi­ca­tion requires ongo­ing con­tin­u­ing education—12 hours every two years.¹⁵ This ensures that the ther­a­pist is stay­ing up to date with the lat­est devel­op­ments, research, and best prac­tices in the field.
• Cred­i­bil­i­ty and Trust: For many clients, see­ing that a ther­a­pist is cer­ti­fied pro­vides an added lev­el of assur­ance and cred­i­bil­i­ty. It sig­nals that the ther­a­pist has extend­ed their train­ing and under­stand­ing of pro­vid­ing EMDR as a treat­ment approach. Do note that EMDR cer­ti­fi­ca­tion doesn’t guar­an­tee a per­fect fit. Clients should also con­sid­er a therapist’s rap­port, spe­cial­iza­tion, and over­all expe­ri­ence.

Certified EMDR Therapist near me

In short, while both trained and cer­ti­fied ther­a­pists can use EMDR effec­tive­ly, an EMDR cer­ti­fied ther­a­pist pro­vides high­er lev­el of expe­ri­ence, skill, and com­mit­ment to their clients.

Come and expe­ri­ence EMDR from a Cer­ti­fied EMDR ther­a­pist. I became an EMDR trained ther­a­pist in Sep­tem­ber 2023. In June 2025, I became a Cer­ti­fied EMDR ther­a­pist! Reach out to me today and let’s start address­ing the prob­lems of the past affect­ing your present.

Let’s Talk About What is Going On

References

1. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/treatment/emdr-therapy

2. https://morgancounseling.net/therapy-topics/emdr-counseling/#:~:text=Complete%20at%20least%2050%20EMDR,after%20basic%20training%20is%20complete.

3. https://www.emdria.org/emdr-training/#:~:text=Methodology%20explains%20and%20teaches%20the,Taking%2C%20Case%20Conceptualization%20%26%20Treatment%20Planning

4. https://emdrtherapy.com/emdr-training-resources/emdr-faq-and-support

5. https://www.emdr.com/support-categories/case-consultation/#:~:text=To%20be%20%F0%9D%97%98%F0%9D%97%A0%F0%9D%97%97%F0%9D%97%A5%20%F0%9D%97%A7%F0%9D%97%BF%F0%9D%97%AE%F0%9D%97%B6%F0%9D%97%BB%F0%9D%97%B2%F0%9D%97%B1%20by,of%20(required)…

6. https://www.emdr.com/support-center/what-is-the-difference-between-emdr-trained-and-emdria-certified/

7. https://coasttocoastemdr.com/emdr-training-certification#:~:text=It%20signifies%20advanced%20proficiency%20in,adherence%20to%20EMDRIA’s%20professional%20standards.

8. https://www.emdria.org/emdr-training/emdr-certification‑2/#:~:text=Applicants%20can%20simply%20state%2C%20%22I,sessions%20with%20at%20least%2025

9. https://www.emdria.org/emdr-training/emdr-certification‑2/#:~:text=Letters%20of%20Recommendation%20Regarding%20Professional%20Practice&text=Two%20letters%20of%20recommendation%20from%20colleagues%20or%20peers%20are%20required.

10. https://coasttocoastemdr.com/emdr-training-certification#:~:text=Therapists%20who%20complete%20basic%20training,professional%20recognition%20and%20skill%20refinement.

11. https://coasttocoastemdr.com/emdr-training-certification#:~:text=Conduct%20at%20least%2050%20EMDR,from%20an%20EMDRIA%2Dapproved%20consultant

12. https://emdrtherapy.com/emdr-blog-posts/role-consultation-finding-support-and-mentorship#:~:text=Receive%20feedback%20on%20your%20implementation,and%20improving%20your%20therapeutic%20interventions.

13. https://emdroftherockies.com/2023/02/11/why-becoming-an-emdr-certified-therapist-is-important/

14. https://scalingupemdr.com/securing-continuing-education-credits-for-emdr-certification-a-professional-pathway/#:~:text=Key%20Takeaways,to%20maintain%20skills%20and%20knowledge

15. https://emdroftherockies.com/2024/09/20/what-is-emdr-training-from-training-to-certification/#:~:text=It’s%20also%20the%20first%20step,meeting%20the%20highest%20industry%20standards.

16. https://emdreducators.com/mastering-trauma-therapy-the-power-of-emdr-certification/#:~:text=This%20certification%20signifies%20your%20dedication,trusted%20expert%20in%20the%20field.