I've worked in mental health for many years why am I not eligible to attend?

The criteria for EMDR Training is set out by The EMDR European Association and The EMDR Association of the U.K. This is the set standard that they decide to permit access to training in this powerful psychotherapy. All EMDR accredited trainers follow the same strict guidance. All professions that are eligible to attend are listed on the eligibility page.

We recognise that many applicants are very experienced but you must have a core mental health profession or be accredited with your governing body in order to attend. You must be fully accredited before you can apply to attend the training. If you or your accredited body want to appeal that their organisation should be recognised in the eligibility criteria, please put this in writing to the

My employer is going to fund my place. What do I need to do to apply?

Please complete the eligibility form via our website. Once approved, you will receive an email with an invitation to book onto your desired course. Please be aware that we require the official purchase order from your employer which includes the billing address, the email address, the purchase order number, as well as, the total amount being funded by your employer. Failure to provide this at the time of booking will result in your application being rejected.

Note - we are not able to accept a purchase order for workshops/refresher days as card payment is required at the time of booking.

+ When will my place be confirmed?

Your place can only be confirmed when full payment is received. A completed application form does not hold a space.

Please note that places can get filled very quickly (We advise you book a few months in advance). If your employer is funding the place please refer to the above question and answer.

We are unable to reserve places for delegates.

+ Do I have to attend all Parts within a set time scale?

You must have sufficient time (at least 8 weeks) in between Part 1 and Part 3. You can attend parts with a longer time scale in between to make the training more flexible but you will not receive our discount on training as we do encourage you to book the 4 parts together to remain focussed on training and so you can become an EMDR Therapist sooner to benefit your client group.

+ Do I need to book all 4 parts in the same location?

You don't if the dates are for other reasons that don't suit you but you only receive the 10% discount if you book all 4 parts at the same time in the same venue.

I only work with children, can I do the training?

Yes, absolutely. However, it's important to consider how you'll access suitable training cases during the course. Ideally, EMDR trainees should begin by using the standard protocol with adult clients—typically your first one to three cases. If your current role or service doesn’t provide access to adult clients, you might consider working with a colleague on a low-SUD, isolated memory case—if you feel this is appropriate and you’re confident in maintaining professional boundaries.

If that’s not possible, you may work with children or young people who are developmentally and chronologically aged 15 or older. In some instances, younger children may be appropriate—particularly if they are emotionally mature, have experienced a single-incident trauma, or present as relatively straightforward cases. Their suitability can be discussed during course supervision sessions.

Ideally, we recommend gaining experience with a young person who meets these criteria before completing your training. This will allow you to reflect on and discuss your clinical experiences during Part 4 supervision.

While many of our training team members are experienced in Child & Adolescent (C&A) work and supervision, we can’t always guarantee placement in a C&A-focused supervision group.

There is a lot more information and advice in the FAQs about working with complex clients that you might want to read as well. In addition, you might want to visit this page:

https://www.emdracademy.co.uk/what-is-expected-of-the-delegate

There are EMDR Europe Child and Adolescent Training courses available that you can access after your Part 1, however, we strongly recommend you complete ALL 4 parts of your EMDR accredited course BEFORE completing any additional training.

https://www.purplehouseclinic.co.uk/psychologists-lincoln/emdr-training-the-purple-house-clinic/

EMDR UK provides further guidance on this subject and how to get support beyond the training here:

https://emdrassociation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Guidance-for-good-practice-in-EMDR-CA-Sep-2024.pdf

+ I'm funding myself, how do I pay?

Payment is taken via credit or debit card upon booking.

+ Am I qualified in EMDR once I complete all parts of the training?

Yes. The EMDR Association of U.K. suggest that you use the title 'EMDR Therapist' once you've completed the full training. You don't have to do further training after this point, although we recommend ongoing EMDR CPD and clinical supervision after the training to keep your skills current. Whilst under training you are considered a 'EMDR Trainee Therapist'. After you complete full standard course you can work towards becoming an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner, which requires additional supervision and clinical experience to demonstrate your competence. However this route is not mandatory (although recommended) after the basic training. The EMDR Association of U.K. website has full details of this process.

Go to EMDR Association

I work with clients with psychosis, are people with active psychotic symptoms suitable as EMDR training cases?

Although there is growing evidence and literature in this field, we wouldn’t consider this a suitable training case

+ Can I use EMDR with my clients after Part 1 training?

Yes and you should! It's a psychotherapy training, so the more you use it with clients during the Parts, the more you will gain from the training. To complete the course you have had to have used it with at least 3 clients during the training.

+ I only work with very complex clients, can I still attend?

Yes. EMDR has a growing evidence base with complex trauma. We discuss client selection a great deal during each part of the training, including in our clinical supervision sections. Even though more straightforward clients are often a better choice when you are starting out, we will give you many ideas of how to work with more complex presentations if you never work with single incident trauma.

An important point we want to stress to delegates is that we strongly encourage you to find an EMDR Consultant to supervise you once you have finished the training. If you work with complex cases we would encourage you to find an EMDR Consultant during the training.

+ What if I need to cancel, defer my course or change venues?

Please read our terms and conditions carefully which fully explains the cancellation and deferring course places.

I'm pregnant-can I attend the training?

Please do get in touch with us if you are pregnant. This is because you work on some of your own memories during the course which may increase your emotions and you may find upsetting or cause distress. We sometimes have delegates that are pregnant and attend the course. We advise those that they do so purely at their own risk because they will still have to work on their own material during the course as an essential part of the training. If they still attend we then advise them to work with easier / safer memories.

Please also inform the trainer prior to the training if you suffer from vertigo, inner ear problems, migraines or epilepsy.

Do the hours completed during the training count towards the 50 hours for accreditation if I decide I want to become Accredited?

All 10 hours count however, clients seen during the training do NOT count unless you are still seeing/treating the client after the training has been completed. You could then discuss that particular case with an external EMDR Consultant as one of your 25 clients. Clinical hours during the training do NOT count.

HOW WILL EMDR TRAINING AFFECT MY INSURANCE?

We highly recommend that you include EMDR in your professional insurance coverage. You will need to contact your insurance provider directly to inform them of this addition. If you are employed by the NHS, it is essential to confirm that EMDR is covered under their insurance. Please note that the EMDR Academy is not responsible for your personal insurance arrangements.

I began my training with a different EMDR Europe Accredited Training provider. Can I transfer across to The EMDR Academy?

Yes, this is possible but because every training provider structures the 7 days slightly differently you will need to contact us to discuss this further.

+ Do clients have to meet PTSD criteria or is experience of a trauma with some PTSD symptoms (not meeting PTSD clinical cut off) sufficient?

Although clients diagnosed with PTSD or with some symptoms of PTSD are great training cases, many clients benefit from EMDR therapy even though they don’t show overt symptoms of PTSD.

Do I need to complete the EMDR treatment and discharge the first client between Part 1-2?

No, all you have to do is complete all 8 phases of the EMDR protocol with one memory.

Do I need to complete the EMDR treatments with three clients and discharge them by Part 4?

No, you must have processed a memory using all 8 phases of the EMDR Protocol by the end of Part 4 (not discharged).

GUIDELINES REGARDING FREQUENCY AND QUANTITY OF EMDR SUPERVISION

Please see the downloadable PDF explaining this

Guidelines

AS A TRAINEE, HOW MANY SESSIONS SHOULD I PLAN FOR MY CLIENT?

This can be a challenging question to answer, as each client’s needs are unique and influenced by various factors. However, as a general starting point, you may need to plan at least 6 sessions. For PTSD, NICE guidelines recommend 8 to 12 sessions. Clients with more complex needs may require additional sessions. Keep in mind, this is only a guide, and the number of sessions should be tailored to the individual client.