How to Get Certified to Conduct EMDR Therapy

EMDR Training Course at Beyond Healing Institute

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) enables therapists to address mental health conditions stemming from traumatic experiences.

Backed by numerous clinical trials, EMDR has demonstrated efficacy for treating a number of conditions, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

The EMDR International Association™ (EMDRIA) boasts over 17,000 certified mental health professionals. Certification is a vital step in solidifying a clinician’s skill and confidence in providing EMDR therapy. To become an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™, clinicians must complete rigorous training for upholding the highest standards of care.

At Beyond Healing Institute, we offer training, consultation, and other resources to guide you along your journey to earning EMDRIA certification. We view certification as a bridge between learning EMDR and embodying it as a safe, ethical, and effective practice that honors the complexity of trauma healing.

Let’s go over why EMDRIA certification is important and the programs we offer to help you become certified.

Why EMDRIA Certification Matters

For clinicians, the certification process offers a structured path toward advanced competency. EMDR Basic Training and other courses deepen one’s theoretical understanding of Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) and the eight-step EMDR protocol.

For clients, EMDRIA certification offers reassurance that their clinician has received extensive training, consultation, and experience beyond the basic level. Clients who visit an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ have greater confidence that they are receiving effective, ethical trauma-informed care.

Who Should Pursue EMDR Certification?

If you’ve completed EMDR training but you’re still wanting to gain more confidence, then becoming an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ is your next step.

EMDRIA certification is ideal for clinicians who have completed EMDR Basic Training and want to deepen their ability to treat complex trauma.

At Beyond Healing Institute, we highly recommend certification for therapists who treat clients with chronic, developmental, or relational trauma. We work with clinicians who are passionate about relational work and who want to integrate the nervous system, attachment theory, and somatic practices into their EMDR approach.

EMDRIA Certification Requirements

Beyond Healing Institute offers a range of courses to help clinicians earn EMDRIA certification. Our Certification Program is designed to meet all of the requirements with structure, community, and support at every step.

#1: Basic Training

The first step toward EMDRIA certification is an EMDR Basic Training course. Clinicians must submit a copy of their certificate of completion with the EMDRIA application.

Beyond Healing Institute offers Basic Training to build the foundational skills for integrating AIP theory and the EMDR eight-phase protocol into clinical practice. Grounded in neuroscience and evidence-based methodologies, the course equips clinicians to assess, conceptualize, and address trauma-related symptoms. We cover past memories and present triggers, along with a structured framework for safe and effective treatment.

The course includes the following components:

20 hours of classroom instruction for learning the history, methodology, and mechanisms of EMDR
20 hours of practicum including supervised practice of EMDR techniques
10 hours of individual and group consultation to integrate EMDR into practice

#2: Consultation

After EMDR Basic Training, clinicians must complete 20 hours of consultation by an EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ and provide documentation. Only consultation hours completed after EMDR Basic Training may apply toward this requirement.

Of the 20 required hours, at least 10 must be individual consultation.
Group consultations must not exceed eight participants.
No more than 15 consultation hours may be completed with an EMDRIA-approved Consultant in Training™. The remaining hours must be completed with an EMDRIA Approved Consultant™.

For those who have completed Basic Training, Beyond Healing Institute offers a Certification Course that includes the required consultation hours and training credits:

12 EMDRIA advanced training hours
10 hours of group consultation
10 hours of individual or triadic consultation
Free access to the Beyond Healing Community
Six months of free access to Drop in Beyond
Five 90-minute group consultation calls with senior BHI staff
Private cohort group discussion
Direct community access to BHI Lead Clinicians, Trainers, and Consultants

When applying for certification with EMDRIA, therapists must specify the following information:

The start date of consultation hours
The exact number of consultation hours
The number of individual and group consultation hours

Consultation hours must have been completed within the past five years. Therapists who received consultation from more than one EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ must provide documentation from each one.

#3: Letters of Recommendation

Applicants for EMDRIA certification must provide the following letters of recommendation:

EMDRIA Approved Consultant™: The applicant must obtain at least one recommendation letter from an EMDRIA Approved Consultant™. The letters must address how the applicant has utilized EMDR with clients, and may include documentation of hours in fulfillment of the consultation requirement. Letters from Consultants in Training™ do not meet this requirement.

Letters from professional peers: The applicant must obtain two letters from this category. Each letter must address the applicant’s professional utilization of EMDR, ethics in practice, and professional character. These letters may be from colleagues or peers. Letters from EMDRIA Approved Consultants™ or Consultants in Training™ do not count as peer letters.

#4: Sessions & Licensure

The applicant must provide a copy of their current license to practice as a mental health professional in their state or province. The copy provided must include the current expiration date.

Applicants must also submit a notarized statement of practice and EMDR experience that affirms the following items:

That the applicant has at least two years of experience in their field of license.
That the applicant has conducted at least 50 EMDR therapy sessions with at least 25 clients.

How Beyond Healing Institute Supports You

All of us at Beyond Healing Institute are here to offer a supportive and relational model for therapists who are pursuing certification.

Our certification program doesn’t just focus on protocol fidelity. We also explore how EMDR integrates with somatic awareness, developmental models, and relational attunement. All of our consultants are experienced therapists who care deeply about creating safe, collaborative environments where you can grow in your skill and practice.

Through our consultation groups and individual consultations, we create space for learning and reflection. You’ll also have access to our Beyond Healing Community, a platform for networking, case discussion, and resource sharing. It’s a valuable community that will continue to support you long after you obtain your certification.

Ready to Get Certified? Contact Beyond Healing Institute

If you’re a therapist looking to obtain EMDR certification, your first step is to reach out to Beyond Healing Institute and let us know you’re interested. Whether you’ve trained with us or elsewhere, we’ll help you assess where you are in the process and what further steps you need to complete.

From there, you can enroll in one of our consultation groups or individual consultation with one of our EMDRIA Approved Consultants™. Our team will walk alongside you as you gain confidence and competence in EMDR therapy.

We invite you to reach out to us online, give us a call at 417-942-7384, or send us an email at therapy@beyondhealingcenter.com.