Getting Started (or Restarted) with EMDR in Your Practice

Trained in EMDR But Struggling to Get Started?

You completed the EMDR Basic Training — 40 hours of intensive instruction plus 10 hours of consultation. You learned the 8 phases, the protocol steps, the theory behind EMDR. You practiced in the training.

And yet... implementing it with your actual clients feels harder than you expected.

Maybe you haven't started using EMDR at all. Maybe you tried it with a few clients and ran into challenges that made you gradually stop. Maybe you're using it only with the most straightforward cases and avoiding anything complex.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. The gap between training and confident clinical practice is real and expected.

The challenge isn't understanding EMDR — it's applying it skillfully with your specific clients and clinical situations.

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Why Implementation Feels Harder Than Expected

The EMDR Basic Training taught you the protocol steps thoroughly. What it couldn't prepare you for: your actual clients.

Here's the critical distinction that makes implementation challenging:

Training teaches you the STEPS of the protocol.

Consultation teaches you to UNDERSTAND the protocol deeply enough to be responsive, adaptive, flexible, and creative in your use of EMDR.

Think about learning to drive. You can learn the mechanics — how to start the car, when to brake, how to use turn signals. But what happens when you encounter unexpected traffic? When weather conditions change? When someone cuts you off? Without understanding how to read road conditions and respond to the unexpected, you're limited to ideal driving conditions.

EMDR is the same. When you only know the steps, you're limited to cases that proceed exactly as the protocol describes. When you understand the principles — why each phase exists, what makes processing move forward versus get stuck, how to read your client's signals — you can work effectively with the complex, messy, real-world presentations that fill your practice.

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Understanding EMDR: Moving Beyond the Steps

What develops through consultation is understanding the principles behind the protocol steps — the conceptual framework that lets you work skillfully when cases don't follow the textbook. When a client has difficulty identifying an image, when processing moves in unexpected directions, when someone's response is different than what you anticipated — understanding the underlying principles helps you respond with confidence rather than uncertainty.

Consider Phase 4 desensitization as an example.

Knowing the steps means you understand the mechanics: initiate bilateral stimulation, ask "What do you notice?", repeat the sets, check SUDS periodically.

Understanding Phase 4 more deeply means recognizing what's actually happening during processing. You notice when a client is looping back to the same material repeatedly — which signals a block, not productive processing. You recognize the difference between a client who's accessing difficult material (productive discomfort) versus becoming overwhelmed (dysregulation). You know when to stay out of the way and let processing unfold versus when to intervene with a cognitive interweave. You can read whether silence during a set means the client is processing deeply or dissociating.

This kind of understanding develops through consultation on real cases — not through reviewing the protocol.

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What Consultation Provides: Building Clinical Mastery

Consultation bridges the gap between knowing the protocol steps and being able to implement EMDR skillfully with your specific clients.

Active Skills for Managing Processing

Consultation helps you develop preemptive and responsive skills that give you significant influence over how processing unfolds:

Preemptive skills:

• Identifying potential blocks before they derail the session
• Using psycho-education strategically to keep processing on track
• Tracking dual awareness — your client needs one foot in the past (accessing the memory) and one foot in the present (knowing they're safe now). You learn to notice when this balance shifts and make adjustments before dysregulation occurs
• Fractionating and titrating targets to make them manageable from the start
• Recognizing when preparation is adequate versus when more preparation is actually avoidance of needed trauma work

Responsive skills:

• Making real-time micro-adjustments during processing to keep it on track
• Using cognitive interweaves strategically when processing stalls
• Adjusting pacing and modulating intensity in the moment
• Bringing dysregulated clients back within their window of tolerance
• Recognizing when to intervene versus when to trust the process

These aren't just troubleshooting techniques for when things go wrong. They're active clinical skills that allow you to shape processing toward successful resolution rather than hoping things go well on their own.

Case Conceptualization and Target Development

• Skills for transforming broad presenting issues (anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, relationship problems) into concrete, processable EMDR targets
• Understanding how trauma patterns connect to current symptoms
• Ability to construct targets that will process effectively while staying manageable
• Judgment about which presenting issues to target first for optimal therapeutic progress
• Strategic preparation that directly supports effective target setup and processing

Clinical Judgment for Your Specific Clients

• Assess client readiness: window of tolerance, affect tolerance, dissociation level, current stability, resource adequacy
• Match cases to your current skill level and build progressively toward more complex presentations
• Read client signals about appropriate pacing for their nervous system
• Determine when a client is ready for trauma processing versus when more preparation is needed
• Distinguish between slow-but-productive processing versus genuinely stuck processing
• Work effectively with YOUR client population — whatever presentations you see most often in your practice

Integration with Your Therapeutic Approach

• Staying present and attuned to your client rather than distracted by protocol steps
• Using EMDR's structure as a framework while remaining responsive to your client's needs
• Integrating EMDR with your existing therapeutic values and approach
• Moving through the protocol fluidly rather than mechanically
• Being the skilled clinician you've always been — now with EMDR as an additional powerful tool

Managing Realistic Expectations

• EMDR's reputation for speed creates pressure that isn't always helpful. Going slow when a client needs slow processing is just as skillful as going fast when that's appropriate
• Making targets easier to process early on — even if it takes more time — is often the right trade-off when building your confidence and your client's trust
• Your role is skillful guidance and creating conditions for healing, not controlling outcomes

Early in your EMDR practice, the goal isn't demonstrating how quickly you can resolve targets. The goal is building confidence — yours and your clients' — developing momentum with the approach, and helping clients develop trust and investment in the EMDR process.

"Wonderful, supportive guidance that was truly invaluable to my growth and confidence as I developed my EMDR skills." — Melissa Witter, LPC Read full testimonial ↓

"I always came away feeling extremely prepared for my next EMDR sessions." — Nola Domenici, LPC Read full testimonial ↓

"He normalizes being a beginner and breaks everything down so it all feels manageable." — Raquel Seeley, AMFT Read full testimonial ↓

"I find that his consultation and guidance can help not only those who need the mandatory 10 hours, but also those who seek to grow as skilled EMDR therapists." — Osnat Lupesko-Persky, PhD Read full testimonial ↓

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Common Questions About Implementation — And How Consultation Addresses Them

"How do I choose which client to work with?"

When you're moving from training to practice, case selection matters. Consultation provides guidance on identifying appropriate cases, language for introducing EMDR comfortably, and support through those early sessions so you can build confidence as you develop experience.

"How do I introduce EMDR to clients I'm already working with?"

You've been working with clients using your familiar approach, and you can see how EMDR might help. Consultation helps with natural ways to bring EMDR into existing relationships without disrupting the rapport you've built.

"How do I keep clients safe during trauma processing?"

EMDR works with traumatic material, which naturally raises concerns about readiness and intensity. Consultation helps with recognizing readiness indicators, tracking clients' window of tolerance during processing, and developing confidence in managing intensity skillfully.

"The protocol feels constraining compared to my usual way of working"

You're accustomed to being present and responsive, reading your client's needs in the moment. Consultation helps you understand EMDR deeply enough that you can work fluidly within the structure while staying fully attuned to your client.

"My first attempt at EMDR was challenging"

When early experiences don't match what you saw in training, it's easy to question whether EMDR fits your practice. Consultation normalizes the learning process and helps you develop specific approaches for the situations that felt difficult.

"EMDR seems different from how I usually approach therapy"

Your therapeutic approach might emphasize client-directed exploration, the therapeutic relationship, or following your client's natural process. Consultation helps you find ways to integrate EMDR with your existing strengths, so you're bringing EMDR into your practice as the therapist you already are.

"How do I work with clients who have extensive trauma histories?"

When a client presents with multiple incidents, ongoing abuse, or developmental trauma, starting can feel overwhelming. Consultation provides case conceptualization strategies, helps you identify touchstone memories, and shows you that you don't need to process everything to create meaningful change.

"How do I adapt EMDR for complex trauma or developmental trauma?"

Your client's trauma is layered, developmental, relational — not a single discrete event. Consultation helps you adapt EMDR for complex presentations, work with what didn't happen versus what did happen, and pace work appropriately with clients who need more stabilization.

"How do I work with attachment trauma in EMDR?"

When trauma is intertwined with attachment wounds, EMDR feels more complicated. Consultation helps with building internal resources with clients who have attachment deficits and navigating the complexity of processing trauma involving caregivers.

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Remember Why You Chose EMDR

You didn't invest 50 hours in EMDR training on a whim. You chose EMDR for a reason.

Maybe you recognized that your clients were stuck — making progress in therapy but not getting the deeper healing you wanted for them. Maybe you were frustrated by how long trauma work was taking with traditional approaches. Maybe you saw EMDR's research base and thought, "This could help my clients in ways my current tools can't."

That recognition was accurate. EMDR is powerful therapy. When implemented skillfully, EMDR can facilitate change and healing that other approaches might take months or years to achieve — if they achieve it at all.

What you need now is support developing the clinical judgment to use your training foundation effectively with the real, complex clients in your practice.

The EMDR you learned in training works. The clients who could benefit from it are already in your practice. The missing piece is the support that helps you bridge from protocol knowledge to confident clinical implementation.

That's exactly what consultation provides.

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How Consultation Works: Collaborative Professional Development

Consultation is collaborative professional development, not evaluation.

You're working with a colleague who has more EMDR experience, not being assessed for competency. There's no pressure to have perfect cases or all the answers. If you're stuck, that's exactly appropriate for consultation. If you have basic questions, those are welcomed.

The relationship is supportive, not critical. The goal is developing your competence and confidence, not identifying deficits. You can bring your actual clinical challenges without concern about judgment.

In group consultation specifically:

• You can participate by listening and learning from others' cases — there's no pressure to present if you don't have a case
• You benefit from exposure to situations you haven't encountered yet but likely will, which reduces anxiety about the unknown
• You develop community with other EMDR clinicians who are navigating similar challenges
• You learn from diverse perspectives and approaches

"EMDR can appear intimidating at first, but Ross helps you get past this hurdle." — J. Amber Steward-Davis, LMFT Read full testimonial ↓

"He makes the whole consultation process not as intimidating as I thought it would be." — Tracy Marshall, LCSW Read full testimonial ↓

"Ross possesses the unique ability to create a truly safe environment for all of the participants in his consultation groups, regardless of the experience level of the participant." — Sherri Kardell, LMFT Read full testimonial ↓

"Ross's EMDR consultation group is well organized, professional, and welcoming." — Seth Conde, CSWA Read full testimonial ↓

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The Hardest Part Is Beginning

The hardest part of using EMDR is starting. Once you begin working with clients with consultation support, competence builds naturally through experience. Each case develops your skills. What felt uncertain becomes more automatic. Your confidence grows.

Your training investment is waiting to be used. Your clients are waiting for access to an approach that could help them heal more completely and efficiently.

Starting doesn't require mastery. It requires:

• Appropriate case selection (guidance available in consultation)
• Consultation support when challenges arise (normal in early implementation)
• Permission to build skills progressively rather than taking on complex cases immediately

The clinicians who successfully integrate EMDR into their practice aren't necessarily more talented or better therapists. They simply started — with the right support in place.

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Next Steps: Getting Started (or Restarted)

Step 1: Reach Out

Contact me by phone or email. Share where you are — whether you've never started using EMDR, encountered challenges that stopped you, or are using it only minimally. Describe your specific concerns: uncertainty about case selection, fear of client overwhelm, questions about protocol implementation, whatever is keeping you from using EMDR confidently.

These are exactly the issues consultation addresses.

Phone: (503) 887-3309
Email: Contact Form

Step 2: Choose Your Consultation Format

Group Consultation works well for most clinicians starting EMDR:

• Affordable ongoing support ($55 per session)
• Learn from diverse cases and questions
• Build community with other EMDR clinicians
• No pressure to present if you don't have a case
• Flexible — join as your schedule allows with no minimum commitment

Available times (Pacific / Eastern / UK):
Mondays: 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM / 10:00 PM or 3:00 PM / 6:00 PM / 11:00 PM
Thursdays: 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM / 10:00 PM
Fridays: 9:00 AM / 12:00 PM / 5:00 PM or 10:00 AM / 1:00 PM / 6:00 PM

Learn more: Group EMDR Consultation →

Individual Consultation provides focused one-on-one support:

• Undivided attention on your specific cases and learning needs
• Deep exploration of complex topics
• Customized skill development
• Privacy for sensitive cases
• Flexible scheduling

Fee: $180 per 55-minute session
Format: Virtual (Zoom) or in-person in Portland, Oregon

Learn more: Individual EMDR Consultation →

Step 3: Start Using EMDR with Clients

With consultation support in place, identify an appropriate case to work with. This doesn't need to be your most straightforward client (though it can be). It needs to be a client who could benefit from EMDR and who you feel ready to work with given your current skill level.

Introduce EMDR to your client. Begin implementing the protocol. When questions arise or challenges surface — as they will — bring them to consultation. Get guidance. Apply what you learn. Build confidence through experience.

Each session develops your skills. Each case increases your competence. What felt uncertain becomes familiar. You develop the clinical judgment that allows you to work with increasingly complex presentations.

This is how EMDR training is designed to work: comprehensive instruction in the protocol followed by consultation that supports clinical implementation and skill development. The training gave you the foundation. Consultation helps you build on it.

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Your Training Investment Can Still Transform Your Practice

You invested significant time and resources in EMDR training because you recognized its potential to help your clients heal. That assessment was accurate.

The clients who could benefit are in your practice. What's needed now is support developing the clinical judgment to use your training foundation effectively — moving from protocol knowledge to confident clinical implementation.

That's exactly what consultation provides.

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What Clinicians Say

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Related Resources

• Group EMDR Consultation — Collaborative learning and affordable ongoing support
• Individual EMDR Consultation — Focused one-on-one guidance
• EMDR Certification Consultation — Structured path to EMDRIA Certification
• Main Consultation Overview — Compare all consultation options