Many clinicians finish EMDR Basic Training, start using EMDR with clients, and then ask what comes next. For many, the answer is EMDR certification. EMDRIA publishes the EMDR certification requirements, but they are spread across several pages, and a few details regularly catch applicants off guard. This guide puts them in one place, in the order most clinicians complete them.
An EMDRIA-approved Basic Training includes 20 hours of didactic instruction, 20 hours of supervised practicum, and 10 hours of consultation. Completing all of it makes a clinician EMDR trained and ready to use EMDR with clients within their scope of practice.
Certification is optional and comes later. EMDRIA grants it to licensed clinicians who have shown advanced competency in EMDR therapy beyond Basic Training.
| EMDR trained | EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ | |
| What it means | Completed an EMDRIA-approved Basic Training | Met EMDRIA’s additional practice, consultation, and education requirements |
| Consultation | 10 hours, built into the training | 20 additional hours, after the training |
| Client experience | Begins during the training | At least 50 sessions with at least 25 clients |
| Continuing education | None required | 12 EMDRIA Credits to apply, 12 more every two years |
| Issued by | The training provider (certificate of completion) | EMDRIA |
Two conditions come first. The clinician must be fully licensed for private, independent practice, and must have completed an EMDRIA-approved Basic Training in its entirety, consultation hours included.
Clinicians still working under supervision toward full licensure cannot apply yet, but they can start working toward certification before they’re fully licensed. One thing to plan for: consultation hours must fall within the five years before the application date, so hours started too early may no longer count by the time they apply.
| Requirement | What EMDRIA asks for |
| 1. Basic Training | Final certificate of completion from an EMDRIA-approved Basic Training |
| 2. License | A current license to practice independently, showing its expiration date |
| 3. Experience | A notarized statement: at least two years of experience in the field of license, and at least 50 EMDR sessions with at least 25 clients |
| 4. Consultation | 20 hours with an EMDRIA Approved Consultant™, at least 10 of them individual, completed within the five years before applying |
| 5. Consultant letter | A letter from an EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ recommending the applicant for certification |
| 6. Peer letters | Two letters from colleagues or peers on the applicant’s use of EMDR, ethics, and professional character |
| 7. EMDRIA Credits | 12 hours of EMDRIA Credits earned after Basic Training |
| 8. Policies | Agreement to EMDRIA’s policies, confirmed by submitting the application |
Full criteria: EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Application.
EMDRIA’s fees are fixed and non-refundable:
| Fee | EMDRIA member | Non-member |
| Application | $150 | $350 |
| Renewal, every two years | $100 | $300 |
The other costs vary by provider: consultation fees, EMDRIA Credit programs, membership dues for those who join, and notarization. It helps to ask consultants for their rates before starting.
There is no fixed timeline. The pace depends mostly on how quickly a clinician reaches 50 sessions with 25 clients. Consultation and EMDRIA Credits can run in parallel with that.
The one hard limit is the five-year window for consultation hours. Hours older than that at submission are reviewed case by case, so it pays to keep moving once consultation starts.
The credential lasts two years. To renew, certified therapists complete 12 EMDRIA Credits per cycle and pay the renewal fee. EMDRIA sends reminders starting three months before expiration and audits credits rather than asking everyone for documentation.
An expired credential has a three-month grace period. After a year, reinstatement carries a fee; after five years, the full application starts over. Details: EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Renewal.
Knowing the requirements is one part. Tracking consultation hours, credits, letters, and a five-year window alongside a full caseload is another.
The CompassionWorks Way is a step-by-step program for EMDR-trained clinicians working toward EMDRIA certification. It runs online in a cohort format, led by the CompassionWorks training and consultation team, and it’s open to anyone who has completed an EMDRIA-approved Basic Training, wherever they trained.
The program includes:
Enrollment opens in early 2027. Join the interest list to hear as soon as it does.
Amanda Martin holds a PhD in Family Therapy and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. With over 14 years of experience, she specializes in trauma therapy for individuals and families in residential and outpatient settings. Amanda also provides supervision for EMDR certification, EMDR consultants-in-training, and LMFT-Associates. Her mission is to help people find a healthy, joyful, and fulfilling path in life. Her warm, supportive, and interactive counseling style incorporates Symbolic Experiential Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, HeartMath, Animal-Assisted Therapy, Neurofeedback, and Collaborative Problem Solving.
Dr. Jose Carbajal, a U.S. Army veteran, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and a master’s in theological studies from Baylor University, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. With over 15 years of clinical experience and extensive teaching experience, Jose specializes in trauma, sexual abuse recovery, domestic violence, and substance abuse. His research focuses on trauma interventions, neuroscience, and faith. He is EMDR Certified, an Approved Consultant, and an EMDRIA Approved Trainer, with numerous publications and professional presentations to his name.
Amber holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Texas and Oklahoma and holds Supervisor credential for Texas. Amber is an EMDRIA consultant and trainer. She has over a decade of experience in the trauma field in work with uniformed services, domestic violence, childhood trauma and abuse, and recent mass trauma events. Amber provides consultation for EMDRIA certification, for consultants-in-training, and supervision for LPC-Associates. Amber continues to research the benefits of EMDR therapy with a variety of populations. Her goal is to help build strong clinicians who are well versed in trauma interventions to better support their clients. Amber sees a limited number of clients with a focus on trauma work, she is also a Certified Career Counselor and Certified through EAGALA to provide equine-assisted therapy.Â
Amber holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Texas and Oklahoma and holds Supervisor credential for Texas. Amber is an EMDRIA consultant and trainer. She has over a decade of experience in the trauma field in work with uniformed services, domestic violence, childhood trauma and abuse, and recent mass trauma events. Amber provides consultation for EMDRIA certification, for consultants-in-training, and supervision for LPC-Associates. Amber continues to research the benefits of EMDR therapy with a variety of populations. Her goal is to help build strong clinicians who are well versed in trauma interventions to better support their clients. Amber sees a limited number of clients with a focus on trauma work, she is also a Certified Career Counselor and Certified through EAGALA to provide equine-assisted therapy.Â
Dr. Jose Carbajal, a U.S. Army veteran, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and a master’s in theological studies from Baylor University, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. With over 15 years of clinical experience and extensive teaching experience, Jose specializes in trauma, sexual abuse recovery, domestic violence, and substance abuse. His research focuses on trauma interventions, neuroscience, and faith. He is EMDR Certified, an Approved Consultant, and an EMDRIA Approved Trainer, with numerous publications and professional presentations to his name.
Amanda Martin holds a PhD in Family Therapy and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. With over 14 years of experience, she specializes in trauma therapy for individuals and families in residential and outpatient settings. Amanda also provides supervision for EMDR certification, EMDR consultants-in-training, and LMFT-Associates. Her mission is to help people find a healthy, joyful, and fulfilling path in life. Her warm, supportive, and interactive counseling style incorporates Symbolic Experiential Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, HeartMath, Animal-Assisted Therapy, Neurofeedback, and Collaborative Problem Solving.
