So, you’ve decided that EMDR is a therapy that might help you. Perhaps you know you’ve been through a difficult situation and you need some professional help to move forward. Knowing where to look for an EMDR therapist can feel like a minefield.
Searching on Google will bring up thousands of options to explore, but how do you know whether someone is properly qualified? What does being qualified in EMDR even mean? Keep reading and I will help you to understand what you need to look out for and consider when searching for an EMDR therapist.
Quick overview
* They should have completed an approved EMDR training course.
* There are different levels of accreditation for EMDR therapists including ‘EMDR practitioners’, ‘EMDR Consultants’, and ‘EMDR trainers’ – I will explain what each one means below.
What does EMDR training involve?
EMDR training is an advanced psychotherapy training, and so you must already have a clinical background in mental health and significant experience in offering 1-to-1 therapy. This is good news, because you can be assured that anyone who is trained in EMDR has a relevant professional background and will already be experienced in offering therapy. Checks about your eligibility to train are made when you apply for the training course.
In the UK, EMDR training is accredited by the EMDR Association UK and this means that everyone receiving training is trained to the same standard and quality. If you ever want to check whether a therapist underwent an approved training, you can ask them where they did the training and you can then check it out on the EMDR Association UK website.
You can also check the therapist’s professional background by asking them which body regulates them. This varies from profession to profession. For example, Clinical Psychologists and Counselling Psychologists are governed by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Cognitive Behavioural Therapists are governed by the BABCP, and counsellors and psychotherapists may be governed by British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
Generally, eligibility for training requires you to be a psychologist, psychotherapist, or counsellor of some kind. Sometimes people from other professional backgrounds such as mental health nursing, occupational therapy, and social work can apply, where they have sufficient training in mental health AND have undertaken additional psychotherapy training and practised this for two years as a minimum.
Levels of accreditation for EMDR therapists
One of the reasons that it can be confusing to find a properly qualified EMDR therapist, is that there are three different levels to which a therapist can be trained. Once a professional has undergone the basic 7 day training course, they are able to practice EMDR as a therapy.
Some people however, choose to have additional supervision and assessment to become accredited by EMDR Association UK.
- EMDR Practitioner – has been supervised in their EMDR practice after completing their basic 7 day training, and have demonstrated competency by an EMDR consultant.
- EMDR Consultant – these therapists have demonstrated an even higher level of competency and experience, and are able to train and supervise other therapists.
- EMDR trainer – have undergone a rigourous programme of study and are able to train other professionals in EMDR therapy.
If your EMDR therapist has been accredited as either a practitioner, consultant, or trainer, you will be able to find them on the EMDR Association UK Find a Therapist page.
So, why does all this matter?
You might be wondering why I have taken the time to talk in some detail about how EMDR therapist are trained and the different ways to check a therapist is accredited. I passionately believe that is important to help empower people to find qualified therapists who are appropriately trained to offer EMDR, and any other, therapy. Therapy done wrong or by unqualified people can be damaging, and I have witnessed this harm first hand. Ethically, I believe by helping to demystify these processes, people will be more likely to find a therapist who is properly trained, governed by a professional body, and bound by ethics and regulations.This all means that a person is more likely to benefit from therapy and importantly, be safe.
Now I know all this, where do I find an EMDR therapist?
If you want to find an accredited EMDR Practitioner, you can look on the EMDR Association webpage. Otherwise, you may want to look at directory sites such as Psychology Today or Counselling Directory, to find a suitable therapist local to you.
You can also look on the professional body websites mentioned above (such as BACP, BABCP, UKCP). Have a read of the therapists profile and see if it fits for you. Remember, any professional will welcome questions about their training or background, so feel free to ask questions and feel confident that this person is the right fit for you and properly trained.
Resources
Blog written by Dr Hannah Barnes
If you want to know more about EMDR therapy, then feel free to contact me.