The Parnell Institute for EMDR offers both EMDR Basic Training and advanced training for EMDR practitioners, including training in our own Attachment-Based EMDR™ approach. The majority of our trainings are led by Laurel Parnell, PhD, with some trainings led by faculty Dr. Parnell has personally trained. Our EMDR trainings have eligibility requirements; please be sure to review these before you register for a training.
EMDR Basic Training Overview
Drawing from over twenty years experience training therapists in EMDR, Dr. Parnell has developed a training model that really works. We are committed to quality education in EMDR. Our goal is to enable therapists who complete our program to be able to work effectively and competently with a wide range of clients. We specialize in teaching therapists how to work with clients presenting with complex trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and how to integrate EMDR into clinical practice, bringing an attachment-focused approach to the work. All of our trainings include lecture, live demonstration or videos of live sessions, and small group supervised practice.
The Parnell Institute EMDR Basic Training is divided into three parts. The first two parts may be taken together over a week in a retreat setting such as Esalen Institute in Big Sur or Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. Or, the two parts may be taken over two weekends close together in time. Upon completing Part 2, all participants are required to use EMDR in their practices and to receive ten hours of consultation from Parnell Institute for EMDR faculty, which is typically done in groups. Phone consultation is available for those who can’t find groups nearby. Part 1 and Part 2 of our Basic Training cover all the material necessary to employ EMDR in practice. But in our experience, there is too much information presented to fully absorb, and a third part is needed to review and deepen the material.
Part 3 is the Advanced Clinical Workshop and Refresher Course. In this course, we review the material from Parts 1 and 2 with special emphasis on the treatment of complex PTSD, resource development and installation, target development, case conceptualization, and working with blocked processing, dissociation, and abreactions. Participants must take all three parts in order to complete the Parnell Institute’s EMDR Basic Training, and receive a certificate of completion. The entire training sequence must be completed within two years. Following Basic Training, participants can continue on with training and supervision toward EMDR certification.
EMDR Basic Training — Parts 1 and 2 (18-20 hrs each)
In our comprehensive training, you will learn how to use EMDR in clinical practice. Our training includes lecture, small group practice, and demonstrations in a supportive environment. Because this course provides extensive time for practice, you will learn EMDR from the inside out, experiencing firsthand the power of this transformative therapy.
Learning Objectives: Through lecture, hands-on practice, and demonstrations, you will learn:
- The history and development of EMDR
- The EMDR model and components of treatment
- How to evaluate clients to gauge the appropriateness of EMDR treatment
- How to prepare clients for EMDR trauma processing
- Protocols and procedures for using EMDR with a range of problems
- Techniques for working with blocked processing and abreactions
- How to use EMDR with adults traumatized as children
- Methods for developing inner resources used for interweaves, ego strengthening, and client closure
EMDR Basic Training – Part 3: Advanced Clinical Workshop and Refresher (19-30 hrs)
This workshop is designed for those who have completed Parnell Institute for EMDR Basic Training Parts 1 and 2, or an equivalent EMDRIA-approved course. It is the third, required part of the three-part Basic Training series. To enroll in Part 3, participants must have also completed ten hours of consultation with a consultant trained by the Parnell Institute, which is typically done in groups or by phone. In this training, you will refresh your technique, review EMDR protocols and procedures, consult on difficult cases, watch demonstrations, and practice EMDR in small, supervised groups. Instruction will focus on using EMDR with complex cases, resource development and installation, target development, and interweaves. This course is offered in both a three-day weekend and five-day format. The five-day program includes more time for practice and consultation.
Learning Objectives: Through lecture, hands-on practice, and demonstrations, you will learn:
- How to use EMDR with complex cases
- Resource development and installation
- Target development
- When and how to employ interweaves for blocked processing
- How to work with dissociation, abreactions and memory chaining
- How to use EMDR with adults abused as children
- How to work with medical procedure trauma
- How to use EMDR for grief and loss
- How EMDR is a transpersonal psychotherapy
EMDR Basic Training in Retreat Settings
For many years, we have been teaching EMDR in retreat settings, with the programs taking place over a week. We limit the number of participants to forty-five, so participants feel more comfortable asking questions and feel safer. We have found this to be the most effective way for therapists to learn EMDR. In a retreat setting, you are able to better absorb the material and to practice on one another. You will have your own personal experience of EMDR, which is often life-changing and transformational. In retreat settings, you are also able to develop relationships of trust with other group members and give, receive, and observe many sessions. In this way, you directly experience much of the material that is taught — you learn from the inside out.
Collegial relationships that form during these trainings often continue after you leave, and serve to support you in your continuing work with EMDR. Upon completing Basic Training in a retreat week, you will have all the tools necessary to practice EMDR. Because of the immersion, participants often leave feeling confident enough to begin using it right away.
During EMDR trainings in retreat settings, we teach mindfulness meditation. We begin each morning session with meditation, which sets the tone for the work. The training format is lecture and demonstration in the mornings, and small group practice in the afternoons. There are two half-days off during which you can get a massage, take a walk, or just relax. The afternoons of those half-days we devote to practice.
Weekend EMDR Trainings
The Parnell Institute for EMDR also offers EMDR Basic Training Parts 1, 2 and 3, as well as some of our advanced trainings, in a weekend format. This model works better for those who are not able to take a week off at a time. With this format, we recommend that the first two parts be taken close together in time so that you have all the tools you need to bring EMDR into your practice without forgetting what you learned in Part 1.
As with the week-long trainings, there is lecture and demonstration in the morning, and small group practice in the afternoons. EMDR Basic Trainings are limited to forty-five participants.
All our EMDR trainings have eligibility requirements; please be sure to review these before you register for a training. Please note that the fee for the required 10-hour consultation is not included in the cost of the basic training. The charge for consultation varies with each Parnell Institute for EMDR consultant. The consultation is usually done in groups either in person or by telephone. The cost of the training depends on the venue and can be found on their respective websites.