My EMDR trainings have three parts. The first two parts may be taken together over a week in a retreat setting like at Esalen Institute in Big Sur or at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York; or in two separate weekends. After the first two parts, you are required to use EMDR in your practice and receive ten hours of consultation with an EMDRIA-approved consultant. Upon completing that, you must take the third part of the training. Part 3 is the Advanced Clinical Workshop and Refresher Course. The three-part training with consultation fulfills the new training requirement established by the EMDR International Association.

EMDR in Retreat Settings

For the past eight years I have been teaching EMDR in retreat settings that take place over a week. I limit the number of participants to 45 so participants feel more comfortable asking questions and feel safer. I have found this to be the most effective way for therapists to learn EMDR. In the retreat setting, you are able to better absorb the material and to practice on one another. You have your own personal experience of EMDR, which is often life-changing and transformational. In the retreat settings, you are also able to develop relationships of trust with the group members and give, receive and observe many sessions. In this way you directly experience much of the material that I teach–you learn from the inside out. Collegial relationships that form during the trainings often continue after you leave, which serve to support you in your continuing EMDR work. Upon completing the week, you will have all the tools necessary to practice EMDR. Because of the immersion, participants often leave feeling confident to begin using it right away.

During the EMDR trainings in retreat settings I 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 the half-days we devote to practice.

Weekend EMDR Trainings

I also teach EMDR over two weekends through Alliant International University in San Francisco, California. This model works better for some people who are not able to take a week off. With this format I 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 and not forget what you learned in the first part. As with the week-long training, I lecture and do demonstration in the morning, and we do small group practice in the afternoons. These trainings are also limited to 45 participants.

Advanced Clinical Workshop and Refresher (Part 3)

In this workshop you will have the opportunity to refresh your technique and 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 cognitive interweaves. This workshop is the third required part of the three-part series. It is open to those who have completed the first two parts given by me. It is also open to those who have completed EMDR training given by another instructor as an EMDRIA-approved continuing education course. This course is offered as a non-residential weekend course and also as a 5-day retreat. The longer course includes more time for practice and consultation.

All EMDR trainees must be licensed mental health professionals or interns supervised by an EMDR-trained supervisor. Participants must take both Parts 1, 2 and 3 from me in order to complete the basic training. It is recommended that all participants take Part 3 after ten hours of consultation with an EMDRIA-approved consultant. Participants who complete all three parts will be eligible to become certified in EMDR and to become members of EMDRIA.

The required text for the trainings is my newest book: A Therapist’s Guide to EMDR: Tools and Techniques for Successful Treatment.