Why become certified in Attachment-Focused EMDR?
Attachment-Focused EMDR Certified Therapists carry a distinguished mark demonstrating competency and experience of the Attachment-Focused EMDR model. Certification adds a measure of quality control in the practice of AF-EMDR by providing a way to recognize those who have demonstrated the capacity to safely and effectively use the model. Our faculty and staff have received reports of EMDR-trained therapists who never completed a Parnell Institute Basic EMDR training yet claim to do Attachment-Focused EMDR, or to be Attachment-Focused EMDR therapists. This confuses clients as they may think they are receiving treatment from someone we trained and be unhappy with the treatment as it doesn’t fit their expectations. Our certification will distinguish you from this group and provide the Parnell Institute’s seal of approval on your training. You will also be eligible to be listed in our website’s Find a Therapist directory. Membership in the Parnell Institute is included for as long as you renew your certification. You can state in your marketing that you are certified by the Parnell Institute in Attachment-Focused EMDR.
PRIVILEGES OF Attachment-Focused EMDR CERTIFICATION
- Eligible for listing on the Parnell Institute for Attachment-Focused EMDR website as a Certified AF-EMDR Therapist (your membership in the Parnell Institute is included as long as your certification is renewed)
- Authorization to call oneself a Certified Attachment-Focused EMDR Therapist on websites, business cards, flyers, biographical sketches, curriculum vitae, resumes, etc.
- May request permission from the Parnell Institute for Attachment-Focused EMDR to use AF-EMDR intellectual property for endeavors such as books, courses, workshops, promotions
- Receive a digital Certificate.
Why change now?
Over the years, the Parnell Institute’s EMDR Basic Training and what EMDRIA requires have evolved along different paths. We believe that respectfully adapting what we do to the needs of each client is essential to creating safety and that a strong, supportive, attuned therapeutic relationship between therapist and client is foundational in doing deep, reparative work. We also know that more resourcing is needed than is taught in standard EMDR trainings, not only for stabilization in work with early childhood trauma but also for the repair of developmental deficits. We also recognize that the EMDR protocol must be adapted in order to meet the individual needs of clients.
EMDRIA has most recently informed all trainers who conduct EMDR Basic Training that no modifications of the standard protocol and procedures are allowed or can be taught. This new rule has brought to the forefront what has been increasingly clear to us: we have developed something different from standard EMDR. Attachment-Focused EMDR has evolved and grown from standard EMDR. From 25+ years of training therapists nationally and internationally in EMDR, consulting to clinicians and treating clients, Laurel Parnell and her faculty have found that the adaptations we teach are necessary for therapists utilizing EMDR with a wide range of clients. We at the Parnell Institute believe we must teach therapists how to use and adapt EMDR so it helps the diverse populations of clients they treat.
Over the years we have been getting requests referrals for therapists who do our Attachment-Focused EMDR. These requests are coming from those seeking Attachment-Focused EMDR for themselves or their family members as well as from therapists seeking help for their clients. They know the difference between those trained more traditionally and those trained by us at the Parnell Institute. Our certification process formalizes these differences and allows the public to make a clear choice in the kind of EMDR treatment they are receiving.
How does the Parnell Institute’s certification in Attachment-Focused EMDR differ from EMDRIA’s in Standard EMDR?
The Parnell Institute will continue with most of the requirements that EMDRIA has for certification, but all the training components — Parts 1, 2, and 3 of our EMDR Basic Training, plus 10 hours of consultation — must be delivered by a Parnell Institute trainer and a Parnell Institute consultant. The trainee must work with 25 different clients using AF-EMDR, for 50 sessions minimum. They must receive 20 hours of consultation, 10 of which must be individual with the same consultant who will evaluate their work. The 10 hours of individual consultation is a minimum as the candidate must demonstrate proficiency in AF-EMDR. Only Parnell Institute consultants can provide consultation for certification in Attachment-Focused EMDR.
Can I be certified by EMDRIA and also by the Parnell Institute in Attachment-Focused EMDR?
Yes, if you completed your EMDR Basic Training in 2021 or prior. At this time, since all Parnell Institute consultants are also EMDRIA-approved consultants, everyone who is certified in AF-EMDR will also have fulfilled the requirements for certification in EMDR by EMDRIA, if all of the paperwork and fees are completed for both. Beginning in 2022, the Parnell Institute’s EMDR Basic Training will no longer be approved by EMDRIA, so if that is your only basic training, you will not be eligible for EMDRIA certification.
How is AF-EMDR different from standard EMDR?
Attachment-Focused EMDR has 5 basic principles which guide the work. We stress the importance of creating safety for the client; we recognize the therapeutic relationship as the foundation of the work as well as important for developmental repair; we understand and respect the complexity and the diversity of clients who present in therapy and the need to be flexible and adapt what we do according to their needs. We also teach modifications of the standard EMDR protocol and resourcing for stabilization, ego strengthening, and the repair of developmental deficits. We use advanced techniques to find EMDR targets, to unblock blocked processing, and to repair early childhood neglect and trauma. We teach how to work with complex trauma as an integral part of our training. We believe that AF-EMDR is an art, not a technique that we use with everyone the same way. Attunement to the needs of each person and collaboratively co-creating with the client how to meet their needs is a hallmark of our approach to EMDR. We also bring the use of imagination and a multi-dimensional approach that recognizes the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.
At this time, EMDRIA-approved trainings are allowed to teach only material from Francine Shapiro’s text Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. The emphasis in these trainings is on single incident PTSD and using the standard EMDR protocol with no adaptations allowed.
Who is eligible to become certified in Attachment-Focused EMDR?
Applicants must have:
- Completed an advanced degree from an accredited college or university, be fully licensed in their mental health professional field for independent practice in their state or country, and have two years of experience (minimum) in that field.
- Completed EMDR Basic Training (Parts 1, 2, and 3, plus 10 hours of consultation from Parnell Institute consultant/faculty) with the Parnell Institute,
- Completed the workshop Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma and Adults Abused as Children with Laurel Parnell.
- Completed a minimum of 50 clinical sessions in which AF-EMDR was utilized with 25 different clients.
- Completed 20 hours of consultation in AF-EMDR with a consultant trained and authorized by the Parnell Institute for Attachment-Focused EMDR. 10 hours can be group and 10 must be individual with a consultant trained and authorized by the Parnell Institute. These hours are in addition to the 10 hours of consultation that are included in the Parnell Institute’s EMDR Basic Training.
- Have demonstrated competency in AF-EMDR through one 50-60 minute live or video session with a client. This may be a session that the consultant watches as the consultee works live.
- Completed a full write-up of two cases in which AF-EMDR is used.
- Obtained letter of recommendation from the individual consultant and an email acknowledgment of completion from a group consultant.
I am already certified in EMDR by EMDRIA, how can I get certified in AF-EMDR?
If you are certified in EMDR by EMDRIA but did not complete the Parnell Institute’s EMDR Basic Training, parts 1, 2, and 3 with 10 hours of consultation from a PI consultant, you must do so. This may seem like a repeat of what you have already learned but we believe it is essential to learning our AF-EMDR model. Even if you completed EMDR Basic Training, parts 1 and 2, with an EMDRIA-approved trainer or institute, this is not a substitute for training in Attachment-Focused EMDR.
If you completed EMDR Basic Training with the Parnell Institute in 2013 or later, and have been certified by EMDRIA, you can continue on to fulfill the other requirements for AF-EMDR certification.
If you completed EMDR Basic Training with Laurel Parnell or the Parnell Institute prior to 2013, you will need to take Attachment-Focused EMDR, Part 3, with a Parnell Institute trainer and then complete the other requirements.
If I completed my EMDR Basic Training with an EMDRIA, not PI, trainer, how can I get certified in AF-EMDR?
You will need to take the Parnell Institute’s complete series of training modules in order to begin: AF-EMDR Basic Training, parts 1, and 2, plus 10 hours of consultation followed by part 3. Upon completion of this training sequence, you can begin the certification process.
What trainings and workshops qualify as continuing education to recertify in AF-EMDR?
- AF-EMDR Retreats focused on Skill Building
- Events with Laurel Parnell, Ph.D.
- Parnell Institute Annual Conference
- AF-EMDR Workshops by Parnell Institute trainers or Parnell Institute faculty
- Participation as a Facilitator in Part 1, 2, or 3 Training
Can the training or workshop I offer to be approved for AF-EMDR continuing education credit?
At this time only trainings or workshops offered by PI faculty can be approved for AF-EMDR continuing education credit.
Can I begin the process of certification before I am licensed to practice independently?
No, only mental health professionals licensed or certified to practice independently can take PI training in AF-EMDR and, therefore, only such mental health clinicians can begin the process of certification.
How long will it take for me to complete the process of certification?
The typical trainee can complete the entire process of certification in as little as 18 months after completing Parts 1, 2, and 3 of Attachment-Focused EMDR Basic Training, but two years is more typical.
If I complete all the requirements and pay the appropriate fees, is my certification guaranteed?
No. You must demonstrate the capacity to safely and effectively use the AF-EMDR model as judged by your consultant(s) and session evaluator.
How long will it take for my certification to be approved after I submit all my documents?
You can expect to receive an approval within 30 days.
If my certification isn’t approved, will my application fee be refunded?
No, but the Parnell Institute will assist you to the best of our ability to complete any missing requirements. In some cases, an additional fee may be necessary for certain assistance.