For Prospective Trainees:
1. I would like to undertake EMDRAA accredited training, but do not meet the eligibility criteria listed. Is there anything I can do to be able to train?
If you feel you have equivalent qualifications and experience to those listed on our website, please contact that Chair of the EMDRAA Accreditation and Standards Committee. Individual cases will be considered. However, please know that eligibility criteria are listed to ensure a baseline knowledge of mental health assessment, traumatology, therapy skills and associated risk management skills have been met prior to training. It is an essential requirement that applicants for EMDR Therapy training are qualified mental health professionals and registered with an appropriate professional body. Substantial experience working in organisations with a supportive structure and focus on trauma treatment can be taken into consideration as part of your application to train.
2. I have completed level 1 training with one EMDRAA trainer and would like to do my level 2 with a different EMDRAA trainer. Can I do this and count them both toward membership?
Yes – we encourage people to have choice in their trainers. Many of our trainers are happy for you to do level 2 training with them, having done level 1 training with a different EMDRAA trainer. For a list of EMDRAA trainers, please follow or copy and paste this link into your browser.
https://emdraa.org/accredited-trainers/
For Prospective and Accredited Practitioners:
1. I have just joined EMDRAA. Can cases I have worked on before becoming a member be counted towards numbers of cases needed for accreditation?
Yes. You can count cases from the point that you have completed level 1 of the basic training toward becoming an Accredited Practitioner, provided they have been reviewed by an EMDRAA consultant.
2. Can consultation hours prior to membership be counted for accreditation?
Yes – It is compulsory to have 10 hours of consultation as part of your basic training, with preferably with some of these consultation hours completed between Level 1 and Level 2 trainings. With 40 hours of EMDRAA accredited basic training completed, and 10 hours of consultation with an EMDRAA consultant, you can then apply to be a full member of EMDRAA.
To then become an Accredited Practitioner, 10 further hours of consultation with an Accredited EMDRAA consultant is required.
3. My consultant is not an EMDRAA Accredited Consultant. Can this consultation be counted?
No, only consultation by an EMDRAA Accredited Consultant can be counted for your application for accreditation /reaccreditation. EMDRAA will also recognise consultation with other EMDR consultants internationally (such as EMDRIA (US) and EMDR UK), as long as you complete your application with an EMDRAA consultant for final sign off. Your EMDRAA consultant will need to be satisfied that you have demonstrated the necessary competencies.
4. Since completing EMDR basic training I have attended groups run by an Accredited EMDR Consultant. Can I count the cases I have discussed at these groups towards my application for practitioner accreditation? How many hours of consultation can I count from
group consultation?
You can count cases for which you have received consultation by an EMDRAA Accredited Consultant, providing written confirmation of the hours of consultation that are completed in the group format. Of the 10 hours of consultation required, 5 hours of consultation may be in the format of group consultation, provided the criteria for group consultations noted herein are met.
For group consultation hours, your consultant must sign off that you have made a “significant contribution” to the group. EMDRAA stipulates that the ratio of participants to hours of consultation, must be not more than what would allow a half hour per participant to contribute a case discussion. As an example, if there are 4 participants in the group, the group must run for at least 2 hours, with approximately half hour contributions from each group member. In this case, all 4 participants could count the full 2 hours, so long as the consultant is willing to sign off that all 4 participants contributed in this way (1/2 hour each).
5. I have not yet completed the necessary hours of consultation to allow me to apply for accreditation and my consultant is no longer able to provide me with consultation. Can my new consultant sign off previous cases supervised by my previous consultant?
No. Your previous consultant needs to provide you with written confirmation of the work you have done together and sign off the cases with whom he/she has provided consultation. If you are unable to get a reference from your previous consultant, you may only count the early cases if you discuss them in detail with your new consultant who is then able to sign them off.
6. I have been attending a consultation group run by an accredited practitioner. Can I count these hours of consultation towards my accreditation?
No. Only consultation by an EMDRAA Accredited Consultant is recognised for accreditation. (Though Peer Consultation can be helpful in the absence of consultant consultation).
7. I cannot get permission from any of my clients to make video recordings of therapy sessions. My employers do not permit the recording of any sessions for confidentiality reasons. Can I apply for accreditation without submitting recordings?
To fulfil the conditions for accreditation your EMDR consultant must either see recordings of your work OR have seen in vivo sessions which demonstrate your competency in the use of all eight phases of the standard protocol. You may consider asking a colleague to sit in the role of client so long as you have assessed their suitability.
8. I work only with young children and must adapt substantially the standard protocol. I do not have recordings of the standard protocol. Is a recording of the adapted work sufficient?
To fulfil the conditions for accreditation your EMDR consultant must either see a recording of your work OR have seen an in vivo session which demonstrates your competency in the use of all eight phases of the standard protocol.
9. How long must the video of my work be? Does it need to show all stages of the standard protocol?
You need to be able to demonstrate competency in all eight phases of the EMDR protocol: this may be in combination with examples from your video material. Ideally you should present a few videos over time showing various aspects of your work.
10. I am an EMDRAA Accredited Practitioner and wish to apply for Consultant Accreditation. I realise that I need to have a total of 20 hours consultation. Can I count the consultation hours since I completed my EMDR therapy training?
No – Your application for Consultant Accreditation is a separate assessment process and the 20 hours of consultation are the hours of consultation you have had with an EMDRAA consultant since becoming an Accredited Practitioner.
11. How can I find an EMDRAA consultant in my area with avalibility?
If you are an EMDR Practitioner or EMDRAA Member looking for consultation, please contact our Accreditation & Standards Committee at accred@emdraa.org. We can help connect you to an EMDRAA consultant in your area with availability.
12. I have done all the hours I need of client work and consultation. My consultant is not yet willing to sign off on my competencies. Do I have to do more hours of consultation or can I apply having met the minimum requirements?
The minimum requirements for client and consultation hours is a minimum only. EMDRAA consultants are also required to sign off on EMDR competencies before applications can be submitted. Your consultant needs to work with you to help remediate any perceived issues with your competencies as a part of consultation with you. If you are unhappy with their decision to ask you for further evidence of your competencies before signing off on same, we recommend you first discuss this with your consultant and if a satisfactory outcome cannot be achieved, you can contact our committee for guidance on this issue.
For Prospective and Accredited Consultants:
1. I am providing group consultation. How long should each group session last and how many participants should attend?
For accreditation, a group should consist of no more than 10 participants and should last for as long as required to allow each participant to contribute in a meaningful way (roughly 1⁄2 hour each). EMDR Consultants need to be able to be sure that they can safely supervise the practice of all their consultees. EMDR Consultants need also to be able to gain a clear picture of their consultee’s practice and to consider the regularity of attendance of their consultees at groups.
2. I have been providing consultation for someone whose practice and competency concern me. Do I report this to their professional registering body or to EMDRAA?
You should let your consultee know that you have a duty to inform both their registering body and EMDRAA, if your judgement is that there is a duty of care to do so. We recommend that this issue is discussed in contracting with your consultee at the outset of your consultation process, so they are aware of your reporting requirements before an issue occurs.
3. I no longer provide EMDR consultation for someone whose practice and competency concern me but have heard that another consultant is now consulting with them and supporting an application for accreditation. What should I do?
It is recommended that you discuss your concerns with the consultant in the first instance. Should you not be satisfied with the outcome of this discussion, please inform EMDRAA where you have serious ongoing concerns which you can substantiate. This chain of reporting should be discussed with your consultee during contracting so they are aware of what could happen if you are concerned about their practice.
4. I have not put anyone forward for accreditation during the period of my consultancy? Can I still apply for re accreditation as a consultant?
We recognise that you may be consulting with people who do not wish or are not ready to seek accreditation. Putting people forward for accreditation is not a requirement, though we would like you to encourage consultees to apply for accreditation.
For Practitioners and Consultants regarding Re-Accreditation and CPD:
1. I have attended several online webinars/CPD events. Can these be counted towards my reaccreditation?
CPD hours for reaccreditation can be counted as long as they meet the criteria outlined in the re-accreditation form. Any EMDR focused training delivered by an EMDR accredited consultant or trainer is acceptable. This includes international EMDR conferences, workshops and webinars.
2. I have not been able to work for many months because of illness/unemployment. I will not be able to fulfil the requirements for re accreditation within the 5-year time frame. What can I do?
Write to the Chair of the Accreditation and Standards team of EMDRAA. A member of the committee is responsible for considering all mitigating circumstances and will do so without breaching confidentiality. It is also advisable that your EMDR consultant writes to the Chair stating their support for the request.
3. Do I need a reference from two EMDR consultants to support my application for re- accreditation?
For re accreditation as an EMDRAA Practitioner, you will need one reference from an EMDR Accredited Consultant, plus one other professional (clinical supervisor/manager) reference.
For re accreditation as an EMDRAA Consultant you will need references from two EMDRAA Accredited Consultants; one of whom needs to be able to comment on your clinical work.
4. I have allowed my membership of the association to lapse. Am I still an accredited practitioner or do I have to re-apply for accreditation?
If you have a break in membership of more than 6 months you must reapply for re-accreditation.
5. I was not told that my membership had lapsed and I have forgotten to apply for re accreditation? Must I reapply for accreditation or simply apply for re accreditation.
It is your responsibility to keep track of your accreditation although the Association does try to notify all accredited members when reaccreditation is due. The committee does exercise some flexibility in these circumstances. If your membership has lapsed for longer than 6 months you may have to apply for re-accreditation.
6. My employers will not provide any funding for CPD and I have not attended any CPD events during the past 5 years. Can I still apply for re accreditation?
It is your responsibility to satisfy your registering body that you have fulfilled the CPD requirements for continuing registration. You can provide this evidence when you apply for reaccreditation. There are a number of ways to get CPD – peer groups, free EMDRAA webinars, reading journal articles and books etc.
7. I have attended EMDR consultation groups. Can I count this towards CPD hours?
Attendance at a consultation group fulfils one of the criteria for re-accreditation and you should make reference to it in your application.
8. I have read books and articles about EMDR and given presentations on EMDR. Can this be counted towards my CPD?
These are some of the CPD activities that you can include in your log of PD in your application.