EMDR Therapy Training

This training meets curriculum standards set forth by the EMDR International Association for EMDR therapy training: A minimum of 20 hours of in-person instructional learning, 20 hours of supervised practice, and 10 hours of consultation focused on integration and development of EMDR therapy skills (for a total of 50 hours of learning).

This training exceeds the minimum standards, as follows: 47 hours of instructional learning (in both online live interactive and in-person formats), 22 hours of supervised practice, and 12 hours of consultation focused on integration and development of EMDR therapy skills (for a total of 81 hours of learning).

The next cohort will begin as a fully virtual training in early 2025.​ Please note this training is currently only available for participants located in North America.

Upcoming Trainings
Check here for registration information and dates of upcoming ISSTD EMDR Trainings.

Training Description

Since the development of EMDR therapy in the early 1990s, a large body of research has shown that it is efficacious for treating PTSD. Clinicians and researchers have also found positive treatment effects beyond PTSD for more complicated conditions. However, clinicians discovered early on that EMDR seemed to move patients with complex trauma into dysregulated states rather than towards the expected, adaptive resolution when targeting traumatic memories. Stories of uncontrolled abreactions, the unanticipated emergence of dissociated self-states, and subsequent destabilization leading to major setbacks or harm prompted some clinicians to dismiss EMDR as a viable treatment option for persons with dissociative features. Although some advanced EMDR therapy trainings and publications consider these complexities and potential risks, initial EMDR therapy training historically has not. 

Consisting of four modules and a total of 81 didactic, practicum, and consultation hours, this training is the beginning of a learning journey in the practice of EMDR therapy to resolve unprocessed life experiences and resultant symptomatic disturbances. Over the course of the four modules, participants will learn the skills necessary to work with persons dealing with the ‘simpler’ trauma-related presentations in an EMDR therapy frame, as well as basic and intermediate foundational knowledge in assessment and treatment of persons experiencing pathological dissociation. Although participants will not learn to use the advanced EMDR therapy methods needed to treat persons with dissociative disorders, they will learn much about becoming attuned to the presence and forms of simple trauma, complex trauma, and dissociation. Context for the application of basic protocols for treating some issues faced by persons with more complex trauma histories will be addressed.

To aid different learning styles, the training will follow three fictitious, composite clients experiencing different severities of trauma and dissociation to illustrate the procedures of treatment with EMDR therapy. Francine Shapiro (2018, Chapter 4 and Appendices A and E) notes that some clients may not yet be ready, or may be inappropriate candidates, for EMDR therapy. Accordingly, both the standard ‘red flags’ for each of these composite clients and additional indications to proceed with caution will be highlighted.

The training is offered by members of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), approved by the Board of ISSTD, and accredited by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). At the conclusion of all four training modules and the required consultation hours that comprise this training, participants will receive a certificate of completion, at which point they will be “EMDR therapy trained” clinicians. Participants will have had the opportunity to learn and practice the skills to determine client suitability and readiness for trauma accessing in general, and the use of EMDR therapy methods for containment, stabilization and trauma resolution for clients with simple and moderately complex trauma presentations, within their established area(s) of expertise.

The content for this training is at the beginner and intermediate level.

Training Syllabus

View the Training Syllabus for learning objectives and detailed timed content outline

Training Faculty

Jennifer A Madere, LPC-S, EMDRIA Approved Consultant and EMDR Trainer

Jennifer Madere, MA, LPC-Supervisor, EMDRIA Approved Consultant practices in Cedar Park, Texas. Having worked with child and adult survivors of trauma on their journey of healing since 2003, she sought basic training in EMDR Therapy in 2010, and is now an EMDRIA Approved Training Provider. Jennifer uses EMDR therapy and psychodynamic approaches in treatment of anxiety, complex trauma, and dissociative disorders in individual children, adolescents, and adults. She has written and presented on best practices for EMDR-focused consultation, and the formation of clinicians as persons and professionals. 

Jennifer began presenting the MID to EMDR clinicians in 2014. Since then, she has collaborated with D. Michael Coy and Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation developer Paul F. Dell, PhD, to make the MID more accessible to clinicians, and is co-author of the Interpretive Manual for the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation Analysis, 3rd Edition. Jennifer co-chaired the EMDR Therapy Training Task Group, which created this training.

D Michael Coy, MA, LICSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant and EMDR Trainer

D. Michael Coy, MA, LICSW, is a Seattle-based therapist whose focus in the integrative treatment of persons who have struggled with the effects of pre-verbal and attachment trauma, addictions/compulsions, and complex trauma and dissociative disorders. Michael is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, has intermediate training in clinical hypnosis through ASCH, and is Level I trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. He served on the Standards & Training committee of the EMDR International Association from 2014 to 2017. In 2020, he was appointed to the EMDR Council of Scholars Future of EMDR Therapy Project, Clinical Practice Working Group.

Since 2016, Michael has collaborated with Jennifer Madere and Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation developer Paul F. Dell, PhD, to make the MID more accessible to clinicians, and is co-author of the Interpretive Manual for the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation Analysis, 3rd Edition. Additionally, he manages the MID Analysis, which is the calculation program that generates MID results and is currently in version 5.0, and the MID website.

Michael currently serves as Treasurer, and in 2019 was named a Fellow, of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). Michael co-chaired the EMDR Therapy Training Task Group, which created this training.

Jill Hosey, MSW, RSW, LICSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant and EMDR Trainer
Jill Hosey, MSW RSW LICSW, is a Social Worker, Consultant, Trainer, and Psychotherapist in private practice, providing trauma therapy to children, youth, and adults with histories of complex trauma and dissociation where she integrates a variety of trauma, attachment and dissociation focused theories and modalities. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and EMDR Trainer, a facilitator with the AGATE (Ana Gomez Attachment Trauma Education) Institute, and Faculty with the ISSTD’s Professional Training and EMDR Therapy Training Programs. Jill has presented extensively on integrating the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) into EMDR and sits on the Clinical Advisory Board at Unyte. Jill is the lead author of the Clinical Guidelines and considerations for integrating the Safe and Sound Protocol into EMDR Therapy, a chapter on Therapeutic presence and the therapeutic relationship as both trigger and container to healing in E. Christenson’s (Ed.), Perspectives of Dissociative Identity Response: Ethical, Historical, and Cultural Issues, and the co-editor and contributing author for the Handbook for Child Complex Trauma and Dissociation: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (Routledge, In Press). She is the winner of the 2022 ISSTD Distinguished Achievement Award, the 2023 ISSTD President’s Award, and is a Fellow of the ISSTD.

Training Fees

Registrants receive the following as part of the training fee:

  • One, three-day, live online training modules 
  • One, two-day, live online training modules 
  • Two, three-day, live hybrid modules (participants can choose to participate in-person or online)
  • 12 hours of group consultation
  • 207-page training manual (PDF format)
  • A complimentary, one-year, ISSTD membership (regardless of current ISSTD membership)

All fees are listed in USD

Early Registration (Until July 31, 2023):

  • Fully-licensed clinicians in private or business setting: $2,145.00
  • Students, provisionally licensed clinicians, and emerging professionals* (documentation required at registration): $1,995.00

Regular Registration (after July 31, 2023):

  • Fully-licensed clinicians in private or business setting: $2,195.00
  • Students, provisionally licensed clinicians, and emerging professionals* (documentation required at registration): $1,995.00

*ISSTD defines “emerging professional” as a fully-licensed clinician who has been practicing less than three (3) years post-licensure

Payment plans may be available upon request (50% of fee upfront, 50% 30 days before start of training). For more information email cfas@isst-d.org

Registration is complete when your registration has been submitted, all supporting documentation is received, and full payment has been made.

Auditing Training

  • Individuals who have previously completed EMDR training are eligible to audit the training.
  • The cost to audit is $1095 and does not include participation in the practicum. 
  • A maximum of 10 additional participants auditing the training may be allowed.
  • To register to audit the course, please email a copy of your certificate of completion from the previously completed EMDR Basic Training to cfas@isst-d.org. Once your certificate is reviewed, you will be provided a discount code to register at the discounted rate.
Continuing Education Requirements

Continuing education credits for this training are available for an additional fee during the registration process. Credits are available for the 47 hours of didactic training only. Practicum and consultation hours are not available for continuing education credits.

The following credits are available for this training:

ASWB ACE
The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers.  State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. ISSTD maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2021 – 08/20/2024. Social workers completing this course receive 46.25 continuing education credits.

American Psychological Association (APA)
The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Eligibility Requirements

Participants must meet the following criteria to complete registration for EMDR therapy training. Please be prepared to provide documentation to show meeting these criteria upon request:

  • Have completed and received a diploma for a Masters or Doctoral degree in a mental health related field (social work, counseling, psychology, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, etc), and be licensed and in good standing to practice as a mental health professional by their local licensing board.
  • If a potential participant has completed a graduate degree in a mental health discipline, but is not licensed to practice independently, then they must be working toward licensure, submit documentation of working under the supervision of a qualified, fully-licensed professional, and provide a letter from the licensing supervisor voicing support of EMDR therapy training and practice in their current practice setting.
  • If potential participants are currently enrolled in a graduate program, they must have completed their core coursework, be working under a licensed supervisor in an internship/practicum setting, and provide a letter from the licensing supervisor voicing support of EMDR therapy training and practice in their current practice setting. First-year graduate students are not eligible to participate in this training.
EMDRIA Requirements

Registrants will understand and agree to the following terms and requirements of this training:

  • EMDR therapy training requires supervised practice of EMDR therapy, addressing real personal issues in the roles of client, practitioner, and observer.
  • EMDR therapy training requires training participants to complete a minimum of 10 hours of consultation on the application and use of EMDR therapy. ISSTD’s EMDR therapy training requires 12 hours of consultation on these topics. Training participants must be able to apply EMDR therapy in their practice setting, and present clinical work on real cases in consultation.
  • EMDRIA requires that the EMDR therapy training process be completed within two years of the first date of training. This includes all four modules and the 12 hours of consultation.
  • Dates/times of upcoming group consultation will be publicized at each training module. A variety of times/days will be offered, and trainees will register for their choice of available options. These consultation groups are in addition to the in-person training modules, and full attendance and participation is required to complete this training. Consultations cancelled or not attended by the trainee will be made up at their own expense in order to complete all training requirements.
  • Personal information shared within demonstrations and practicum experiences will be held confidential, and will not be recorded or otherwise shared outside of the training context without written permission of the trainee in the client role, unless applicable legal/ethical codes require otherwise.
  • The dignity of all administrative and training staff and participants will be honored at all times. As an EMDRIA Approved Training Provider, we must not engage in or allow discriminatory behavior or bias, and we will hold trainees to the same standard.
  • Please contact ISSTD at info@isst-d.org to arrange accommodations for all disability needs or life-threatening allergies at the time of registration.
Training Policies

Cancellation Policy
Cancellations with a full refund minus a $75 processing fee will be accepted thirty (30) days or more prior to commencement of the first training module.

No refund is available for cancellations received fewer than thirty (30) days prior to the first training. Attendee substitutions can be made until five (5) days prior to commencement of the first training module.

All materials used for this course are subject to copyright laws and are not for duplication or distribution by course participants. Fees must be submitted with registration, and must be submitted in US dollars.

Disability Policy (ADA)
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs. Please contact ISSTD Headquarters via email at professionaltraining@isst-d.org or via phone at 202-803-6332 for assistance.

Grievance Policy
ISSTD is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformation with the APA, EMDRIA, and ASWB grievance procedures.

During a course, instructors will address any concerns that arise. Every effort will be made to address the concerns during the course when possible. If the course instructor(s) are unable to address the participant’s concerns, the complaints and grievances shall be presented in writing to ISSTD Headquarters at professionaltraining@isst-d.org. These will be forwarded on for review by the ISSTD Executive Committee.

Social Workers: Should social workers have a specific grievance, these grievances will be addressed by D. Michael Coy, LICSW. In situations where the social worker would have a conflict of interest, then, Christine Forner, MSW will review the grievance.

ISSTD strives to resolve grievances in a manner that is in the best interest of the participant. All complaints and grievances are reviewed within five working days. Formal grievances are required to be written and emailed as directed above and will be responded to within 15 business days.

Awarding of Certificate of CE Credit
Certificates of continuing education credit are awarded within 30 days of completion of the evaluation for the training. Participants will be sent a link to complete evaluations and will be able to download a pdf of their certificate after all evaluations are complete.