Teresa Zuvela MS LMHC C-EMDR CSAT
Therapist Consultation
What is EMDR therapy and what does it mean to be an EMDR therapist?
Most clinicians ask What is EMDR therapy? After doing a little exploring and hearing other therapists talk about EMDR and the results they are getting they begin to think about becoming a trained EMDR therapist.
What does it mean to become an EMDR therapist? Taking an EMDR workshop or class gives a therapist just a taste of the power of what EMDR can do.
One workshop on EMDR is not enough to be a competent EMDR therapist!
Most therapists get into this field to help others. I don’t know one therapist who feels good about causing harm to a client. However, you may be in danger of causing harm unknowingly without proper ongoing consultation.
Remember in graduate school when they told you, “You can only take clients as far as you have gone yourself”? The same is true for EMDR. You will need to do your own personal growth work to be effective with this treatment modality.
You will need to learn skills which include tolerating strong affect, working with dissociation, creating a safe space, working with resistance, repairing attachment wounds, working with grief, shame, guilt, anger, sadness among other feelings. Mending the healing in a way that provides integration for the client.
What is EMDR therapy training?
Well If you are getting trained in EMDR just to get clients then you might want to look at your motives and decide whether this work is for you. You will be much more effective with clients if you believe in EMDR and have proof of your own healing experience.
EMDRIA – Approved Consultant In Training
I am currently working on becoming an EMDRIA Approved EMDR Consultant. If you wish to be supported and encouraged by becoming certified in EMDR as outlined below, you are welcome to contact me for individual and/or group consultation. Here is a bit more about me.
I provide Consultation for Parnell Institute Trained Attachment EMDR therapists. After taking Part 2, and before you take Part 3 you can work with me to complete your 10 consultation hours. After taking Part 3, we can continue to working together to provide 15 out of the 20 hours you need for EMDRIA certification. My fees are located here.
Parnell Institute
I was trained by Laurel Parnell directly in her 1, 2, and 3 part training. I am a consultant in training with Constance Kaplan who is a Parnell Institute Consultant and Senior Trainer.
What is EMDR therapy and what does it mean to be an EMDR therapist?
So you want to get trained in EMDR? Taking an EMDR workshop or class gives a therapist just a taste of the power of what EMDR can do. This alone is not enough to be a competent EMDR therapist!
Most therapists get into this field to help others. I don’t know one therapist who would knowingly cause harm to a client. However, you may be in danger of causing harm unknowingly without proper ongoing consultation.
If you are getting trained in EMDR just to get clients then you might want to look at your motives and decide whether this work is for you. You will be much more effective with clients if you believe in EMDR and have proof of your own healing experience.
I learned the most through my own support sources and from other EMDR consultants AFTER my EMDR training.
Treating trauma with EMDR and integrating dissociated ego states is not an easy thing to do. It requires training, experience, and ongoing support. You get that ongoing support through consultation with a more experienced EMDR consultant. That’s where I can help you become more skilled and effective in treating your clients with complex trauma.
For Attachment Focused Consultation hours contact me.
To be effective with COMPLEX PTSD you will need a multifaceted approach of attuning and inquiring into your client’s inner landscape that has been long forgotten and buried. You will see and experience the trauma your client has gone through. If you are not able to handle strong emotions then you may want to consider if specializing in EMDR trauma therapy is best for you.
Laurel Parnell has developed a particular way of working with clients presenting with Complex PTSD who required a more client-centered approach. Attachment EMDR requires being fully client-centered, providing attunement for the client to feel safely seen and heard. It also requires creativity and respect for the clients’ ability to heal.
There is a whole new skill set beyond traditional EMDR you will learn by attending the Parnell Institutes EMDR training. I highly recommend this training to prepare you for working with clients who suffer from complex PTSD and/or dissociation.
If you have already taken Part 1 & 2 from another EMDR trainer, you can take the Parnell Institute’s Part 3 Training to learn and begin to integrate the extra information about working with complex trauma. You can then get the consultation from an approved Attachment EMDR consultant with the Parnell Institute.
Many EMDR therapists who take this route end up taking the Parnell Institute Part 1 & 2 Training to get more practice with this treatment protocol.
If you want to learn more about the Parnell Institute Training, here is a link to their required reading.