EMDR Intensive Training, Individual Consultation, or a Cohort: Which Fits Your Next Step?
Training, consultation, and an implementation cohort can all support an EMDR therapist interested in intensives. They serve different purposes: learning concepts, applying knowledge to your own questions, and developing an offering with ongoing support.
Before choosing your path, ask what you want to be able to do afterward. “Understand intensive structures” is a different goal from “revise my screening workflow” or “develop a model I can begin implementing.”
When you primarily need new information
A training can be useful when you want an organized introduction to a topic or deeper knowledge in a particular area. Review its learning objectives, prerequisites, teaching format, and opportunities for application.
An intensive-related training may help you understand possibilities you have not considered. If your biggest question is how those possibilities fit your own clients and practice, you may also need individualized consultation afterward.
Be clear about the starting point. My intensive consultation offerings are for therapists who already have EMDR training. They do not replace EMDR Basic Training or other clinical education your work requires.
When your questions are highly specific
Individual consultation can be a good fit when your priority is focused attention to your own offering. You might want to examine an existing schedule, review materials, think through a clinical question, or make several connected decisions without waiting for a group curriculum to reach that topic.
My individual intensive consultation begins with a two-hour deep dive, with half-day and full-day follow-up options. Extended time allows us to work with the details and implications of a decision while they are still fresh.
This format may suit you if your timeline is flexible but concentrated, if you already know where you are stuck, or if you want to build around the particular circumstances of your practice.
When you want to build over time with colleagues
An implementation cohort can help when the challenge is bringing several pieces together and following through. You may want a sequence, time between sessions to try things, feedback on drafts, and peers who are making similar decisions.
My three-month cohort follows four stages: design your offering, build the client experience, communicate your work, and prepare to launch or refine. It includes four two-hour group sessions, two individual consultation sessions, and templates.
The intention is to develop one offering that fits your clinical approach and capacity. Participants may be at different stages by the end; a realistic next step matters more than meeting an arbitrary launch deadline.
Choose support around the actual task
Write down three questions you want help answering. Then consider whether the proposed format gives those questions enough attention.
If you need foundational knowledge, look closely at the teaching. If you need feedback on your own work, examine access to consultation. If you need implementation support, ask what you will develop, how feedback works, and what time is expected between sessions.
The best fit is a format that meets the work you are ready to do.
Review individual consultation and explore the implementation cohort.
Frequently asked questions
Is the intensive cohort an EMDR Basic Training?
No. It is advanced consultation and practice development for clinicians who have completed EMDRIA-approved Basic Training and have at least two years of experience actively using EMDR.
Does the cohort include business development?
Yes. Clinical considerations are connected with pricing, policies, scheduling, marketing, referrals, and implementation, primarily for private-pay intensive models.
Can I choose individual consultation instead of a group?
Yes. Individual consultation is a separate offering for therapists who prefer personalized attention and flexible scheduling.
Will either offering automatically complete my certification requirements?
No, these hours will not count toward EMDRIA Certification. If you are interested in certification hours click here to join my EMDRIA Certification Cohort.
More Reading:
What is EMDR Intensive Consultation?
Healing Your Own Attachment Wounds: Why It Matters for Therapists
The Self-Led Therapist: Why Therapist Internal Work Is a Clinical Responsibility in Trauma Therapy
About the Author
This post was written by Morgan Levine, LCSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant specializing in IFS-Informed EMDR and EMDR 5-day Intensives — including in-person immersive retreats and virtual multi-day formats in Chester County, PA and Tulum, MX.
She works with therapists, healers, and caregivers who are self-reflective and have already done meaningful healing work and are ready to go deeper in a multi-day intensive format.
