EMDR Consultation

My approach to using EMDR with complex trauma prioritizes preparation and extended resourcing and our critical role in providing relational safety, co-regulation and orientation through each of the 8 phases of the basic protocol.

In consultation with me, you will learn a variety of skills to increase EMDR readiness, such as helping your client befriend their body and inner experience through yoga-based practices (using TCTSY methods) and present-moment experience of self-regulation and self-observation. You will also learn to access the root of present distress (the touchstone memories) through floatbacks so you can collaboratively map out target-sequence plans with your client, helping them feel oriented and in control of the process. Most importantly, you will learn to oscillate between activating, reprocessing, titrating, and closing/containing traumatic material, while integrating cognitive and somatic interweaves that move your client along the track towards adaptive resolution.

Resources and protocols that I integrate into consultation include:

• Body-based approaches including Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga
• Laying down somatic templates for resources including calm/neutral state and comfort (such as nurturing and protective figures based on Laurel Parnell’s Attachment-focused EMDR approach)
• Container (visual and/or concrete/creative approaches) including land-based containment of distressing material
• DBT skills for self-soothing and stabilization, especially during preparation phase
• Positive Goal State (AJ Popky) to connect clients somatically with their own goals for therapy
• Constant Installation of Present Orientation to Safety (CIPOS) and other methods of working with complex trauma, based on advanced trainings with Jim Knipe
• Working with emotional parts and fragmented sense of self, based on advanced trainings with Janine Fisher
• Stabilization techniques using the COME BACK tool to bring clients into present moment orientation
• Creative arts therapies techniques to enhance and deepen resources, as well as to contain, externalize, titrate and express internal experiences during reprocessing
• Nervous System Regulation techniques and autonomic awareness for clients, based on the work of Deb Dana

In addition, I am trained and experienced in:

• Dr. Ignacio Nacho Jerero’s protocols for work with acute and ongoing traumatic stress
• Feeling State Addictions Protocol and adaptations made by Sue Genest for working with complex trauma, including the use of FSAP with food-related urges
• Flash technique by Philip Manfield as well as Dr. Ricky Greenwald
• Phobia and pain protocols
• Intensive trauma treatment models (using EMDR in sessions extending longer than 90-minutes)
• Telehealth sessions and online EMDR Therapy

*Please note that all EMDR consultation applies to work in-person and online sessions with clients. I have extensive experience in the delivery of online EMDR with clients who have histories of complex trauma and I am happy to provide consultation specific to telehealth sessions as well.

Please note that for any of the following options, payment arrangements and session schedules are agreed upon mutually between me and consultees.

Individual Consultation:

Option 1: Individual consultation for the purpose of exploring a specific topic or special interest area which is not for the purposes of case consultation or certification (less than 5 sessions) Fee: $130/h

Option 2: A package of 5 hours individual case consultation with an Approved Consultation for the purposes of certification. Fee: $110/h, $550 per package

Option 3: A package of 10 hours individual case consultation sessions with an Approved Consultation for the purposes of certification. Fee: $110/h, $1100 per package.

Shared/Group Consultation:

Option 1: A certification package of 20 hours of shared case consultation sessions with one other consultee. Fee: $55/h per participant, $1150 for package.

Option 2: Blend of individual/group case consultation sessions: Up to 4 participants, meeting 2-hours monthly for the duration of 10 months, where a total of 5 individual hours and 15 group hours can be gained towards certification (per participant): Fee: $85 session per participant, $850 for package.

Option 3:  Group consultation hours: Participation in a monthly case consultation group of up to 8 participants, meeting 2-hours monthly for the duration of 5 months, where a total of 10 group hours can be gained towards certification (per participant): Fee: $45 session per participant, $225 for package.

CIT Consultation-of-Consultation:

Option 1: Participation in a CIT group of up to 4 participants, meeting 2-hours monthly for the duration of 10 months (20 hours total). Fee: $85 session per participant $850 for package

Option 2: Shared CIT consultation with one other CIT, meeting 2-hours monthly for the duration of 10 months (20 hours total). Fee: $55/h per participant, $1150 for package.

Bonus nature-based consultation package:

When you register for any of these packages, you will receive a nature-based consultation package that includes visual imagery, scales, scripts and resources to use collaboratively with clients, so both therapist and client stay oriented and grounded throughout the process. Every resource is designed to convey the message that growth and transformation is possible, carrying a felt-sense of hope.

I offer individual and dyad sessions (shared between 2 consultees) ranging from 60-120 minutes per session.

Consultation can be specific to various topics related to EMDR, such as specific protocols, work with complex trauma, cross-cultural work and telehealth.

Please note that for consultees working towards EMDRIA certification, sessions are specfic to increasing your comptence with the Basic Protocol through case consultation. Dyad sessions will allow each consultee to share and provide feedback on cases so that half of each session counts towards individual hours and the other half towards group hours, per consultee (for example, a 60-minute dyad session will give each consultee 30-minutes of individual and 30-minutes of group hours towards EMDRIA certification; a 120-minute dyad session will give each consultee 60-minutes of individual and 60-minutes of group hours towards certification).

I offer multiple case consultation groups to increase competency and confidence with the Basic Protocol for consultees seeking certification.

Groups may be formed based on applying the Basic Protocol  work practitioners working with a shared clinical population or context, such as with complex and relational trauma, sexual violence survivors, in cross-cultural work, or while working over telehealth.

**Please note that both individual and group hours can be accrued within a group setting!

Groups are limited to 4 participants per group and are structured to support certification based on EMDRIA guidelines. Each 2-hour group session is broken down into four 30-minute slots of case consultation and group input/discussion.

Your active participation in 10 group sessions will therefore satisfy all of your group hour requirements for EMDRIA certification (90 mins per group = 15 hours total) and will give you 5 individual hours towards certification (30 minutes per group = 5 hours total).

In consultation, I address common concerns such as:

• Why not talk therapy? EMDR is not a traditional talk therapy. Many new EMDR therapists worry about how to communicate attunement and respect for their clients while also being, at times, quiet. Learn skills to increase your quality of presence so your clients can feel heard and supported, even when you are simply following their process.
• Where do I begin – how do I find targets when working with complex trauma? Learn creative and collaborative strategies to map out memory networks and identify where to begin with your clients. After expanding the positive memory networks, you can begin to identify, group and organize unprocessed memories that still hold emotional charge in order to visually map out where to begin and where you are going. This process is grounding and containing, and provides orientation so you and your client don’t get lost in the process!
• Why bi-lateral and dual-attention stimulation? Deepen your understanding of the role of bi-lateral and dual-attention stimulation in trauma recovery so you can explain it to your clients in a way that doesn’t sound “strange” or unnecessary. Many clients want to know why talking isn’t enough for trauma integration – help it make sense for your clients using accessible metaphors and language so they can trust the process and their own healing capacities.
• EMDR is an experiential therapy – doesn’t that mean my client will become overwhelmed? Many new EMDR therapists worry about how to manage the abreaction of their clients as they re-experience their past. How can you help your client put one foot in the past with one foot grounded in the present? Learn how to bring your client back to their window of tolerance and fully back to the present when overwhelm or underwhelm occurs, and safely facilitate dual-awareness during reprocessing. Teach your clients grounding strategies that they can use in his or her daily life, outside of therapy room.
• How can I assess my client’s readiness for reprocessing? Many EMDR therapists wonder how they can effectively and creatively prepare their clients for EMDR treatment. Learn unique cognitive and body-based strategies during the preparation phase that build resources (internal and external) so your clients can tolerate distress, ground themselves and feel in control of the process, adequately preparing them for reprocessing.
• What if the trauma memories are too vivid? Learn how to titrate trauma memories using distancing strategies so your client can maintain dual awareness, stay within his or her window of tolerance and continue reprocessing.
• When do I use cognitive interweaves? Learn how to encourage and guide reprocessing if spontaneous processing is blocked. Become skilled at integrating cognitive interweaves, metaphors, imagery, and ways to connect your client with their sensations to keep the process moving forward.