EMDR Basic Training – Fall II | Online | 2026

EMDR Basic Training – Fall II | Online | 2026 is organized by Compassion Works and will be held from October 16 -18 & November 06 - 08, 2026.

Description:
This EMDR Therapist Training is Online Only.

This training is open to mental health professionals, provisionally licensed clinicians, and university students in approved programs across the US and Canada. The times for the training will be in the Central Time Zone. CompassionWorks, LLC is an EMDRIA-approved training provider. You can find the requirements for eligibility <here>.

There are minimal requirements for the online training: You will need to be able to have a quiet space for participation with your fully functioning computer connected to the internet. Your computer must have full audio and video capabilities. Using a Chrome browser is preferred. For the practicums you must be able to offer your partner the same privacy you would provide an actual client. Go <here> for more information.

This is the Complete EMDR Therapist Training, which consists of two 3-day sections and 10 hours of online group consultation. It is an EMDRIA-approved program and upon completion, you are a fully trained EMDR therapist. This is the foundational step on the pathway to becoming Certified in EMDR.

In addition to the two weekends, which are attended online in a synchronous video training format, each trainee must attend five 2-hour group consultations. These are completed through video calls between and after the training weekends.

This training is designed to explain, demonstrate, and apply the practical experience you will need to use EMDR effectively with your clients. Even after the first weekend, you will be encouraged to use it with appropriate clients and begin preparing the others who aren’t ready.

EMDR gets at the source of maladaptive behaviors by providing sub-cortical resolution to free up stuck or frozen intrusive thoughts, emotions, and body sensations. This training is focused on teaching you the basics of EMDR and the most effective way to incorporate it into your practice.

All trainees will be asked to participate in practicum exercises as part of the training. You will be encouraged to work on personal issues that are appropriate for the training environment.

There will be demonstrations with individual attendees throughout the 6 days, and you are encouraged to consider being a volunteer. In addition, all participants will be paired to practice the protocols and procedures that are explained in the class. This will be done in a safe, supportive environment in which confidentially will be maintained.

Course Objectives:
The Following are the Learning Objectives for the CompassionWorks EMDR Therapist Training.

EMDR Therapist Training Learning Objectives for Weekend 1

• Identify how to integrate the standard EMDR therapy to psychotherapy
• Use the standard EMDR Procedure to feel competent
• Explain the development of EMDR therapy
• Recognize the current inclusion of EMDR therapy in treatment guidelines
• Distinguish, identify and explain the concepts of the AIP model
• Compare and summarize how to differentiate EMDR therapy and the AIP model from other psychotherapy approaches
• Identify the EMDR’s Eight phase treatment procedure
• Analyze how to describe EMDR’s Three-pronged approach
• Integrate EMDR safeguards.
• Rank the effects of “Big—T” and “Little-T” Trauma
• Summarize how to distinguish how EMDR helps with impairments in social, occupational, health, relational, and other areas of functioning
• Recognize the implicit and explicit memory functioning
• Identify and summarize memory linkage and association
• Recognize how EMDR processing causes an adaptive shift in all components of the memory, including sense of time and age, symptoms, reactive behaviors, and sense of self
• Compare and summarize EMDR from psychodynamic, CBT, experiential, and other therapy models

EMDR Therapist Training Learning Objectives for Weekend 2

• Identify and summarize the 8-Phases of EMDR therapy
• Demonstrate Resource Development & Installation (RDI)
• Recognize how to handle Abreactions
• Explain and identify Strategies for Blocked Processing
• Explain how to recognize Types of Blocked Processing
• Demonstrate how and analyze how to handle looping
• Explain and evaluate how to process and resolve feeder memories
• Distinguish how demonstrate the Appropriate Application of Cognitive Interweaves
• Compare how to recognize the types of feeder cognitive interweaves and how to apply them
• Demonstrate how to apply the Future Template.
• Select Advanced Methodology: Additional protocols and specific populations
• Explain how to identify and evaluate Professional and Legal Issues
• Demonstrate how RDI is used to develop positive introjects, increase affect regulation and adaptive responses
• Contrast how to practice and use the RDI procedure.
• Identify and use the Recent Event Protocol
• Explain and summarize traumatic event protocols
• Recognize how to use EMDR with Complex PTSD