What Is EMDR Consultation? What EMDR Therapists Can Expect
A New Chapter at Trauma Therapy Chicago LLC
I hope you don’t mind me sharing some exciting news here. September 12, 2026 marks the third anniversary of Trauma Therapy Chicago LLC, and we have also decided to embark on a new chapter in our practice.
After years of providing trauma-focused therapy and integrating EMDR into my clinical work, I have decided to move forward more intentionally with the next stage of my professional development as an EMDRIA Approved Consultant-in-Training (CIT). I would love to welcome other EMDR therapists to join me along this journey.
As part of this new chapter, Trauma Therapy Chicago LLC is expanding our professional services to include virtual EMDR consultation for EMDR therapists who are completing EMDR Basic Training, pursuing EMDRIA Certification, seeking support with challenging clinical cases, or looking for ongoing professional development within the EMDR therapy model.
For me, this feels like a natural extension of the work I have been doing for years with clients who have complex trauma histories, while also representing the beginning of something new. I feel humbled by this next step and very excited about this new chapter.
So, what exactly is EMDR consultation, and what can you expect when you participate in it?
What Is EMDR Consultation?
Learning EMDR involves much more than memorizing the eight phases or knowing how to provide bilateral stimulation.
As therapists begin applying the EMDR therapy model with real clients, questions naturally emerge.
What do I do when a client becomes overwhelmed?
How do I know whether a client is ready for trauma processing?
What happens when processing becomes stuck?
How do I conceptualize a complex case within the EMDR model?
How can I maintain fidelity to EMDR while responding to the individual needs of the person sitting in front of me?
This is where EMDR consultation can be valuable.
EMDR consultation provides a collaborative learning environment where therapists can discuss cases, ask questions, deepen their understanding of the EMDR therapy model, and develop greater confidence in clinical decision-making.
Depending on a therapist’s needs and stage of training, consultation may also contribute toward consultation requirements associated with EMDR training or certification when both the consultation and consultant meet the applicable requirements.
Who Might Benefit From EMDR Consultation?
Consultation should be a place where therapists can bring questions and uncertainty without feeling that they are expected to already know everything.
A consultation session may include discussion of case conceptualization, treatment planning, preparation and stabilization, target selection, challenges that emerge during processing, or questions related to different phases of EMDR therapy.
It may also involve stepping back from a difficult case and becoming curious about what may be happening—not only for the client, but also for the therapist.
My hope is to create a consultation environment that is supportive, collaborative, and encouraging. Therapists should be able to say:
“I’m not sure what to do next.”
That isn’t a failure.
Often, that’s exactly where meaningful consultation begins.
What Happens During EMDR Consultation?
Consultation should be a place where therapists can bring questions and uncertainty without feeling that they are expected to already know everything.
A consultation session may include discussion of case conceptualization, treatment planning, preparation and stabilization, target selection, challenges that emerge during processing, or questions related to different phases of EMDR therapy.
It may also involve stepping back from a difficult case and becoming curious about what may be happening—not only for the client, but also for the therapist.
My hope is to create a consultation environment that is supportive, collaborative, and encouraging. Therapists should be able to say:
“I’m not sure what to do next.”
That isn’t a failure.
Often, that’s exactly where meaningful consultation begins.
An IFS-Informed EMDR Consultation
As I begin this new chapter, my development as an EMDR consultant is also being shaped by an IFS-informed approach to consultation.
Clients—particularly those with histories of complex trauma—may experience internal conflict, protective responses, avoidance, dissociation, or different parts of themselves pulling in very different directions.
Rather than viewing these responses simply as resistance or obstacles to treatment, an IFS-informed perspective invites curiosity about what those protective responses may be trying to accomplish.
At the same time, therapists have parts too.
When we encounter complex or challenging cases, parts of us may feel frustrated, defeated, uncertain, overwhelmed, or afraid of causing harm. We may question our own clinical abilities or feel pressure to somehow know exactly what to do next.
An IFS-informed approach to EMDR consultation creates space to become curious about these therapist responses as well. Rather than judging or pushing them away, consultation can help us notice what may be activated within us and consider how those responses may be influencing the therapeutic process and our clinical decision-making.
Together, we might become curious about questions such as:
Which parts or protective responses are emerging within me as I work with this client?
Which protective parts may be emerging within the client’s internal system?
Which part of me feeling pressure to move the therapy forward when the client may need more time?
What happens inside me and my parts when the client becomes overwhelmed, stuck, avoidant, or uncertain?
What might both the therapist and the client need in order to approach the next phase of treatment with greater clarity and safety?
The goal is not to replace EMDR with IFS. Rather, an IFS-informed lens can help us remain curious about both the client’s and therapist’s internal experiences while maintaining a strong foundation in the EMDR therapy model.
Consultation Is Also About Developing Your Own Clinican as Self
One of the things I value about consultation is that EMDR therapists do not need to become copies of their consultants.
Learning a structured therapy model requires fidelity and competence, but therapists also bring their own clinical experience, personality, cultural perspective, strengths, and ways of relating to clients.
My goal as I develop as an EMDR consultant is not simply to tell another therapist exactly what I would do.
I hope consultation can help EMDR therapists become more confident in thinking through clinical decisions, deepen their understanding of the EMDR model, recognize when they need additional information or support, and develop their own grounded clinical judgment—particularly when navigating the complexities of trauma treatment.
A New Beginning
I expect this journey to involve continued learning, consultation, reflection, and growth, and I am excited to begin sharing that process with other EMDR therapists.
Trauma Therapy Chicago LLC now offers virtual EMDR consultation for EMDR therapists seeking support with EMDR training, certification, clinical cases, and ongoing professional development.
If you are an EMDR therapist looking for a collaborative and encouraging place to learn, ask questions, reflect on your own responses, and think through your clinical work, I would be happy to connect with you.
