Becoming an EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ is a different developmental process from becoming certified.

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The focus shifts from:

Can you practice EMDR competently?

to:

Can you help another clinician think through and improve their use of EMDR?

Consultation-of-consultation is about developing your ability to evaluate clinical work, ask useful questions, teach without taking over, identify gaps in EMDR knowledge or application, support fidelity to the model, recognize ethical and scope concerns, and help consultees develop their own clinical judgment.

If you are an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ and want to become an Approved Consultant, I offer consultation-of-consultation and developmental support throughout the CIT process.

 

The Current CIT + Approved Consultant Pathway

EMDRIA substantially updated the Approved Consultant pathway in 2026.

Under the current standards, the process includes much more than completing 20 consultation-of-consultation hours.

You will need to develop and demonstrate actual experience providing consultation, complete required consultant education, and receive a competency-based evaluation from the Approved Consultant(s) providing your consultation-of-consultation.

 

Step 1: Become an EMDRIA Certified Therapist

Before entering the current CIT pathway, you must hold current EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ status.

Once certified, you can begin preparing for the CIT process.

 

Step 2: Establish a Consultant Relationship

Before submitting your CIT Declaration, EMDRIA expects you to identify an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and establish expectations for your consultation-of-consultation relationship.

If you are interested in working with me through your CIT process, please contact me before listing me as your consultant.

If you are new to me or we have not worked together during the previous six months, we will need to meet individually before determining whether I am able to serve as your primary or majority-hours consultant.

Purchasing a CIT bundle or scheduling consultation does not automatically establish me as your primary consultant.

 

Step 3: Complete Your CIT Declaration

Your official CIT period begins with EMDRIA's CIT Declaration Form.

This date matters.

Consultation-of-consultation completed before your declaration does not count toward the current Approved Consultant pathway.

Under the current standards, you must remain in CIT status for at least one year before applying for Approved Consultant status.

 

Current EMDRIA Requirements

To become an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, current requirements include:

 

EMDR Clinical Experience

• At least 300 EMDR therapy sessions

• At least 75 different EMDR clients

• At least one year since your CIT declaration

 

Experience Providing Consultation

You must provide EMDR consultation to:

• At least 5 different consultees

• At least 3 consultees who have fully completed an EMDRIA-Approved Basic Training

• For at least 15 total hours of consultation

The 15 hours are cumulative across your consultees.

This requirement matters because becoming a consultant requires experience actually doing consultation, not only talking about consultation.

 

Consultation-of-Consultation

You must complete:

• 20 total hours of consultation-of-consultation

• At least 10 individual hours

• Remaining hours may be individual, group, or a combination

• Consultation-of-consultation groups may include no more than 4 CITs per Approved Consultant

• Qualifying hours must be provided by a full EMDRIA Approved Consultant

• EMDRIA accepts qualifying hours from a maximum of 3 Approved Consultants

 

The Majority-Hours Consultant Matters

Under the current EMDRIA pathway, the Approved Consultant who provides the majority of your accepted consultation-of-consultation hours must recommend you for Approved Consultant status.

This means it is worth planning your CIT hours intentionally from the beginning.

If you would like me to serve as the consultant providing that required recommendation, please discuss this with me early in the process.

 

The Current VER Process

EMDRIA now uses a CIT Verification, Evaluation and Recommendation, or VER, form as part of the Approved Consultant application process.

Each Approved Consultant whose qualifying consultation-of-consultation hours you submit will complete a VER.

The VER includes:

• Verification of consultation-of-consultation hours

• Evaluation of your consultation competencies

• A recommendation determination

This is a competency evaluation, not simply verification that you attended 20 hours.

 

Required EMDRIA Consultant Education

You must complete 12 EMDRIA Credits for the Approved Consultant application.

Three of these credits come from two required consultant-specific courses:

• Foundations of EMDR Consultation, 1.5 EMDRIA Credits

• Core Competencies in EMDR Consultation, 1.5 EMDRIA Credits

You will also need:

• 9 additional qualifying EMDRIA Credits

Make sure you review EMDRIA's current timing requirements for these credits before applying.

 

What We Work On in Consultation-of-Consultation

This work is about developing you as a consultant.

Topics may include:

• Structuring individual and group consultation

• Helping consultees conceptualize EMDR cases without taking over

• Giving clear, usable feedback

• Identifying what a consultee knows and what they may be missing

• Distinguishing consultation from licensure supervision

• Supporting fidelity without becoming rigid

• Supporting thoughtful adaptations of EMDR

• Consulting around complex trauma, dissociation, neurodivergence, parts work, attachment, and identity

• Recognizing competency and scope concerns

• Navigating ethical issues in consultation

• Knowing when a consultee may need additional training, supervision, or referral

• Providing corrective feedback while maintaining a collaborative relationship

• Evaluating readiness for certification

• Developing consultation agreements, policies, forms, and documentation

• Building a consultation practice that reflects your actual clinical values and expertise

We may also review real examples of your consultation work.

 

Experience Matters More Than Performing "Consultant"

You do not need to become a mini version of your consultant.

Part of the CIT process is developing your own consultation style, specialty areas, boundaries, and professional judgment.

I am interested in whether you can:

• Think clearly about EMDR

• Notice what a consultee needs

• Ask useful questions

• Explain your reasoning

• Recognize what you do not know

• Maintain appropriate boundaries

• Support autonomy while still being willing to name concerns

• Help clinicians become stronger EMDR therapists

There is room to be creative, collaborative, direct, relational, structured, or flexible.

There is not room to skip the actual competency piece.

 

Additional Requirements If I Am Your Primary / Majority-Hours Consultant

If I am serving as your primary or majority-hours consultant during the CIT process, my current requirements include:

• At least one individual CIT consultation-of-consultation session with me every two months, unless we explicitly agree to another arrangement

• At least 10 individual CIT consultation-of-consultation hours with me before I provide a recommendation

• At least 15 individual consultation hours with me during the two years leading up to completion of your CIT process

• Up to 5 of those 15 hours may come from certification-level individual consultation previously completed with me, if they occurred within the applicable two-year period

• Basic Training consultation does not count toward this 15-hour requirement

• At least 4 hours of developmental participation in mixed-level consultation groups with me

• Enough direct examples of your consultation work for me to evaluate your skills

Your developmental group experience may include observing, co-facilitating, assisting, or practicing consultation skills.

These experiences can be valuable but do not automatically count toward EMDRIA's 20 consultation-of-consultation hours unless they independently meet EMDRIA's criteria.

 

Additional Developmental Work

Depending on your experience and goals, your CIT process with me may also include:

• Developing consultation forms and informed consent materials

• Developing policies and procedures

• Auditing EMDR Basic Training

• Shadowing practicum facilitation

• Observing or co-facilitating consultation groups

• Developing and facilitating your own consultation group

• Reviewing recordings or near-verbatim consultation examples

• Practicing competency assessment

• Developing your consultation niche or specialty areas

• Thinking through pricing, structure, boundaries, and consultation workflow

Not every CIT will need the exact same developmental experiences.

 

Completing the Hours Does Not Guarantee a Recommendation

The 20 consultation-of-consultation hours are an EMDRIA minimum.

They do not guarantee that I, or another Approved Consultant, will determine that you are ready for Approved Consultant status.

If more development is needed, I may recommend:

• Additional consultation-of-consultation

• More experience providing consultation

• Additional observation of your consultation work

• More EMDR clinical experience

• Additional training

• Consultation with another Approved Consultant

• More time developing a particular consultation competency

Any additional consultation is paid consultation.

 

Tracking Your CIT Requirements

You are responsible for maintaining records of:

• Your CIT declaration date

• Your 300 EMDR sessions

• Your 75 EMDR clients

• Your 5 consultees

• Which consultees have completed Basic Training

• Your 15 consultation hours provided

• Your 20 consultation-of-consultation hours

• Individual versus group consultation-of-consultation

• Which Approved Consultant provided each hour

• Your required EMDRIA Credits

• Your CIT timeline

I maintain my own consultation records and send follow-up confirmation after consultation, but I do not manage your credentialing timeline for you.

 

Consultation Policies

A few important logistics:

• Consultation-of-consultation is not licensure supervision.

• You remain responsible for your own practice and professional scope.

• Protect client and consultee confidentiality in all materials.

• Virtual consultation participants are generally expected to remain on camera.

• Consultation cannot occur while you are driving.

• My standard cancellation and rescheduling window is 2 business days.

• Bundles and packages have additional terms and expiration requirements.

• Purchasing a bundle does not guarantee that my availability will match a specific application deadline.

• Purchasing hours does not guarantee a recommendation.

 

Interested in Becoming an Approved Consultant?

If you are already an EMDRIA Certified Therapist and are considering beginning the CIT pathway, I recommend contacting me before submitting your CIT declaration or purchasing a CIT package so we can determine whether working together makes sense for your goals.

Questions:
sbergstein@mantramentalhealthllc.com

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Current Consultation Policies:
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EMDRIA establishes and maintains the requirements for Approved Consultant status. Requirements may change. You are responsible for reviewing EMDRIA's current standards before applying.