7 Questions to Ask an EMDR Therapist Before Starting EMDR Therapy

I get a lot of messages on social media from people asking if I can help them find an EMDR therapist.

And honestly, one of the perks of being an EMDR consultant is that I know a lot of EMDR therapists. I know for a fact that there are amazing clinicians doing this work all over the country. World, actually.

Sometimes I know someone personally who might be a great fit. When I don't, I usually point people toward the EMDRIA Find an EMDR Therapist directory or Psychology Today.

But finding someone with EMDR listed on their website is really only the beginning.

An amazing EMDR therapist isn't necessarily the right EMDR therapist for you. Their training matters. Their experience matters. Their specialty matters. And the actual human being you're going to sit across from matters, too.

So whether you're looking for an EMDR therapist in Raleigh, NC, elsewhere in North Carolina, or anywhere else, here are some of the questions I'd consider asking.

1. Where Did You Complete Your EMDR Basic Training?

Start here.

If I'm specifically seeking EMDR therapy, I want to know that the therapist completed a full EMDRIA-approved EMDR basic training.

EMDRIA—the EMDR International Association—sets standards for approved EMDR basic trainings, including instruction, supervised practicum, and consultation.

You don't need to know every EMDR training organization or memorize the requirements.

You can simply ask:

“Was your EMDR basic training EMDRIA approved?”

That's a completely reasonable question.

What Does EMDR Trained, Level II, Certified, or Consultant Actually Mean?

While you're searching for an EMDR therapist, you're probably going to run into a lot of different terminology.

EMDR trained. Level I. Level II. EMDR certified. EMDRIA Certified Therapist. EMDR Consultant.

It can get confusing.

Here's what I'd actually pay attention to.

EMDR trained: A therapist who has completed a full EMDRIA-approved basic training has completed the foundational training required to begin integrating EMDR into clinical practice.

You may also see therapists describe themselves as Level I or Level II trained. Rather than getting too caught up in the levels, I'd ask whether they've completed a full EMDRIA-approved basic training.

EMDRIA Certified Therapist™: This is an additional credential a therapist can pursue after completing basic training.

To become an EMDRIA Certified Therapist, a clinician must meet additional requirements, including completing at least 50 EMDR therapy sessions with at least 25 clients, 20 additional hours of EMDR consultation, and 12 hours of EMDR continuing education, along with EMDRIA's other professional requirements.

Certification also has to be renewed.

Does that mean you need an EMDRIA Certified Therapist?

No. That's ultimately up to you.

There are excellent EMDR therapists who aren't certified.

What certification does tell you is that this clinician has chosen to invest a significant amount of additional time, money, clinical practice, consultation, and continuing education specifically into EMDR.

You may also see someone simply say they're “EMDR certified.” If that matters to you, ask who they're certified through. EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ is a specific credential with defined requirements.

EMDRIA Approved Consultant™: An EMDR Consultant has gone considerably further in the EMDR professional pathway and provides consultation to other EMDR clinicians.

Current EMDRIA requirements include at least 300 EMDR sessions with at least 75 clients, in addition to requirements involving experience providing EMDR consultation, receiving consultation on their own consultation work, and continuing EMDR education.

Do you need your therapist to be an EMDR Consultant?

Absolutely not.

These credentials are simply different pieces of information that can help you understand someone's depth of training and experience with EMDR.

And credentials are only one piece of this.

2. What Continuing Education Have You Done in EMDR?

Basic training is exactly what it sounds like: basic training.

It provides the foundation for practicing EMDR, but there is an enormous amount to continue learning.

So I'd be curious about what someone has done since.

Have they taken advanced EMDR trainings?

Do they regularly receive EMDR consultation?

Have they pursued education specifically related to the populations they work with?

Are they keeping up with changes in the field and emerging research?

I'm not looking for the person who has collected the most certificates.

I'm trying to understand:

How has this therapist continued developing their EMDR practice since basic training?

3. Do You Feel Comfortable Working With [The Thing I'm Coming to Therapy For]?

This one is huge.

EMDR isn't a magic wand.

Being trained in EMDR doesn't automatically make someone qualified to treat every diagnosis, population, or type of trauma with EMDR.

If you're seeking therapy for attachment or developmental trauma, I'd look for someone who specializes in attachment and developmental trauma.

If you're seeking treatment for OCD, I'd look for someone who specializes in OCD.

The same applies to eating disorders, significant dissociation, substance use, chronic pain, and other concerns that may require specialized knowledge or training.

Ask directly:

“Do you regularly work with clients experiencing X?”

Because the question isn't just whether someone knows EMDR.

It's whether they understand you and what you're actually coming to therapy for.

4. What's Your Experience Using EMDR Specifically With [X]?

And then I'd take the previous question one step further.

There's a difference between:

“I treat attachment trauma.”

and

“I have training and experience integrating EMDR into my work with attachment trauma.”

If attachment trauma is why you're seeking therapy, ask:

“What's your experience using EMDR specifically with attachment trauma?”

You can substitute whatever you're seeking help with.

I want someone who understands both the clinical concern itself and how EMDR fits—or doesn't fit—into treating it.

Because sometimes good EMDR therapy also means knowing when EMDR isn't the right intervention, or isn't the right intervention yet.

5. How Do You Work With Parts of My Identity That Are Important to Me?

Your identities and experiences don't disappear when you walk into a therapy room.

Race, culture, gender, sexuality, disability, body size, religion, socioeconomic status, immigration experiences, and other aspects of identity can shape how we experience safety, relationships, trauma, power, and therapy itself.

If there's a part of your identity that's particularly important to you, ask about it specifically.

You might ask:

“How does your approach account for X part of my identity?”

or

“What experience do you have working with clients who share this part of my identity?”

You don't necessarily need a therapist who shares your identities.

But you deserve to know how they think about culture, power, lived experience, and the limits of their own knowledge.

6. How Would You Describe Your Therapeutic Style?

This question has almost nothing to do with eye movements.

And I think it's incredibly important.

Ask:

“How would you describe your style as a therapist?”

Are they highly directive?

Relational?

Structured?

Conversational?

Somatic?

Quiet?

Do they use humor?

Will they challenge you directly?

Do they tend to sit back and give you lots of room, or are they more active in the session?

There's no universally correct answer.

But there may absolutely be an answer that's better for you.

Especially if you're seeking EMDR therapy for relational or attachment trauma, I wouldn't underestimate the importance of the relationship you're going to build with the person providing the treatment.

7. What Do You Like About EMDR?

This might be my favorite question on the entire list.

Seriously.

Ask your potential therapist:

“What do you like about EMDR?”

There isn't a specific answer I'm hoping they'll give you.

That's why I like the question so much.

Their answer can tell you a surprising amount about how they understand EMDR, what they value in therapy, what they pay attention to clinically, what they believe facilitates healing, and maybe even what they're like as a therapist.

Someone might talk about the Adaptive Information Processing model.

Someone might love the structure.

Someone might talk about watching clients make connections they hadn't consciously considered.

Someone might talk about how EMDR allows them to work with experiences that aren't easily put into words.

Listen to what lights them up.

Because you're not just choosing EMDR.

You're choosing the person you're going to do EMDR with.

You Don't Have to Ask Every Question

Please don't feel like you need to show up to your consultation with a clipboard and interrogate your potential therapist.

Pick the questions that actually matter to you.

A consultation isn't only an opportunity for a therapist to determine whether you're a good fit for their practice.

You're deciding whether they're a good fit for you, too.

Pay attention to their answers.

But also pay attention to how it feels to ask.

Can you ask questions without feeling rushed?

Do they seem genuinely curious about you?

Can they explain what they do and why they do it?

Can you imagine disagreeing with them?

Do you feel like there's room for you to have preferences?

And maybe the biggest question:

Can you imagine eventually telling this person the things that are really hard to say out loud?

You don't have to completely trust someone after a short consultation. Trust takes time.

But the therapeutic relationship matters.

Credentials can give you useful information.

They can't tell you what it will feel like to be in a relationship with that therapist.

Where Can I Find an EMDR Therapist?

If you don't already have a referral, the EMDRIA Find an EMDR Therapist directory is one of the first places I'd look. You can search for EMDR therapists and EMDRIA credentialed clinicians in your area.

Psychology Today can also be useful because you can narrow your search based on location, specialty, insurance, treatment approach, and other factors.

Once you've found a few possibilities, go to their websites.

Don't just look for the letters EMDR.

Look at who they work with. What do they specialize in? What advanced training have they pursued? How do they describe therapy? Does their approach sound like something you want?

And then talk to them.

There are amazing EMDR therapists doing this work all over.

The goal isn't to find the universally best EMDR therapist.

It's to find someone who has the training and expertise to work with what you're bringing into therapy—and who feels like someone you might actually want beside you while you do it.

Looking for an EMDR Therapist in Raleigh, NC?

Hi, I'm Sara Forcella, LCSW.

I'm an EMDRIA Certified Therapist and EMDR Consultant-in-Training based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and EMDR is a significant part of my clinical practice.

I specialize in relational and attachment trauma, particularly childhood sexual abuse, emotionally immature or narcissistic family systems, relationship violence, and the ways those experiences can continue affecting our relationships with ourselves and other people long after they're over.

My approach is deeply relational because I believe that when we've been hurt in relationships, the relationship we build in therapy matters, too.

I integrate attachment-focused therapy with EMDR, IFS-informed work, and somatic and Polyvagal-informed approaches.

I work with adults 25+ and offer virtual EMDR therapy throughout North Carolina, with in-person options in Raleigh. I also offer in-person EMDR intensives.

If you're looking for an EMDR therapist in Raleigh, NC and what I specialize in sounds like what you're looking for, you can learn more about working with me here.

And yes—you can absolutely ask me any of the questions on this list.