EMDR Consultation for EMDRIA Certification
Individual consultation hours by video, nationwide — from a full EMDRIA-Approved Consultant
I’m Jordan Nodelman, LCSW, LICSW, LCSW-C, BCD — an EMDRIA-Approved Consultant and Board-Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work. I provide individual EMDR consultation to clinicians working toward EMDRIA Certification, and to therapists who have a case that has stopped moving and want another set of eyes on it.
Because I’m a full Approved Consultant rather than a Consultant-in-Training, every hour you complete with me counts toward all 20 of your required hours. You won’t need to find a second consultant to finish.
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How many consultation hours does EMDR certification require?
EMDRIA requires 20 hours of consultation for EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ status. At least 10 of those 20 hours must be individual — one consultant, one consultee. The remaining 10 may be completed in a group, and EMDRIA caps consultation groups at eight participants.
A few details that trip people up:
- Your hours expire. All 20 must have been completed within the last five years at the time you apply.
- Video counts. EMDRIA permits consultation by any synchronous, real-time format — Zoom, phone, video. It does not have to be in person, which is why I can work with clinicians in any state.
- Who provides the hours matters. An EMDRIA-Approved Consultant-in-Training may provide a maximum of 15 hours. The remaining 5 must come from a full Approved Consultant. I hold the full credential, so all 20 of your hours can be completed with me.
- Your consultant writes the letter. At the end, I document your start date, your exact hours, the individual/group breakdown, and submit a letter recommending you for certification based on your actual use of EMDR with clients.
The rest of the certification requirements, for reference: a current independent license, at least two years of experience in your licensed field, at least 50 EMDR sessions with at least 25 clients, and 12 hours of EMDRIA Credits completed after your basic training.
These are EMDRIA’s published requirements as of 2026. Requirements change — always confirm current standards directly with EMDRIA before you apply.
What consultation with me actually looks like
Most consultation is organized around getting you to twenty. I’d rather the hours be useful.
We meet by video for 50 minutes. You bring a case — ideally one that isn’t going the way you expected. We look at the actual clinical material: what you targeted, what came up, where the processing stalled, what you did next and why. I’ll ask you to think out loud about your reasoning, because that’s where the learning is.
I’m not interested in checking your protocol adherence against a script. I’m interested in whether your formulation is right, and in helping you develop the clinical judgment to know when to hold the protocol and when the protocol isn’t the problem.
I document everything as we go, so when it’s time to apply you aren’t reconstructing dates from memory.
Where clinicians most often get stuck: Phase 1
In my experience, the majority of EMDR cases that stall were never really a Phase 4 problem. They were a Phase 1 problem that didn’t show itself until reprocessing began.
Basic training teaches Phases 3 through 8 well. What it necessarily compresses is the clinical art of the first two — history-taking, case conceptualization, target sequencing, and honestly assessing whether a client has the affect tolerance to do this work yet. So clinicians arrive at consultation asking “why won’t this process?” when the more useful question is “what did I miss about how this person is organized?”
Common patterns I help clinicians untangle:
- Looping that isn’t resistance. Processing that circles back rather than moving forward is usually giving you information about a feeder memory, a blocking belief, or a part of the system that hasn’t consented to the work.
- Targets chosen by chronology instead of by charge. The earliest memory is not always the right first target.
- Stabilization treated as a box to check. Resource installation done as a formality, rather than because this particular nervous system needs it.
- Dissociation that was missed at intake and surfaces mid-protocol.
- Structural dissociation and parts-level material that the standard protocol wasn’t built to hold on its own.
- Clients you’re quietly avoiding reprocessing with — often the most useful thing to bring.
If you’ve been taught that EMDR is a procedure you execute, this is the consultation where it becomes a treatment you design.
Complex case consultation — no certification required
Not everyone who needs consultation is chasing a credential. A significant share of the clinicians I work with are certified already, or aren’t pursuing certification at all, and simply want a thinking partner on a hard case.
I take these on a single-session or ongoing basis. Areas I’m most often asked about:
- Complex and developmental trauma where the standard protocol keeps destabilizing the client
- DeTUR™ (Desensitization of Triggers and Urge Reprocessing) for addictive and compulsive behaviors — I consult specifically on integrating DeTUR with standard EMDR and on when to reach for it
- Working with high-visibility and high-stakes clients, where confidentiality pressures shape the clinical frame
- Adapting EMDR for virtual delivery — roughly three-quarters of my own EMDR caseload has been virtual since 2020, including clients on phones only, clients without reliable bandwidth, and older clients with physical limitations that rule out standard bilateral stimulation
- Clients receiving adjunctive ketamine or psilocybin treatment alongside EMDR
- Integrating creative and expressive approaches, Brainspotting, parts work, and EMDR 2.0 into a coherent treatment plan
[Ask about complex case consultation →]
Why work with me
I hold the full Approved Consultant credential. All 20 of your hours count. No scrambling for a second consultant at hour 15.
I was trained in the lineage. I came to EMDR in graduate school and trained under Roy Kiessling — an approach that treats the protocols as a flexible family (A-TIP, EMD, EMDr, EMDR) selected to fit the client, rather than a single script applied to everyone.
I work with the cases people find difficult. My own practice centers on complex traumatic stress with executives, high-profile individuals, and adults whose competence has masked their symptoms for decades. If that’s your population too, we’ll speak the same language quickly.
I’ll tell you what I actually think. Consultation is worth very little if it’s only affirming. I’ll be direct with you, and I’ll do it in a way that doesn’t leave you feeling deskilled — most clinicians bringing a stuck case are already being hard enough on themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Can EMDR consultation be done virtually? Yes. EMDRIA accepts consultation conducted in any synchronous, real-time format, including video and phone. All of my consultation is by video.
Do you consult with clinicians outside Florida? Yes, nationwide. EMDR consultation toward EMDRIA certification is professional development between colleagues, not clinical treatment, so it isn’t restricted to my licensure states. I consult with clinicians across the United States. (My therapy practice is limited to Florida, Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia and Vermont.)
Is consultation the same thing as clinical supervision? No, and the distinction matters. Clinical supervision counts toward state licensure and is governed by your state board. EMDR consultation is specific to EMDR practice and EMDRIA credentialing. I provide consultation, not supervision toward licensure.
How many hours do I need, and how many must be individual? Twenty hours total, at least ten of them individual. Groups can fill the remaining ten and are capped at eight participants.
Do all my hours have to be with the same consultant? No. You may work with more than one. But hours provided by a Consultant-in-Training max out at 15, so at least 5 must come from a full Approved Consultant. Working with me from the start keeps it simple.
How long does it usually take? It depends on your pace and your caseload. Weekly consultation typically gets people to 20 hours in five to six months; biweekly runs closer to nine or ten. There’s no minimum time EMDRIA imposes, but all 20 hours must fall within the five years preceding your application.
Do I need to be certified to consult with you? No. I work with clinicians who have completed an EMDRIA-approved basic training, whether or not they intend to pursue certification.
What should I bring to a session? A case you’re genuinely uncertain about. Session notes, your target sequence, and your case conceptualization if you have one written. The stuck cases are more useful than the successful ones.
What does consultation cost? Fees depend on format and frequency. I’ll discuss rates with you directly when you reach out — I’d rather talk about fit first.
Do you provide the documentation EMDRIA requires? Yes. I track your hours as we go and provide the consultation verification and recommendation letter EMDRIA requires at application.
Request a consultation slot
Tell me a little about where you are in your EMDR training and what you’re hoping to get from consultation. I read every inquiry personally and respond within two business days.
I take on a limited number of consultees at a time so the work stays substantive — if I’m not the right fit, or don’t have room, I’ll tell you and point you toward someone who is.
Submitting an inquiry doesn’t create a consultation relationship. We’ll talk first and decide together whether it’s a good fit.
Jordan Nodelman, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, LCSW-C, BCD EMDRIA-Approved Consultant · EMDRIA-Certified Therapist · Board-Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work Consultation available nationwide by video · Therapy practice licensed in FL, DC, MD, VA & VT