Eligibility

 

Eligibility criteria for EMDR training in the UK

 

ALL applicants must have a significant proportion of their current primary role delivering 1-1 psychotherapy.

 

ALL applicants must have the full support of their clinical supervisor to attend the training.

 

All applicants must have access to training cases for the duration of the course.

 

Please note: NHS England now has additional supervision, eligibility and competence requirements for EMDR therapists working in their service. Please see further information which can be accessed from the EMDR Association website: Training – EMDR Association UK – Overcoming trauma with expert help

 

Mental health professionals

Clinical Psychologists (HCPC)

Counselling Psychologists (Registered with HCPC)

Educational Psychologists (Registered with HCPC)

Forensic Psychologists (Registered with HCPC)

Psychiatrists

  • MRCPsych or equivalent (including Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in any psychiatric speciality)
  • Alternatively:
    a) Complete both long and short psychotherapy cases (and)
    b) Equivalent of three years full-time psychiatric experience (and)
    c) Letter confirming above from line manager and sent to EMDR Training      Provider

Registered Mental Health Nurses (NMC), Registered Learning Disability Nurses (NMC), Arts Psychotherapists (HCPC), Occupational Therapists (HCPC) and Registered Social Workers who:

  • Have mental health training, can recognise and assess common mental health problems and have experience of working in a mental health setting.
  • Have training and a minimum of two years’ experience of providing one-to-one psychotherapy, in addition to their professional training.
  • Have provided a reference from their clinical supervisor confirming the above.

 

Counsellors/Psychotherapists

MUST hold FULL accreditation by one of the following professional bodies:

·         BABCP

·         BACP

·         UKCP

·         British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)

·         National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society Accredited Professional (NCPS Accredited Professional) grade

·         Federation of Drug and Alcohol Practitioners (FDAP) who are NCAC accredited.

·         Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP)

·         COSCA

·         COSRT

 

Clinical Psychology Trainees

In their final year of training with a letter of recommendation from their clinical supervisor are eligible to begin the Standard EMDR Europe course but cannot fully complete it until their registration with HCPC is confirmed.

 

 

Forensic Psychology Trainees

To be eligible to begin the Standard EMDR Europe course, candidates must be in Stage 2 (supervised practice) of the BPS Qualification in Forensic Psychology and have completed at least 450 hours of supervised practice. They will also need a letter of recommendation from their clinical supervisor to confirm this. However, candidates cannot complete their EMDR training until their registration with HCPC is confirmed.

 

 

Mental Health professionals who are resident in a country outside of the UK and practice within that country

…are requested to submit a letter from their national EMDR Association agreeing to them undertaking their training in the UK and stating that they fulfil the eligibility to train in EMDR criteria for their country of origin.

 

Applicants from countries with no national EMDR Association are scrutinised on a case-by-case basis. They need to follow EMDR Association UK eligibility criteria broadly, ie they should be a mental health professional who is accredited/registered with a governing body in their own country.

In either case, external applicants who are resident in the UK are not eligible to train in EMDR or practice EMDR in the UK unless they also meet the UK eligibility criteria above.

 

 

Ratified by the EMDR Association UK, June 2023 (amendment re Forensic Psychologists, March 2024)