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There are different EMDR protocols / certifications for trauma & complex trauma.
Does this person HAVE the higher certification levels & specialized training?
To read more on the differences I would recommend heading over to the EMDR institute it’s durn self, & read about the different levels, certs, etc.; so that you’re conversant enough to be able to query your therapist / other therapists you may interview. I’ve literally interviewed Ts who got their certification 20+ years ago, have done zero continuing ed, so didn’t even get the FIRST double split (from only one level of cert to 2 levels), much less the second, are are clueless about this third round with specialized training for specific trauma types, ages, disorders, etc. Only someone with NO ongoing ed in EMDR would attempt to say there’s only 1 certification. Only someone with limited/outdated continuing ed would claim there’s only 2 certs. <<< In my experience interviewing? About 80% of EMDR certified therapists fall into that category. They got their cert back when they were in school, along with all their other certs, and haven’t kept current.
Even therapists with HEFTY governing bodies (LCSWs, PsyDs, etc.) who are required XYZ number of continuing ed credits, per ABC years… or lose their licensure? It’s their own individual choice HOW & WHERE to get those credits. Some badass practitioners have simply chosen elsewhere to stay current. The slugs, that exist in every profession, meanwhile will game the system with “attuning yourself to your power animal” in Fiji, “underwater basket weaving” in Vegas, “ETOH & Other Solutions” in Carnivale, etc., etc., etc.. So they keep their license whilst getting a tax break to go party. Most badass therapists? WILL do one of those silly things, at least once or thrice a career of decades, because their actual continuing ed doesn’t count. Or their kid is getting married in Fiji & they’re covering for another practionerer whose spouse is dying, so they’re working 80hr weeks & can’t meet a real thing. So it’s not like anyone who ever games the rules is a terrible therapist. BUT??? That’s the rare thing. Good people cheat, for good reasons. Crappy people cheat, as baseline. NEITHER will be up on the current thing… this year. Crappy people never will. Good people will… next year. Maybe. IF AND ONLY IF they haven’t chosen to update themselves in another area of their specialty. But their catching up next year, doesn’t help you/me/anyone now.
The overwhelming majority of therapists??? DO NOT have hefty governing bodies. Only a veeeeery small minority of therapists get their masters & doctorates & are licensed by hefty orgs. Even there (as above), there are the slugs. BELOW there? Are people hanging a shingle with as little as a $30 fee for their state-issued-license, religious exempt, 30-90day cert., etc.. At the upper end of that scale??? 3 months, compared with a doctorate + supervision of 8-12 YEARS. <<< ALL can call themselves “therapists”. As the people hiring them? It’s up to us to both check their CV, and what they’re current on.
It’s like going to a doctor. Are they a doctor??? Or an EMT? If a doctor, are they a cardiologist? A cardiac surgeon? Because even an EMT (a 3mo degree) can give you good advice about your heart. But? If you need a heart surgeon, you don’t wanna be seeing a dermatologist, GP, or EMT. You want someone who specializes in what you need, when you need it. Unless? War. Zombies. Whatever. Then? Anything is better than nothing. But in normal life? You don’t want someone who spent 3 months, 20 years ago. You want someone who spent 10+ years, and has spent the past 20 keeping current.
Even therapists with HEFTY governing bodies (LCSWs, PsyDs, etc.) who are required XYZ number of continuing ed credits, per ABC years… or lose their licensure? It’s their own individual choice HOW & WHERE to get those credits. Some badass practitioners have simply chosen elsewhere to stay current. The slugs, that exist in every profession, meanwhile will game the system with “attuning yourself to your power animal” in Fiji, “underwater basket weaving” in Vegas, “ETOH & Other Solutions” in Carnivale, etc., etc., etc.. So they keep their license whilst getting a tax break to go party. Most badass therapists? WILL do one of those silly things, at least once or thrice a career of decades, because their actual continuing ed doesn’t count. Or their kid is getting married in Fiji & they’re covering for another practionerer whose spouse is dying, so they’re working 80hr weeks & can’t meet a real thing. So it’s not like anyone who ever games the rules is a terrible therapist. BUT??? That’s the rare thing. Good people cheat, for good reasons. Crappy people cheat, as baseline. NEITHER will be up on the current thing… this year. Crappy people never will. Good people will… next year. Maybe. IF AND ONLY IF they haven’t chosen to update themselves in another area of their specialty. But their catching up next year, doesn’t help you/me/anyone now.
The overwhelming majority of therapists??? DO NOT have hefty governing bodies. Only a veeeeery small minority of therapists get their masters & doctorates & are licensed by hefty orgs. Even there (as above), there are the slugs. BELOW there? Are people hanging a shingle with as little as a $30 fee for their state-issued-license, religious exempt, 30-90day cert., etc.. At the upper end of that scale??? 3 months, compared with a doctorate + supervision of 8-12 YEARS. <<< ALL can call themselves “therapists”. As the people hiring them? It’s up to us to both check their CV, and what they’re current on.
It’s like going to a doctor. Are they a doctor??? Or an EMT? If a doctor, are they a cardiologist? A cardiac surgeon? Because even an EMT (a 3mo degree) can give you good advice about your heart. But? If you need a heart surgeon, you don’t wanna be seeing a dermatologist, GP, or EMT. You want someone who specializes in what you need, when you need it. Unless? War. Zombies. Whatever. Then? Anything is better than nothing. But in normal life? You don’t want someone who spent 3 months, 20 years ago. You want someone who spent 10+ years, and has spent the past 20 keeping current.
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