If you've completed EMDR Basic Training, you've probably heard that you need consultation hours before you can apply for EMDRIA certification. You may have a vague sense of what that means. You may also have some confusion about what it actually involves — and who you need to get it from.

Let's clear that up.

What EMDR consultation is

"Is my client ready?"

It's the question EMDR clinicians ask most during consultation.

Ready implies a threshold. A line. A moment where the client crosses from not-ready to ready, like flipping a switch. It implies there's a correct answer that exists independently of the clinician's judgment — that if you run the right checklist, you'll know.

Clinical reality doesn't work that way.