EMDR Resources & Preparation Tools
For EMDR-trained clinicians — and anyone curious about what good EMDR preparation actually looks like.
The Natural Preparation Framework
The Natural Preparation approach is an original clinical framework I developed from my own EMDR practice — and it's the thread running through most of the resources on this page.
The core idea is simple: The Phase 3 Assessment questions (image, negative cognition, positive cognition, VoC, emotions, SUDs, body location) don't have to appear for the first time during formal target setup. They have natural conversational cousins that fit easily into Phase 1 and Phase 2 work.
When a client mentions a hard moment from the week, that's an image and a SUDs level waiting to be gently named. When they talk about what they wish they could believe about themselves, that's a positive cognition in plain language. When you ask what they notice in their body as they describe it, that's body location.
Weaving these questions into Preparation does two things simultaneously:
It familiarizes your client with every question before formal Assessment begins — so when you get to Phase 3, nothing feels abrupt or clinical or out of nowhere. The questions already feel like part of how you talk together.
And it quietly gathers readiness data. By the time you're working together to explore if a client is prepared to begin reprocessing, you've already heard them locate affect in their body, describe an image, reach for an adaptive belief. You know if they can do it. You haven't had to stop and run a formal checklist — you've been assessing all along.
A note on language: I use "prepared" rather than "ready" intentionally. Ready implies a threshold. Prepared describes a direction — are we seeing more capacity than when we started? That's the question. A really great think piece on this was written by Dr. Jamie Marich - The Myth of Ready.
For Clients & Curious Readers
If you're a client in EMDR therapy (or considering it) and landed here — welcome. The short version is this: the preparation phase exists because your therapist is trying to make sure that when the harder work begins, you have everything you need to come through it well. It's not gatekeeping. It's care.
The heart surgery analogy explains it better than I can in a paragraph — and it's one of the free resources in my store.
Why don't we just start? It's one of the most common questions in EMDR — and a fair one.
This free one-page worksheet uses the heart surgery analogy to explain EMDR's preparation phase in plain language. It walks clients through why Phase 1 and Phase 2 come before reprocessing, what the "pre-op checklist" looks like in EMDR, and what happens when we rush it.
Designed to be shared with clients who are impatient to jump to reprocessing — or honestly, with yourself when you need to explain it clearly and quickly.
Best for: EMDR-trained clinicians to use with clients during Phase 1 or early Phase 2.
Includes: 1-page (front & back) PDF, print-ready.
Developed by Erica Kendra Smith, MSW, LCSW — EMDRIA Approved Consultant.
Resources & Tools
All resources were developed by Erica Kendra Smith, MSW, LCSW — EMDRIA Approved Consultant, C-DBT.
**Any resources developed with AI assistance are labeled as such.
Natural Preparation Quick Reference Free · Clinician desk reference
A one-page clinical reference mapping each Phase 3 Assessment element to a conversational prompt you can fold into Phase 2. Print it, keep it at your desk, use it tomorrow.
Natural Preparation Toolkit $18 · Full clinical toolkit
The complete toolkit for the Natural Preparation approach — a conversational prompt bank for all seven Assessment elements, preparedness signals to listen for, implementation notes, and a fillable Client Preparedness Tracker for documenting readiness across sessions.
Built for EMDR-trained clinicians working toward EMDRIA certification or wanting to deepen preparation phase work. Also useful for EMDR consultees who want a structured framework to bring to consultation.
Window of Tolerance Worksheet — Adult & Youth Versions $12 · Two-version set
Two versions of a Window of Tolerance worksheet designed for use in session and between sessions. Adult version uses clinical language in a clean, structured layout. Youth version uses accessible language (Too Much / Flooded — Just Right — Too Little / Frozen) with illustrated body figures and a traffic light visual.
Both go further than most WoT worksheets — the personal map asks what clients tend to do, what their thoughts sound like, and specifically what helps them return to the window from each direction.
The Preparation Pack $26 · Bundle — saves $4
The Natural Preparation Toolkit plus the Window of Tolerance Worksheet set (Adult & Youth), bundled together.
Together these tools address the two most critical preparation phase questions: Is my client familiar enough with the assessment process to begin? And do they have the window of tolerance and coping capacity to do this work?
EMDR Consultation
If you want to go deeper than a worksheet — that's what consultation is for.
I'm an EMDRIA Approved Consultant offering individual, group, and package consultation for EMDR-trained clinicians working toward certification or wanting a thinking partner for complex cases. Consultation is where we can actually work through what's happening in your EMDR cases, not just hand you a framework and wish you luck.
I also have capacity for certified EMDR therapists working toward their own Approved Consultant status who need consultation on their consultees.
Consultation is offered through Whole Mentality, PLLC.
Individual Consultation Schedule:
**Appointments must be cancelled with 24 hours notice, otherwise you will be responsible for payment of the full amount of your consultation session. Future consultation sessions cannot be scheduled with Erica until payment is fulfilled.
Book an appointment: 2026 special: 3 - 1 Hour Individual Consult Package $400
Book an appointment: 2026 special: 5 - 1 Hour Individual Consult Package $650
Book an appointment: 2026 Special: 10 - 1 Hour Individual Consult Package $800
Book an appointment: 1 Hour Individual EMDR Consultation: $150
Want to meet about a potential Consultant-In-Training / Approved Consultant relationship?
Email me at: ericasmit@wholementality.com
Subject Line: "CIT INTEREST”
Learn More about the 2026 EMDRIA Consultation Updates:
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The EMDR Clinician Newsletter covers EMDR practice, preparation phase tools, new resources, and consultation updates — written for EMDR-trained therapists, in plain language, without fluff.