At Talking Therapies UK, we are passionate about equipping professionals with the knowledge, confidence, and compassion to support mental health across diverse settings. With decades of combined experience in clinical practice, public health leadership, and service transformation, our training programmes are rooted in evidence-based approaches and real-world application.
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Trauma-Informed Practice & EMDR Awareness · Practitioner
EMDR in Practice
Delivering the standard protocol and managing processing
This intermediate practitioner course serves as the critical bridge between foundational EMDR knowledge and independent clinical competence, focusing on the delivery of the standard protocol with precision and clinical judgement. Learners will engage in a deep dive into the preparatory phases, mastering the nuances of history taking within the Social GGRRAAACCEEESSS framework and constructing robust resourcing plans that empower clients to manage distress. The curriculum emphasises the art of desensitisation, teaching clinicians how to judiciously adjust bilateral stimulation and set size to facilitate adaptive information processing without overwhelming the client's capacity for integration.
The training moves beyond basic mechanics to address the complexities of managing blocked processing, equipping practitioners with a sophisticated toolkit of cognitive interweaves to re-engage stalled targets. Participants will learn to navigate the delicate balance of abreaction, distinguishing between necessary affective release and potential re-traumatization, while effectively identifying and managing dissociation. The course concludes with a detailed examination of the final phases of the protocol, ensuring learners can competently guide clients through installation of positive cognition and the comprehensive body scan to verify the resolution of somatic markers.
By prioritising safety and the successful completion of the protocol, this training prepares clinicians to deliver EMDR with autonomy and confidence. It is intended for professionals who have completed EMDR foundations or equivalent training and are seeking to refine their practice, ultimately fostering the high-level competence required for independent, evidence-based trauma therapy.
▶ See inside the digital classroom1 minute 36 seconds · how a course is laid out, how each lesson is taught, and how the tutor helps
Before you start
This is a Practitioner course in the EMDR pathway. It assumes that you already hold the Foundation knowledge of this approach, whether from the Foundation course or from your training and practice, which is what EMDR Foundations teaches. What it adds is formulation and treatment decisions with real caseloads: the disorder-specific or situation-specific methods, sequencing, and what to do when the standard approach does not work; it revisits the foundations only as far as it needs to before building on them, so it does not repeat the course below.
If you have not met this approach before, EMDR Foundations is the place to start; if you already hold its foundations from your training or practice, this is the right level to begin at.
The EMDR pathway. The model, the evidence and the eight-phase protocol of EMDR, then its practice and its use with complex trauma. These courses teach knowledge of the method; they are not accredited EMDR practitioner training and do not confer accreditation.
10 study hours10 CPD hours certified9 months of accessAI tutor in every lessonCertificate on completion (pass mark 70%)
What you will be able to do
✓Set up phase-three assessment precisely: image, negative and positive cognitions, VoC, emotion, SUD and body location
✓Conduct desensitisation sets and respond to channels of association productively
✓Recognise blocked processing and apply interweaves judiciously
✓Complete installation and body scan, and close every session contained
✓Re-evaluate at each session and work the target plan systematically
✓Apply the three-pronged protocol: past events, present triggers and future templates
What you will study
Module 1: Foundations of EMDR Desensitisation and Resourcing
This module covers the core mechanics, bilateral stimulation optimisation, and arousal management required for effective EMDR target processing.
Preparation and resourcingExplaining the process and gaining consent
Running desensitisationDelivering sets of bilateral stimulation
Managing Arousal, Titration and Dissociation during EMDR DesensitisationContinuous monitoring of arousal using brief SUDS and body‑scan checks before each set.
Processing the Target: The Mechanics of the Set and the Shift to InstallationThe processing set is the pivotal mechanism through which Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) achieves its therapeutic impact, moving the clien…
Optimising Bilateral Stimulation: Modality, Frequency and Duration for Effective DesensitisationChoose the BLS modality that aligns with the client’s sensory preferences and safety needs; Calibrate frequency to around 0.5–0.67 Hz to optimise theta‑band activity while monitoring for signs of overload; Adjust set duration dynamically, terminating early when processing signs emerge and extending cautiously when needed; Use micro‑adjustments in frequency or rhythm to re‑engage attention without exceeding the client’s arousal window
Module 2: Advanced EMDR Strategies for Complex Trauma
This module explores phased EMDR integration, working memory theory, and cognitive interweaves to overcome blocked processing and complex trauma.
Phased EMDR for Complex Trauma: Integrating Resource Development and Desensitisation SetsComplex trauma requires a phased EMDR approach that begins with robust resource consolidation before any desensitisation work.
Working Memory Theory and the Dual Attention Stimulus: Enhancing EMDR Desensitisation EfficiencyThe premise of this lesson is that the efficiency of EMDR desensitisation rests on a neurocognitive principle that has been refined over the past three decades:…
Cognitive Interweave: Integrating Adaptive Information Processing to Address Stubborn Cognitions During EMDR DesensitisationCognitive interweave is a therapist‑directed pause within the desensitisation set to address persistent negative cognitions.
Blocked processing and interweavesRecognising blocked processing
Abreaction, dissociation and completionManaging abreaction safely
Module 3: Stabilisation, Interweaves, and Closure in EMDR
This module focuses on window of tolerance management, nuanced interweave application, and safe closure and re-evaluation procedures.
Phase 7 Closure and Phase 8 Re-evaluation: Safety, Stabilisation and Incomplete ProcessingPhase 7 Closure is an active safety procedure, not merely session administration; it requires Container and Calm Place activation when processing remains incomplete.
Positive Cognition Installation and Future Template: Consolidating Safety After Interweave ResolutionPositive Cognition Installation reinforces a believable, adaptive belief after desensitisation; The therapist uses brief cognitive interweaves to raise the Scale of Validity before bilateral stimulation; Future Template rehearses the new belief in realistic upcoming situations, embedding adaptive responses; Ongoing therapist attunement is vital to maintain safety while consolidating change.
The Window of Tolerance in EMDR: Titration, Pendulation and Interweave Timing for Safe ProcessingThe window of tolerance defines the optimal arousal zone for EMDR reprocessing; hyperarousal and hypoarousal both block adaptive information processing.
The Nuanced Application of Interweave Types: Cognitive, Resource, and Somatic InterventionsCognitive interweaves are used when the client is affectively engaged but cognitively stuck, shifting focus to challenge maladaptive beliefs.
