Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing training is professional education for eligible mental health clinicians. It is not a counseling degree, a California license, or permission to practice independently. The most useful starting point is not a provider ranking. It is understanding which level of EMDR education you need and whether you qualify for it.
For related options, see our California counseling training and certification guides.
An EMDR International Association-approved basic training includes at least 50 hours:
- 20 hours of instruction
- 20 hours of supervised practicum
- 10 hours of consultation
The curriculum covers the Adaptive Information Processing model, EMDR’s eight phases, clinical methodology, special protocols, mechanisms, and relevant legal and ethical issues. Completing the full sequence permits a clinician to use the description EMDR Trained. It does not make the clinician an EMDRIA Certified Therapist.
Certification is a later, voluntary professional credential with additional clinical experience, EMDR practice, consultation, and continuing-education requirements. Neither basic training nor EMDRIA certification replaces a California professional license.
The options below include scheduled California in-person programs and live-online programs with a documented California provider or faculty connection. The inventory was researched through September 28, 2026. It is reasonably broad rather than exhaustive because provider calendars change and additional 2027 cohorts may be announced. Programs without published future dates, generic national online courses without a California connection, and cohorts that had already started by the research date were excluded.
Comparing California EMDR basic training options
The table consolidates multiple schedules from the same provider so that separate cohorts do not appear to be unrelated programs.
| Provider or training | Format and location | Published dates | Consultation structure | Verified price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMDR Consulting, Agoura Hills | In person, two three-day modules | October 8-10 and 22-24, 2026 | 10 hours outside classroom dates, included in fee | Not published in reviewed listing |
| EMDR Consulting, Chula Vista | In person, five training days | November 6-8 and 13-14, 2026 | 10 required hours | Not verified |
| Coast to Coast EMDR, San Diego | In-person five-day intensive | November 13-17, 2026 | 10 hours completed separately within 15 weeks, included in fee | Not published in reviewed listing |
| Kim Johnson, Roseville | In person, two three-day modules | October 1-3 and November 12-14, 2026 | 10 required hours | Not verified |
| EMDR Consulting, El Dorado Hills | In-person five-day intensive | March 8-12, 2027 | 10 hours outside classroom dates, included in fee | Not published in reviewed sources |
| EMDR California | Newport Beach in person or live virtual | Four weekends from March through June 2027 | Integrated into the training format | From $1,675 as of September 28, 2026 |
| Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute | Live Zoom, Pacific Time | Four weekends from March through June 2027 | Integrated consultation | Current amount not verified |
| Precision EMDR Academy | Live online | Spring, summer, and fall 2027 cohorts | Required consultation | Not verified |
| EMDR Education and Training Center | Live remote, weekend or midweek schedules | January through April 2027 | 10.5 integrated hours | Current category-specific price not verified |
| EMDR Institute | Live virtual, two training weekends | December 4-6, 2026 and March 5-7, 2027 | 10 hours completed separately | Not verified |
| EMDR Professional Training Premier | Live virtual, Pacific Time | Multiple cohorts from January through August 2027 | 10 hours included in the 57-hour structure | $1,900 verified for the June-August licensed for-profit registration category |
| EMDR Professional Training Select | Live virtual, groups of 6 to 16 | Nine schedules beginning in 2027, with the final listed cohort ending in February 2028 | 10 hours included in the 57-hour structure | $1,900 verified for one May-July licensed for-profit cohort |
Dates, prices, and enrollment availability reflect official information reviewed on September 28, 2026. Several cohorts begin soon after that date, especially the Roseville program, so those listings can become outdated quickly.
Who qualifies for EMDR basic training?
The EMDRIA eligibility rules recognize three broad participant categories.
Licensed mental health clinicians
Licensed clinicians generally need a qualifying graduate mental health degree and an active professional license. California examples may include independently licensed marriage and family therapists, clinical counselors, clinical social workers, psychologists, and other eligible practitioners working within their legal scope.
Training in a clinical method does not expand that scope. A clinician remains responsible for using EMDR only in settings and with populations permitted by the underlying license, competence, and employment role.
Prelicensed clinicians
Prelicensed clinicians can qualify when they are pursuing full mental health licensure and practicing under an appropriately licensed supervisor. In California, an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist is not an LMFT, and an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor is not an LPCC.
AMFTs and APCCs remain subject to California supervision rules while applying skills learned in training. The California AMFT requirements and California APCC requirements explain those associate-level pathways in more detail.
Provider admissions policies can be narrower than EMDRIA’s general standard. Several scheduled events in this guide are explicitly limited to independently licensed clinicians, while other providers publish associate, intern, or prelicensed registration categories.
Graduate students
Graduate students may qualify after completing core coursework when they are:
- Enrolled in a graduate mental health program
- In the practicum or internship portion of training
- Pursuing a mental health license
- Supervised by a fully licensed clinician
- Able to provide any required supervisor authorization
Admission is not unrestricted simply because a student is in a counseling or psychology program. The clinical placement, licensing track, supervision, and provider documentation requirements all affect eligibility.
Substance-use credentials alone
A chemical-dependency or substance-abuse counseling credential by itself does not satisfy EMDRIA’s eligibility standard. Some professionals hold both an addiction credential and a qualifying graduate mental health license, but the addiction credential alone is not the basis for basic-training admission.
This distinction separates EMDR clinical training from California’s addiction-counseling pathways. The latter are covered independently in the guide to addiction counseling programs in California.
Agoura Hills EMDR Basic Training, October 2026
EMDR Consulting scheduled this in-person Agoura Hills basic training for October 8-10 and October 22-24, 2026. Laurie Colson-Young, LMFT, LPCC, is the trainer.
The course uses two three-day classroom modules rather than a single intensive week. Its documented components include lectures, live and recorded demonstrations, and supervised practice. The curriculum follows the EMDRIA basic-training framework, including the Adaptive Information Processing model and eight-phase methodology.
Ten consultation hours are included in the registration fee, but they take place outside the six classroom dates. That scheduling structure differs from programs that integrate consultation into monthly training weekends. Participants need room in their calendars for both the published classroom sessions and the additional consultation meetings.
The reviewed event listing describes the intended audience as licensed mental health professionals working in clinical settings. It did not publish a dollar amount. EMDRIA policy requires approved trainers to disclose the complete cost and identify whether consultation creates a separate charge before registration.
This option suits eligible clinicians in the western Los Angeles County area who prefer face-to-face practice spread across two modules. Its main scheduling advantage is the division of instruction into two blocks, rather than five consecutive days or four monthly weekends.
Chula Vista EMDR Basic Training, November 2026
The Chula Vista cohort was listed for November 6-8 and November 13-14, 2026. It is another in-person training taught by Laurie Colson-Young.
The provider describes its overall structure as 40 hours of academic instruction and supervised practice plus 10 consultation hours. The curriculum addresses EMDR’s eight phases while incorporating attachment, neurobiology, and lifespan development. Those emphases fit within a complete foundational program rather than serving as a short specialty workshop.
This is a compact two-weekend arrangement: one three-day session followed by a two-day session the next week. That can reduce repeated travel compared with a four-month program, but it also concentrates a substantial amount of lecture and practicum into a short period. Consultation remains required.
The official calendar marked the cohort open as of September 28, 2026. The captured listing did not establish a current price. EMDRIA’s general eligibility rules cover certain licensed clinicians, supervised prelicensed clinicians, and advanced graduate students, but the reviewed Chula Vista listing did not specify which of those categories the provider would admit.
For San Diego County clinicians seeking face-to-face instruction, this schedule provides a local alternative to the San Diego five-day intensive. The primary difference is calendar structure: Chula Vista splits training across two consecutive weekends, while the San Diego option places the classroom component into five continuous days.
San Diego Five-Day EMDR Basic Training, November 2026
Coast to Coast EMDR scheduled this five-day intensive in San Diego for November 13-17, 2026. Tessa Groshoff is the trainer, and the EMDRIA event listing describes the course as designed for licensed mental health professionals treating adults and children.
The classroom sequence includes lecture, demonstrations, and supervised practice. Five consecutive training days compress the face-to-face portion, but they do not eliminate the rest of the basic-training requirements. Participants must complete 10 consultation hours separately within 15 weeks.
Those consultation hours are included in the registration fee. The dollar amount itself was not published in the reviewed event listing.
A five-day intensive can reduce the number of separate training weekends and may fit clinicians who can clear one continuous workweek. The tradeoff is a dense learning schedule followed by consultation after the intensive. By comparison, four-weekend programs distribute instruction, practice, and clinical integration across several months.
The course’s stated audience is narrower than EMDRIA’s broad eligibility framework because the event is directed to licensed practitioners. Associates and graduate students have other options in this guide with published prelicensed or student eligibility categories.
Roseville EMDR Basic Training, Fall 2026
EMDRIA’s calendar listed an in-person Roseville basic training led by Kim Johnson, LCSW, for October 1-3 and November 12-14, 2026. Ten consultation hours are required for completion.
The listing describes the program as intended for licensed mental health professionals working in clinical settings. Its basic-training structure includes lectures, demonstrations, supervised practice, and consultation.
Roseville expands the in-person choices available to Sacramento-area and Northern California clinicians. The split schedule also creates several weeks between the first and second instructional modules, unlike the consecutive-weekend Chula Vista course or the five-day El Dorado Hills intensive.
This entry is highly time-sensitive. The first module was scheduled only three days after the September 28, 2026 research date, and the active calendar did not expose a stable event-specific page for that exact cohort. The published listing documents a Northern California cohort that had not started as of the research cutoff, but readers accessing this guide after October 1 should treat it as a schedule reference rather than an upcoming option.
El Dorado Hills Five-Day EMDR Basic Training, March 2027
The El Dorado Hills program is scheduled for March 8-12, 2027. Laurie Colson-Young leads this five-day in-person intensive.
EMDRIA’s listing documents lectures, demonstrations, and supervised practice. The trainer’s site describes the course as an EMDRIA-approved basic training. Ten consultation hours are included in the registration fee but occur separately from the five classroom days.
The event description limits participation to licensed mental health professionals working in clinical settings. Its reviewed sources did not display the tuition amount.
El Dorado Hills is one of the later scheduled in-person options, beginning March 8, 2027. The Newport Beach cohort begins five days later on March 13. El Dorado Hills gives Northern California clinicians more planning time than the near-term Roseville cohort and avoids the four-month classroom sequence used by several other programs. Its calendar remains intensive because all five classroom days occur consecutively.
The separate consultation requirement also means the March 8-12 classroom block is not the entire time commitment. Clinicians comparing this option with integrated-consultation programs should account for those additional meetings.
EMDR California Basic Training, Spring 2027
EMDR California publishes parallel in-person and virtual basic-training cohorts led by Christine Sells, an EMDRIA Approved Trainer.
The in-person cohort meets in Newport Beach on:
- March 13-14, 2027
- April 10-11, 2027
- May 8-9, 2027
- June 12-13, 2027
The live virtual cohort meets on:
- March 6-7, 2027
- April 3-4, 2027
- May 1-2, 2027
- June 5-6, 2027
Both formats distribute eight training days across four monthly weekends. The curriculum includes EMDR methodology, supervised practice, and consultation, with provider content addressing trauma neurobiology, attachment, and dissociation.
The published price started at $1,675 as of September 28, 2026. The purchase price includes the option to receive 58 APA continuing-education credits. That CE feature is separate from EMDRIA approval and does not represent academic accreditation.
The registration page provides licensed and prelicensed participant categories. Participants select either the Newport Beach or virtual sequence and remain with that cohort. The provider does not permit switching weekends between formats.
This fixed-cohort rule affects schedule planning. Someone who chooses the online March weekend cannot substitute an in-person April weekend or move between the two calendars. In return, the four-month structure gives participants time between modules for practice, consultation, and integration.
EMDR California is also one of the few providers in the researched set with a fully verified starting price. Its published starting tuition is lower than the $1,900 amount displayed for the specific EMDR Professional Training products reviewed, although participant categories, CE arrangements, cohort size, and payment terms differ.
Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute Spring 2027 Basic Training
Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute offers a live Zoom basic training led by Andrew Leeds. The Spring 2027 cohort meets in Pacific Time on the same four-weekend sequence as EMDR California’s Newport Beach program:
- March 13-14
- April 10-11
- May 8-9
- June 12-13
The program includes four two-day modules with instruction, supervised practice, learning assessments, and integrated consultation. EMDRIA independently lists the cohort as an approved virtual basic training and documents the 10-hour consultation requirement.
The institute accepts applications from licensed clinicians and qualifying prelicensed clinicians or graduate students. Participants need access to appropriate clinical cases, which supports the program’s integration of training with supervised clinical work.
All training days, practice activities, and consultation components are required. Because consultation is integrated into the sequence, participants do not need to coordinate the classroom calendar with a separate series of consultation dates.
The provider describes an all-inclusive fee and an installment option, but the current amount was not established in the reviewed materials. This is a California-provider option for clinicians who prefer online attendance and monthly spacing rather than traveling to Roseville or El Dorado Hills.
Precision EMDR Live-Online Basic Training Cohorts
Precision EMDR Academy, which lists an Encinitas business address, publishes live-online basic-training cohorts for spring, summer, and fall 2027.
The verified spring schedule meets on six Fridays:
- February 19
- February 26
- March 5
- March 12
- March 19
- March 26
The summer cohort meets on:
- June 19
- June 26
- July 10
- July 17
- July 24
- July 31
A fall cohort is also listed, although the reviewed evidence did not establish the full fall calendar.
The provider describes the program as EMDRIA approved and includes 42 APA and NBCC continuing-education hours. Its curriculum uses an attachment-informed and complexity-focused approach, supported by instruction, clinical demonstrations, practice, and required consultation.
The current price was not verified. The public materials identify the program as designed for eligible mental health clinicians but do not establish the exact participant categories accepted for each 2027 cohort.
Precision’s six-session structure differs from the three-part, three-day modules used by EMDR Professional Training and the four-weekend calendars used by EMDR California, Sonoma, and EETC. Shorter, more frequent training days can spread the workload while preserving live participation and skills practice. Attendance and consultation remain mandatory components of the complete sequence.
EMDR Education and Training Center Spring 2027 Basic Training
The EMDR Education and Training Center, or EETC, offers two Spring 2027 live-remote schedules. Kara Nossardi, an EMDRIA Approved Trainer and California-practicing clinician, directs the training. Multiple members of the training team also have documented California affiliations.
The weekend cohort meets in Pacific Time on:
- January 9-10
- February 6-7
- March 6-7
- April 3-4
The midweek schedule meets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays:
- January 19-20
- February 16-17
- March 16-17
- April 13-14
Both are complete 57.5-hour EMDRIA-approved basic trainings. The provider breaks that total into:
- 25.5 hours of instruction
- 21.5 hours of supervised practicum
- 10.5 hours of integrated consultation
That published breakdown exceeds EMDRIA’s minimum 20 instructional, 20 practicum, and 10 consultation hours. Participants must attend all training days and take part in the practice and consultation sessions.
Eligible participants include independently licensed mental health clinicians and applicants who satisfy alternate EMDRIA rules. The reviewed pages did not establish a single current price applicable to all participant categories, though payment and installment options were listed.
EETC offers a direct comparison between weekend and weekday delivery from the same provider. Clinicians who regularly work weekends can use the Tuesday-Wednesday sequence without changing curricula or training organizations. Those with weekday clinical obligations can select the monthly weekend schedule.
EMDR Institute Virtual Basic Training, December 2026 to March 2027
The EMDR Institute’s approved virtual pairing meets December 4-6, 2026 and March 5-7, 2027. Wendy Freitag and Mark Nickerson are the trainers. The institute administers its programs from Watsonville, California, establishing the state connection for this virtual option.
The course includes lectures, live and recorded demonstrations, and supervised practice across two three-day weekends. Ten consultation hours must be completed separately.
The event is designed for licensed mental health practitioners treating adults or children in clinical settings. A current complete-cohort price was not verified.
The three-month interval between the two instructional weekends is longer than the spacing used in many other programs listed here. That format provides time for consultation and clinical integration between modules, but it requires participants to preserve availability across the entire paired sequence. The two weekends and consultation together form the relevant pathway; one weekend alone is not the complete basic training.
EMDR Professional Training Premier and Select Virtual Cohorts
EMDR Professional Training is a California-based provider with two distinct live virtual formats: Premier and Select. Both are EMDRIA-approved basic-training pathways rather than academic programs.
Premier cohorts
The verified Winter 2027 Premier cohort meets in Pacific Time on:
- January 29-31
- February 26-28
- March 19-21
Curt Rouanzoin and Michelle Gottlieb lead that sequence. The EMDRIA event listing states that 10 consultation hours are built into the schedule and included in the fee.
Additional Premier cohorts begin in March and June:
| Cohort | Part one | Part two | Part three |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | March 5-7 | April 2-4 | April 30-May 2 |
| Summer 2027 | June 25-27 | July 30-August 1 | August 20-22 |
The provider describes Premier as a 57-hour program with lecture, video demonstrations, practicum, online learning materials, and 10 consultation hours.
The licensed for-profit price displayed for the June-August cohort was $1,900, or three payments of $683.33. That amount applies to the reviewed registration category, not automatically to every cohort or participant type.
Select cohorts
Select uses smaller live Zoom groups of six to 16 participants. The official schedule lists nine cohort options beginning between January and November 2027. The latest listed four-part cohort ends February 6, 2028.
Individual Select cohorts have different trainers and calendars. The reviewed May-July 2027 cohort meets:
- May 14-16
- June 25-27
- July 16-18
That registration page lists 57 total training hours, including 10 consultation hours, and 47 continuing-education hours. The licensed for-profit price was $1,900, with a three-payment option of $683.33 per month.
Published Select eligibility includes:
- Independently licensed master’s-level mental health professionals
- Registered psychological assistants
- Interns and associates
- Qualifying master’s and doctoral students in or beyond practicum
Graduate students need supervisor approval, and associate or intern participation remains subject to supervision and practice rules. Participants must complete the live instruction, practicum, assessment, and consultation requirements.
Select is best differentiated by group size rather than credential outcome. A group of six to 16 can provide more direct interaction during practice and discussion, while Premier offers a separate schedule structure from the same provider.
Basic training, EMDR Trained, and EMDRIA Certified are different statuses
Training providers sometimes use overlapping terminology, so the sequence needs to remain precise.
EMDR basic training
Basic training is the initial approved course. It must include instruction, supervised practicum, consultation, and a learner assessment. EMDRIA requires completion within 12 months of the initial start date.
Live synchronous lecture, practicum, and consultation portions require attendance. A prerecorded introductory course or self-paced trauma workshop cannot substitute for the required live components of approved basic training.
EMDRIA requires approved providers to disclose the complete cost and state whether the required consultation is included in tuition or charged separately. Formats and schedules vary, but the minimum instructional, practicum, and consultation components remain consistent.
EMDR Trained
A clinician who completes the entire approved basic training, including practicum and consultation, may use the description EMDR Trained.
This describes training completion. It is not a California occupational license, independent-practice authorization, or EMDRIA certification. An associate, intern, or graduate trainee who completes basic training still works under the supervision and scope rules attached to that professional status.
EMDRIA Certified Therapist
The EMDRIA Certified Therapist credential requires substantially more than basic training. Applicants must have:
- An independent mental health license
- A completed EMDRIA-approved basic training
- At least two years of post-graduate clinical experience
- At least 50 EMDR sessions
- Experience with at least 25 clients
- 20 certification consultation hours completed after basic training
- At least 10 individual consultation hours within that 20-hour total
- 12 EMDRIA continuing-education credits
- Required recommendation materials
The credential is issued for two years. Renewal requires 12 EMDRIA credit hours during each two-year cycle. As of the research date, the listed renewal fee was $100 for members and $300 for nonmembers.
Certification consultation occurs after basic training. The 10 hours included in basic training do not become the separate 20 post-training consultation hours required for certification.
How to distinguish complete basic training from other EMDR courses
Not every course with “EMDR” in its title is a complete basic training. Providers also offer introductory workshops, refresher courses, advanced protocols, consultation groups, certification-oriented education, and EMDRIA-credit continuing education.
A complete basic training should be identifiable through several concrete features:
- The trainer or program identifies the course as an EMDRIA-approved basic training.
- The full sequence includes at least 20 instructional hours.
- It includes at least 20 hours of supervised practicum.
- It includes 10 consultation hours.
- It includes a learner assessment.
- The provider explains the entire training sequence, not only the first module.
- The provider discloses whether consultation is included in the registration price.
The EMDRIA basic-training directory and calendar are the most direct resources for identifying approved courses. EMDRIA states that it sets training standards but does not register participants, collect provider tuition, or issue the individual provider’s completion certificate.
EMDRIA also identifies several organizations that do not offer EMDRIA-approved basic training, including PESI, Bodymind Institute, Green Cross Academy of Traumatology, Maiberger Institute, and Parnell Institute. Those organizations may offer other education, but their courses should not be represented as EMDRIA-approved basic training.
This distinction is especially relevant when a short course advertises EMDR techniques, trauma treatment, or continuing-education credit. Continuing education can be useful without satisfying the complete foundational training standard.
EMDRIA approval and California continuing education are separate
EMDRIA approval establishes that a basic training meets EMDRIA’s professional standards. California continuing-education acceptance is governed through a different process.
The California Board of Behavioral Sciences continuing-education guidance states that BBS licensees generally complete 36 continuing-education hours during each two-year renewal period, including six hours of law and ethics. The BBS does not approve individual courses.
To count an EMDR training toward California renewal, the course must come from a Board-accepted provider and be relevant to the licensee’s scope of practice. BBS-recognized approval agencies include APA, ASWB, CAMFT, CPA, NASP, NASW, and NBCC.
This creates several separate questions:
- Is the course an EMDRIA-approved complete basic training?
- Does the provider issue continuing-education credit?
- Which approval agency supports that credit?
- Is the credit relevant and acceptable for the participant’s California profession?
- Does the participant need the training for skill development, license renewal, EMDRIA certification, or more than one purpose?
A provider’s statement that a course offers APA or NBCC hours is not the same as EMDRIA approval. Likewise, EMDRIA approval alone does not establish California BBS continuing-education acceptance.
The reviewed programs illustrate the separation. EMDR California lists optional APA continuing-education credit, Precision EMDR lists APA and NBCC hours, and EMDR Professional Training lists continuing-education hours for the reviewed Select product. Those CE details supplement the basic training but do not transform it into academic credit, a state license, or EMDRIA certification.
How to compare consultation arrangements
Every approved basic training includes at least 10 consultation hours, but the scheduling method differs considerably.
Consultation integrated into the published sequence
EMDR California, Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute, EETC, and EMDR Professional Training publish integrated or built-in consultation arrangements. This structure can simplify planning because the consultation requirement is incorporated into the overall program design.
Integrated consultation does not mean that every consultation hour occurs during the main lecture blocks. It means the provider has documented the consultation component as part of the scheduled training pathway.
Consultation scheduled separately
Agoura Hills, San Diego, El Dorado Hills, Roseville, and the EMDR Institute require consultation outside the primary classroom or instructional dates. The San Diego cohort gives participants a defined completion window of 15 weeks. The Agoura Hills and El Dorado Hills listings state that consultation is included in the fee even though it occurs separately.
Separate consultation can extend the practical completion timeline beyond the dates shown in a course title. A “five-day intensive,” for example, refers to the concentrated classroom schedule, not completion of every training requirement within five days.
Why the structure affects program fit
Consultation scheduling influences travel, work absences, clinical integration, and the time needed to finish the program. A clinician choosing between two similar courses should compare:
- Whether consultation is individual or group-based
- Whether the dates are fixed or selected later
- Whether consultation occurs online
- Whether the required hours are included in tuition
- How long participants have to complete them
- Whether consultation is integrated between instructional modules
The research supports the inclusion of consultation in each listed training, but public pages did not consistently provide every scheduling detail.
How to choose among these programs
Begin with professional status. Licensed clinicians have access to the broadest range of options. Associates, interns, and graduate students can narrow the list quickly by focusing on providers with published prelicensed or student categories, such as EMDR California, Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute, EETC, and the reviewed EMDR Professional Training Select registration.
Then compare the actual training calendar, not only “in person” versus “online.”
- Five-day intensives: San Diego and El Dorado Hills compress classroom attendance into one week, followed by separate consultation.
- Two-module in-person programs: Agoura Hills, Chula Vista, and Roseville divide the training across two blocks.
- Four-month programs: EMDR California, Sonoma, and EETC distribute instruction across monthly two-day sessions.
- Three-part virtual programs: EMDR Professional Training uses three multi-day modules in its verified Premier and reviewed Select schedules.
- Frequent shorter sessions: Precision EMDR’s published spring and summer schedules use six separate training days.
- Long-gap paired weekends: The EMDR Institute separates two three-day modules by approximately three months.
Geography further separates the in-person options. Agoura Hills serves the western Los Angeles County area, Newport Beach provides an Orange County schedule, and Chula Vista and San Diego cover the southern part of the state. Roseville and El Dorado Hills provide Sacramento-region and Northern California alternatives. The live-online programs remove routine travel while retaining required synchronous attendance and supervised practice.
Use total cost rather than advertised tuition alone. An approved provider must disclose the complete training charge and state whether the 10 consultation hours are included or billed separately. In this research, EMDR California published a price beginning at $1,675, while specific EMDR Professional Training licensed for-profit products displayed $1,900. The available evidence does not support reliable price comparisons for the other programs.
Price should be interpreted alongside the schedule and included services. EMDR California’s published amount includes the option for 58 APA continuing-education credits. The reviewed EMDR Professional Training Select product lists 47 continuing-education hours and uses a group of six to 16. Those differences prevent a simple tuition-only conclusion.
Finally, match the training to the credential you are pursuing. A clinician seeking foundational competence needs a complete EMDRIA-approved basic training, not an introductory workshop or an advanced specialty seminar. A clinician pursuing Certified Therapist status needs to plan beyond basic training for clinical cases, 50 sessions with at least 25 clients, post-training consultation, continuing education, and independent licensure.
A practical shortlist contains two or three programs that accept your professional category, fit your clinical schedule, include a workable consultation arrangement, and clearly document the full cost. Licensed clinicians who want concentrated in-person instruction can focus on San Diego or El Dorado Hills. Clinicians who prefer a paced in-person schedule can compare Agoura Hills, Chula Vista, Roseville, and Newport Beach. Associates and graduate students have a narrower path and can begin with the providers that publish eligibility for their status. Clinicians prioritizing small online groups can examine the Select schedules, while those choosing between weekday and weekend attendance have a direct comparison through EETC.