EMDR Therapy Refresher Course: Comprehensive Review – Problems, Pitfalls, and Solutions

Course Description

Whether you completed the EMDR Basic Training with the EMDR Institute or from another provider, years ago or more recently, this refresher course is your opportunity to reconnect with the gold standard and the time-tested foundations of the EMDR therapy of Dr Francine Shapiro.

Led by Dr. Wendy Freitag, this course is designed to counter therapist drift, sharpen your clinical skills, and reignite your passion for EMDR therapy. Expect renewed clarity, deeper insight, and a stronger foundation for your practice.

This course will take a deep dive into each of the 8 phases and the three-pronged approach, address common problems and pitfalls, and translate them into practical, immediately usable solutions. Through a dynamic blend of lecture, videos, interactive group discussion, and Q&A, Dr Freitag will explore key clinical decision points, including, recognizing readiness for reprocessing, finding effective cognitions, discerning which protocol to use, and more.

Case conceptualization, the key to highly effective therapy, can be an obstacle for EMDR therapists. The 8 Phases of Case Conceptualization will be explained through the AIP lens in a framework that simplifies and enhances effective treatment planning. Learn from an EMDR Institute trainer and expert with over 30 years of experience. You will come away re-anchored in the essentials, equipped with practical solutions and ready to deliver more precise, outcome-focused EMDR therapy.

A certificate of completion from an EMDRIA approved basic training program is required to take this course.

Learning Objectives

Day One:

• Explain how the Adaptive Information Processing model guides EMDR Therapy.
• List the 8 Phases of effective case conceptualization in EMDR therapy.
• List at least 3 predisposing factors that make a person susceptible to their current difficulties.
• Describe at least 4 perpetuating factors that cause problems or symptoms to continue over time.
• Describe which of 8 Phase factors create and maintain maladaptive memory networks.
• Name three times Resource Development and Installation (RDI) is beneficial during EMDR treatment.
• List 4 characteristics of a negative cognitive
• Explain 2 pitfalls that can occur during Phase 3 Target Assessment

Day Two:

• Describe the readiness criteria to start memory reprocessing.
• Explain the EMDR Reprocessing Continuum and its effective use during Phase 4 Desensitization.
• Name 3 first-line interventions to use when reprocessing is stalled during Phase 4 Desensitization.
• Apply a cognitive interweave when reprocessing is blocked during Phase 4 Desensitization.
• Explain at least 2 effective solutions when the VOC remains 6 and below.
• Describe the reasons to conduct the Reevaluation Phase after a reprocessing session.
• List 2 interventions to implement when the Future Template becomes blocked
• Distinguish the difference between future rehearsal and future template.