The Unexpected Impact of becoming an EMDR Consultant
Are you an EMDR therapist that has considered becoming in EMDR consultant? If so, welcome! As an EMDR therapist turned EMDR Consultant, it is safe to say that I truly believe in the power of EMDR therapy. And if you are considering being an EMDR consultant as well, we share the passion and belief for the EMDR therapy model in common.
After consulting in EMDR therapy for several years, today I wanted to take the time to share three unexpected things that occurred after becoming an EMDR consultant. My hope is that if you are considering becoming an EMDR consultant, or pursuing your EMDR certification my experiences may encourage you in your practice as you pursue the best services for your clients and steward your impact in the world.
Three surprising impacts of becoming an EMDR consultant:
It made me a better EMDR therapist.
I cannot emphasize this point enough. Prior to becoming an EMDR consultant, I felt very confident in my EMDR therapy skills and the way that I managed the care of my clients, but once I became a consultant in training, and finally a consultant, I was amazed by how much I learned and grew and refined my own skills through working with others. I can without a doubt say that I am a better therapist for my own clients after becoming a consultant and working with other therapists to assist their clients. There are a couple of reasons that I think that this occurred:
Teaching is the highest form of learning. As I am having conversations with other therapists about EMDR therapy, the reasons for doing things, and refining their EMDR therapy skills, I am forced to articulate, think through, and reinforce my own learning and understanding of the model.
Greater exposure to different types of cases increases your adaptability in applying EMDR therapy principles. At the end of the day, we can only work with a certain number of clients a week, but when assuming the role of an EMDR consultant, you are able to have exposure to, learn from, and discuss the most challenging cases on multiple other therapist caseloads. This allows you as the EMDR therapy consultant to vicariously work through the application of EMDR therapy in exponentially more situations and case studies.
Different experiences make us better. By working with other therapists in different work practice locations, different areas of the country or world, and with different training backgrounds, as a consultant, you were able to hear and absorb how therapists in other places may be doing amazing effective EMDR therapy work. In my experience, I have learned new metaphors for explaining and educating clients, new tools for resourcing, and new considerations for treatment planning, all from listening and learning with other EMDR therapists along their EMDR therapy journey.
It expanded my network of EMDR therapists.
By becoming an EMDR Consultant, I have been able to greatly increase my network of EMDR therapists that I trust and know firsthand their skills and efficacy in the EMDR therapy model. Consultation is a vulnerable and collaborative process, so by partnering with therapists in their consultation journey, you are able to understand their passions, their personalities, the populations that they work best with, and make very specific and accurate referrals. Furthermore, it’s even more fun when former Cconsultees become part of your network for problem-solving tough cases, and support for areas where you may need some additional colleague support.
It increased my sustainability as an EMDR therapist.
This was probably the most surprising aspect of becoming an EMDR consultant. As I was beginning my consultation journey, I realized that an hour where I was doing a consultation session with another therapist felt very different than an hour that I was spending with one of my own clients.
After doing some further self-reflection, I realized that I was using a different part of my brain and a different part of myself when engaging with other therapists in EMDR therapy consultation. I realize that, after spending an hour in consultation, I felt slightly more energized than leaving an hour-long session with a client. I personally have found that scattering a few consultation sessions in my schedule throughout the week has greatly increased my sustainability as a therapist, the enjoyment that I get from my job as a therapist and consultant, and ultimately leaves me more fulfilled as I am able to balance these two parts of myself within my work week.
If you are an EMDR therapist interested in pursuing certification, or if you are a certified EMDR therapist considering becoming a consultant in training, I would love to talk with you more about your EMDR therapy journey. EMDR therapy consultation is available in person and online.
