What Makes a Good EMDR Therapist? Exploratory Findings From Client-Centered Inquiry

Abstract

There are several qualities of good EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapists that must be examined to understand what clients most value in this specialized treatment. These qualities, as defined by former clients, include therapist personality, an ability to empower clients, flexibility, intuition, a sense of ease and comfort in working with trauma, and a commitment to the small measures of caring that clients identify as helping them feel safer. This article highlights the importance of honoring client safety in EMDR treatment by further exploring a theme from a phenomenological parent study on the use of EMDR with women in addiction continuing care. The parent study offered qualitative evidence showing that there is a place for EMDR as part of a comprehensive women's addiction recovery program when applied properly. In this article, participants' descriptions of their EMDR therapists and how these therapists were able to establish safety are described in greater detail than the parent study article allowed. Implications for emphasis on client-centered factors in the training and formation of EMDR therapists are discussed using the data extrapolated from the clients' experiences, and further directions for researching the clientcentered perspective in EMDR are presented.

Qualitative Research in EMDR Therapy: Exploring the Individual Experience of the How and Why

“…This narrative review endorses the value of the therapeutic relationship (Dworkin, 2005) and attunement in the delivery of EMDR therapy. Clinical participants in four studies specifically referenced the importance of therapist relationship in their perceived success with EMDR therapy (Marich, 2010;Marich, 2012;Marsden et al, 2017;Wise & Marich, 2016). These experiences support the contention made by the recent Whitehouse (in press) qualitative review of client-only experiences that the therapeutic relationship is paramount.…”

“…Wise and Marich (2016) emphasized the importance of clinical discretion in decision-making. Qualities like flexibility, intuition, ease in working with trauma, and attending to small measures of caring were also noted by clinical participants in another study from the same methodological grouping (Marich, 2012). The identified importance (DiGiorgio et al, 2004;DiNardo & Marotta-Walters, 2019;Farrell et al, 2013;Hurn & Barron, 2018) of cultural awareness and willingness to adapt to individual needs are examples of attunement.…”

“…A recurring theme in several studies was the importance of safety, preparation, and orientation, all elements of EMDR therapy Phase 2 (Shapiro, 2018). Clients expressed appreciation for their direct experiences of these elements in four of the clinical studies (Marich, 2010;Marich 2012;Marsden et al, 2017;Wise & Marich, 2016). These findings may shed some important light on an often contested topic: How much preparation is adequate?…”

“…There was such abundant data presented by all of the participants on the impact of the therapeutic relationship in their EMDR therapy experiences that Marich (2012) conducted a separate study focusing on just this material through the lens of the Giorgi method. The specific qualities of what patients perceived to be a good EMDR therapist included therapist personality, an ability to empower clients, flexibility, intuition, a sense of ease and comfort in working with trauma, and a commitment to the small measures of caring that clients identify as helping them feel safer.…”

“…Providing an Adequate Rationale for EMDR Therapy Di Nardo and Marotta-Walters reported that therapists have difficulty explaining EMDR to their clients. Negative case analysis in two studies revealed that some clients were confused by how EMDR therapy worked, which included problems with terminology and clarity that impacted retention in treatment for some (Marsden et al, 2017), and for others, their trust in EMDR therapy (Marich, 2012). Cook et al (2009) investigated and compared two VA sites, one that adopted EMDR therapy and one that did not.…”