Adjunct EMDR For Focused Trauma Work

You're doing meaningful work with your clients. But sometimes, clients get stuck in ways that talk therapy alone can't reach. Whether it's unprocessed trauma, dissociation, or chronic pain with emotional roots, EMDR can help unlock healing and momentum.

I offer adjunct EMDR services for therapists who want to support their clients with targeted trauma work while continuing the core therapy relationship. As a Certified EMDR Therapist, I bring advanced training and deep clinical experience to support complex cases safely and effectively.

Why Adjunct EMDR?

Adjunct EMDR is a collaborative, short-term arrangement designed to:

• Support clients who are "stuck" or looping in therapy

• Process a specific trauma or memory that's holding them back

• Work with somatic symptoms like chronic pelvic pain, migraines, or autoimmune flare-ups to help desensitize pain

This is not a transfer of care; it’s a clinical partnership. Clients return to their primary therapist after the adjunct EMDR work is complete.

When Adjunct EMDR Is A Good Fit

Adjunct EMDR thrives on strong collaboration. This approach works best when I am closely connected to the primary therapy relationship, helping maintain continuity and safety without fragmenting care.

Download: When to Use Adjunct EMDR
Here is a one page guide outlining how adjunct EMDR supports primary therapy and what makes a client appropriate for adjunct work.

-Clients with single-incident traumas (car accidents, medical trauma, assault, etc.)
-Clients with chronic health conditions that would benefit from desensitization and nervous system regulation.
-Clients who have done preparatory work for trauma and are ready for trauma processing.

What I Offer

Certified EMDR Therapy: I’ve completed extensive consultation, advanced training, and hundreds of hours of direct EMDR work beyond basic training.

Safe Trauma Processing: I specialize in complex PTSD, dissociation, and chronic pain with emotional roots.

Collaborative Approach: I’ll stay in communication with you throughout the process, so your client continues to feel supported by their primary therapy relationship.

The Process

1. Referral & Collaboration
We start with a brief conversation where you share your client’s goals, current capacities, and where they’re getting stuck. For clients who reach out directly, I gather the same information to assess whether adjunct EMDR can support the work they’re already doing with you.

2. Initial Session With the Client
I meet with your client for an assessment session. We clarify what they want support with, identify EMDR targets or themes, and make a shared plan that integrates smoothly with your ongoing therapy.

3. Resourcing & Stabilization (If Needed)
Depending on the client’s window of tolerance, we may spend time building internal regulation tools, attachment-based resourcing, and parts work strategies. This ensures they stay grounded during both EMDR and their regular sessions with you.

4. Adjunct EMDR Sessions
I provide focused EMDR work that addresses the specific blocks, triggers, or stuck points we identified. Your client continues meeting with you as usual for their weekly therapy, life processing, and integration.

5. Ongoing Collaboration
With the client’s permission, I give you brief clinical updates so you can fold insights back into your work together. This keeps treatment tight, consistent, and contained.

6. Transition Back to Full Care With You
Once the adjunct goals are complete, I step out. The client continues with you as their primary therapist, now with more internal capacity, regulation, and clarity to support your ongoing work together.

What Does Certified Mean?

EMDR-trained therapists have completed a foundational training in the model. Certified EMDR Therapists, like myself, have gone further and completed:

• At least 20 hours of consultation with an EMDRIA-Approved Consultant

• Over 50 EMDR sessions with clients

• Ongoing education and advanced training in complex trauma, dissociation, and more

This level of training ensures that I can work skillfully and ethically with more complex presentations.

About Me

I'm have a background in attachment-based therapy, parts/ego state work, and trauma-informed care. I work with people who struggle with anxiety, complex PTSD, and chronic pain. I approach this work with deep empathy, clinical precision, and a collaborative spirit. Please click on my About Me page to learn more about my approach and therapeutic style.

FAQs

How do I introduce adjunct EMDR to my client? You might explain it as a short-term collaboration focused on a specific goal or trauma, with the intention of strengthening the work you're already doing together.

Will I still be the primary therapist? Yes. This is a time-limited adjunct, not a transfer of care. I’ll stay in contact with you, and your client will return to your ongoing work together.

How do we begin? Feel free to email me at heather@heathercurrycounseling.com or schedule a consultation call and we’ll see if I might be the right fit.

Adjunct EMDR is ideal for: