How to build an EMDR therapy practice with Christopher Brown
My interview guest this week is Christopher Brown, LICSW.
A wounded Marine combat veteran, Christopher has overcome his own challenges and is now a thriving psychotherapist. With a foundation in cognitive behavioral therapy, he specializes in EMDR for performance enhancement and psychedelic integration therapy.
He’s worked with 7-figure business executives and startup founders, military combat and special operations veterans, athletes, creatives, first responders, and other clinicians–helping them all improve their mental health and performance. He has a passion for helping people reach their highest potential. Enjoy!
When were you first introduced to EMDR?
My journey to becoming a licensed clinician and certified EMDR therapist/consultant began with three combat deployments in the USMC infantry to Iraq and Afghanistan (2004-2008), where I was awarded a Purple Heart.
During my transition out of the Marines, I experienced the profound benefits of EMDR therapy firsthand as a client and decided to dedicate my career to helping others access the same support.
While in grad school working as an intern at a PTSD clinic, I was supporting clients in the preparation phases of EMDR, collaborating with EMDR-trained staff to provide the processing phases, and following up with the clients after they had EMDR sessions.
So on my first day on the job as a full-time therapist in 2016 I asked, “When can I take an EMDR training?” Within a few months. I was trained and performing all eight phases of EMDR with clients.
That was almost a decade ago and I’ve been doing EMDR on a daily basis with clients ever since.
What was the process like to get certified in EMDR?
Becoming an EMDR Certified Therapist is not a requirement, but it’s something EMDR-trained therapists can choose to do to signal proficiency in the standard protocol and develop their skillset.
After a therapist has completed an EMDRIA-approved basic training, they must also meet the following criteria to be eligible for certification:
At least 50 hours of EMDR with at least 25 clients
Minimum of 20 hours in consultation with an Approved Consultant
12 hours of additional EMDRIA-approved training credits
Letters of recommendation from colleagues and consultants regarding your professional practice competencies.
The consultation process especially is kind of daunting and expensive, so I went several years performing EMDR without ever considering becoming a Certified Therapist. Eventually an opportunity arose to pursue consultation toward certification and I followed it, which opened up my eyes to the merits of having consistent consultation with other EMDR professionals.
I have become 10x more confident and skilled as an EMDR provider since then. With the network I have now I can’t imagine not having EMDR providers to consult with regularly. It’s a game-changer in all the best ways.
You’re also an EMDR consultant. What does that mean?
Once one becomes an EMDR Certified Therapist, they can then choose to move toward becoming an Approved Consultant. The requirements increase to:
At least 3 years, post EMDR basic training, and at least 300 EMDR sessions with at least 75 clients
20 hours in consultation-of-consultation as a Consultant-in-Training
12 more hours of EMDRIA-approved training credits
Additional letters of recommendation from colleagues and consultants regarding your professional practice competencies
Over the years I discovered I really enjoy helping therapists grow in their skillsets. Since Approved Consultant status is required to provide consultation to EMDR trained therapists who want to become certified, it was a no-brainer for me to pursue this as well. I now get the pleasure of leading groups of EMDR therapists who are working toward Certified Therapist or are Consultants-in-Training.
This has opened up a network of passionate therapists who I am now working to pay-it-forward through other professional endeavors which we’ll get into in a minute.
What’s the best way to get EMDR clients?
EMDR therapists can effectively find their niche by focusing on specific advanced protocols (e.g. performance enhancement, substance abuse/addiction, depression) or ideal client demographics. The "high-stakes professional" category offers a promising starting point for identifying a niche, encompassing a broad range of potential clients.
While marketing EMDR can be challenging due to its complex nature and the concise communication often required, it tends to be a more intuitive treatment option for clients in high-stakes professions.
As you’ve covered in your newsletter, many therapists are currently experiencing a decline in organic referrals from platforms like Psychology Today. These recent changes disproportionately affect solo practitioners, including many EMDR providers. Unless you have a strong reputation and receive substantial word-of-mouth referrals, you're likely observing a decrease in referrals from traditional channels.
In response to these challenges I’m building Helicon, a public benefit corporation, and we’re piloting a project to address the need for specialized directories that recognize EMDR therapists and connect them with high-stakes professional groups.
By creating a private, vetted directory of EMDR therapists and marketing it to these groups, we aim to provide an attractive solution for therapists who prefer to focus on their therapy work while attracting their desired clientele.
What’s the best way to network with other EMDR therapists?
There are many online platforms where EMDR therapists can find each other, but the more common ones are either directly on the EMDRIA website in the EMDRIA forums, or on EMDR focused Facebook groups.
For in-person or local connections, EMDR-HAP is another good resource with their Trauma Response Network (TRN). Depending on the location, this may be outdated, but is still worth looking into.
With Helicon, EMDR therapists can apply for free access to a private Signal group to chat and collaborate with other EMDR providers. We’re building an “at-large” group for EMDR therapists around the country, and as certain states reach critical mass we’re building state-specific groups and timing them with niche directory opportunities by state as well.
Helicon sounds like a great opportunity. How can EMDR therapists get involved?
It’s a straight-forward application form they can find on the website. After we review the application, they’ll receive an invite to join the private Signal group, and they’ll be notified as additional opportunities arise.
Anything else you’d want to share with EMDR providers starting their own practice?
Sure, two things come to mind.
First, as an EMDR clinician, you have an advanced skillset that is definitely sought after by many clients in need of services. You can thrive in private practice! It will depend on your financial situation and what’s feasible for you, but I think a standard rule of thumb is that if you want a full caseload quickly, join Alma or a similar service to take insurance clients. If you want a full caseload slower but with more clients you enjoy working with, be private pay/out-of-network and get really good at marketing.
Second, if you’re not Certified yet, consider getting started in consultation. You will grow as a clinician and having Certified status will inspire even more confidence in you from potential clients. Helicon is also working on an affordable platform to streamline the consultation process and reduce potential barriers for EMDR providers pursuing advanced credentials, so definitely apply to join and stay in touch with us!
Thanks to Christopher for sharing with us! You can connect with him on LinkedIn.