Sometimes the protocol is clear. The case isn't.
EMDR can feel straightforward in training—and much less straightforward when you're sitting across from an actual client.
Complex trauma, attachment wounds, dissociation, protective parts, difficulty accessing targets, looping, blocking, and uncertainty about where to go next can make even experienced clinicians question themselves.
Consultation gives us a place to slow the case down, think together, and figure out what may be getting in the way.
You don't need to have the case figured out before consultation. That's part of what consultation is for.
EMDR Consultation
Consultation isn't about proving that you're doing EMDR "correctly."
It's a collaborative space to step back from the session, look at the larger clinical picture, and think about what your client may need next.
We can talk through case conceptualization, target selection, preparation, resourcing, processing difficulties, interweaves, Ego State Therapy, attachment dynamics, or simply the feeling of: "I'm not sure where to go from here."
Sometimes the answer is an EMDR intervention.
Sometimes it's recognizing that more preparation is needed.
And sometimes we need to step away from the protocol for a moment and understand what's happening underneath it.
What We Can Work Through
Consultation can be used for anything from a quick clinical question to ongoing support with complex cases.
Case Conceptualization
Making sense of the larger clinical picture and connecting current symptoms with earlier experiences, attachment patterns, and potential targets.
Target Selection
Deciding where to begin when there are multiple experiences, themes, symptoms, or potential targets competing for attention.
Complex Trauma
Adapting EMDR thoughtfully when you're working with developmental trauma, chronic relational wounds, or complicated trauma histories.
Attachment Wounds
Understanding how early relationships and attachment experiences may be influencing the client's current symptoms and the therapy relationship.
Ego States & Parts
Working with protective, younger, critical, avoidant, or conflicted parts that may emerge during preparation or reprocessing.
When Processing Gets Stuck
Thinking through looping, blocking, overactivation, underactivation, intellectualizing, or sessions that simply aren't moving the way you expected.
Preparation & Resourcing
Deciding when a client may need more preparation and developing resources that are actually meaningful for that particular client.
Interweaves
Developing interweaves intentionally rather than feeling like you're searching for the perfect thing to say when processing stalls.
Consultation Doesn't Have to Wait Until You're Stuck
I work with clinicians at different stages of their EMDR experience.
What Consultation With Me Is Like
Collaborative, curious, and practical.
I'm not interested in turning consultation into a test of how well you remember your EMDR training manual.
Bring the case that has you scratching your head. Bring the session that went sideways. Bring the client you thought you understood until something completely unexpected happened.
We'll slow it down and look at what you're noticing.
I may ask about the client's history, attachment experiences, symptoms, nervous system responses, protective strategies, or what happens between you and the client in session.
From there, we can think about the case through an EMDR lens and identify practical options for what you might do next.
I also want consultation to be a place where it's okay to say, "I don't know."
None of us knows everything. Good clinical work requires being able to stay curious when we don't.
Individual & Group Consultation
Choose the format that works best for what you're looking for.
Carlos Ayala, LCSW
I'm an EMDR Certified Therapist and EMDRIA Consultant-in-Training with advanced training in Ego State Therapy.
Much of my clinical work focuses on childhood trauma, attachment wounds, grief, and complex trauma.
My approach to EMDR is relational and integrative. I frequently combine EMDR with Ego State Therapy, attachment-focused work, and somatic interventions rather than viewing the protocol in isolation from the rest of the therapeutic relationship.
That's also how I approach consultation.
I'm interested in helping clinicians understand the person sitting in front of them—not simply deciding which protocol step comes next.
Working Toward EMDR Certification?
As an EMDRIA Approved Consultant in Training™, I can provide up to 15 of the 20 consultation hours required for EMDRIA Certification. The remaining 5 hours must be completed with an EMDRIA Approved Consultant™.
We can use consultation to strengthen your EMDR practice while working toward certification—including case conceptualization, treatment planning, target selection, the eight phases of EMDR, and working through challenges that come up with real clients.
Ask About Certification ConsultationBring the Case You're Still Thinking About.
We can figure out where to go from there.
Whether you're looking for ongoing consultation, support toward EMDR Certification, or another perspective on a complicated case, reach out and tell me a little about what you're looking for.
Get Started With Consultation