Transformational EMDR® (T-EMDR) Certification: Deepening Practice, Expanding Potential
A disciplined approach to EMDR as it was originally intended.
Completion of EMDR training establishes competence in the protocol. It provides the structure, the phases, and the foundation for clinical application. What it does not always provide is clarity in how the model is applied in real-world practice.
T-EMDR addresses this next step.
It is not a different method. It does not add techniques or integrate additional models. It is a disciplined approach to applying EMDR as it was originally intended; with precision, restraint, and a clear understanding of what the work requires.
For many clinicians, this is where EMDR begins to change.
At a Glance
What is T-EMDR?
Transformational EMDR® is an advanced EMDR training pathway designed to support clinicians in guiding profound client transformation beyond basic symptom reduction. It integrates EMDR’s foundational principles with deeper structural work, emphasizing identity, unconscious processing, and long-term coherence in clinical outcomes.
Who is it for?
Therapists who have completed basic EMDR training and wish to deepen their practice with an advanced, integrative approach to trauma and transformation.
What does it involve?
Completion of two EMDRIA-Approved advanced courses and a sequence of consultation calls to refine clinical mastery and interpretive skill.
What is T-EMDR?
Transformational EMDR® is an advanced clinical pathway grounded in the original architecture of EMDR therapy and extended through disciplined conceptual refinement.
It does not replace the standard EMDR protocol. It deepens it.
Where basic EMDR training emphasizes structured trauma reprocessing, T-EMDR develops greater fluency in the Adaptive Information Processing model and expands the clinician’s capacity to work with unconscious structures, identity formation, and long-standing core belief systems.
The focus shifts from symptom resolution alone to structural integration.
Rather than concentrating exclusively on discrete traumatic events, T-EMDR explores how early adaptive patterns, implicit memory networks, and enduring belief structures organize present experience. It equips therapists to recognize and engage these deeper organizing principles without abandoning the precision of the 8-phase protocol.
The method remains disciplined.
The lens widens.
At its core, T-EMDR respects the intelligence of the unconscious while maintaining fidelity to EMDR’s structured design. It is not an improvisation. It is a refinement.
For clinicians who sense that EMDR carries more than procedural technique, this advanced pathway clarifies what that “more” actually entails.
Curious About the Philosophy?
T-EMDR is more than an additional certification. It reflects a way of understanding EMDR that emphasizes careful observation, clinical judgment, and trust in the client’s natural processing system.
Download the free Transformational® EMDR (T-EMDR) White Paper to explore the principles behind the approach before deciding whether certification is right for you.
Training Completion
Completion of an EMDR basic training means the clinician has fulfilled the instructional hours, practicum requirements, and required consultation hours in accordance with EMDRIA standards.
It confirms that the foundational curriculum has been completed through a comprehensive EMDR therapist training program.
Completion permits the clinician to practice EMDR within the scope of their licensure.
It does not automatically confer additional credentialing beyond training status.
Completion is the beginning of disciplined application, not the end of professional development.
EMDRIA Certification
EMDRIA Certification is a separate professional pathway pursued after basic training.
It requires additional clinical experience, documented EMDR sessions, further consultation, and formal application through EMDRIA.
Clinicians interested in the full EMDRIA certification pathway should review the structured requirements and application process before pursuing this designation.
Not every trained clinician pursues certification. Those who do are electing structured advancement beyond foundational training.
Certification is optional. Ongoing development is not.
Transformational EMDR® (T-EMDR) CertifiedTherapists
Elena Engle
“T-EMDR therapy, has unparalleled potential to facilitate client healing and transformation. My collaboration with Dr. Dobo continues to be a source of inspiration and growth, as we work hand in hand to further advance the field of EMDR therapy.”
Ryan Terry
Ryan Terry, LMHC, QS, is a Certified EMDR Therapist, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and Trainer-in-Training whose work is grounded in T-EMDR. Drawing from Jungian psychology, dream analysis, mythology, and neuroscience, he brings a depth-oriented approach to helping clients and clinicians move beyond symptom reduction toward meaningful and lasting transformation.
Carolyn Lenz
“Training with EMDR Educators exceeded my expectations, enhancing my skills through their knowledge, passion, and encouragement, and filling a vital gap in my professional development. The principles of T-EMDR resonate deeply with my philosophy of healing and my pursuit of therapeutic excellence.”
Suzanne Sunkel
“Years ago, I engaged in this process for my own mental health. I experienced huge internal changes. The negative belief I had in myself solidly changed to a new positive sense of self-worth. Since that shift I have become highly motivated to primarily collaborate with clients using T-EMDR.“
Melinda Johnson
Melinda Johnson, LCSW QS, is a Dobo-trained EMDRIA Consultant, Certified EMDR Therapist, and Certified T-EMDR Therapist. Drawn to the depth of Transformational EMDR from her earliest training with Dr. Dobo, she continued studying under him to deepen her own practice and help other therapists bring this work to their clients.
Robert Engle
“What I value most about T-EMDR is that it does not stop at symptom relief. Whether I am working with trauma or performance, I return to the same questions: What is still interfering with this person’s ability to access who they already are? And who are they becoming as that block begins to clear? Transformational EMDR® gives me a disciplined way to work at that level without forcing the process.”
Pandora Scotto
“It is an honor to celebrate the transformative nature of EMDR. One which powerfully changes lives, not only for the client, but for the therapist as well. Reflecting on my EMDR career, as I prepare for retirement, I have witnessed the meaningful changes in the lives of my clients through this process.”
Jacob Bryant
“Healing is rarely a straight line, especially when the weight of the past feels too heavy to carry alone. My journey as a therapist has been defined by a single mission: to help others reduce their suffering and find a clearer, more peaceful path toward spiritual and emotional wholeness.”
Shawna Byrd
Through T-EMDR, Shawna supports bottom-up neural integration that allows change to emerge organically rather than through effort. Her work emphasizes attuned presence, dual awareness, and the interpersonal field as central conditions for adaptive information processing.
John Rivera
John is a compassionate and attentive listener who will work with you to find a way to growth, healing, and a fulfilling life. He understands the unique pressures of working in a command or leadership role, and focuses on helping clients in high-stress professions.
R. Michael Stapleton, Jr.
“I wanted to pursue T-EMDR because I saw the great depth of transformational healing that was possible when helping clients go through their trauma to the other side, walking towards the best version of themselves. Dreamwork within Transformational EMDR offers a level of healing and profound positive change that I haven’t seen before in my 20+ years of experience.”
Nicole Welch
“T-EMDR is self-healing in the most profound ways. It’s a privilege to witness the language of the unconscious guide clients to healing, whether it’s through their creative reprocessing in sessions; or noticing their journey through the six transformational EMDR stages toward self-actualization.”
Why T-EMDR Matters
Basic EMDR training equips clinicians to apply the 8-phase protocol with structure and confidence. For many clients, that is sufficient.
Yet over time, experienced therapists often encounter material that is not confined to discrete traumatic events. Identity-level patterns persist. Core beliefs appear structurally embedded. Early adaptive strategies continue organizing present behavior long after the original experiences have been processed.
T-EMDR addresses this layer.
It maintains fidelity to the standard protocol while expanding the clinician’s capacity to recognize and work with enduring belief systems, unconscious organizing principles, and developmental structures that shape identity across the lifespan.
The work becomes less about isolated memory targets and more about coherent integration.
Symptom relief remains important.
Structural change becomes central.
For clinicians committed to long-term therapeutic impact, this distinction matters.
T-EMDR does not introduce a new model. It clarifies the depth already present within EMDR’s architecture and trains the therapist to engage it with discipline.
What Kind of Clinician Are You Becoming?
EMDR training is not only a professional investment. It is a developmental one.
Some clinicians seek training to expand their toolkit. Others sense that the model offers something more; a disciplined framework that reorganizes how they understand trauma, memory, and clinical pacing.
The decision is not merely which program to attend. It is whether you are looking for exposure or formation.
Exposure adds technique.
Formation reshapes perception.
There is nothing inherently wrong with seeking the former. But the expectations should match the outcome.
Clinicians who pursue EMDR with seriousness often describe a shift that extends beyond protocol. Their listening changes. Their tolerance for complexity increases. Their interventions become more exact.
The question is not only how to choose EMDR training.
It is what you expect the training to do for you.
The Decision
EMDR training is widely available.
Depth is not.
Minimum standards ensure access to the model. What you do with that access depends on the seriousness of the formation you choose.
If you are ready to explore the structure of a comprehensive EMDR therapist training program, review the training pathway in full.
If you are weighing professional advancement beyond completion, examine the EMDRIA certification pathway carefully before proceeding.
The model is disciplined.
Your training should be as well.
Elena Engle
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
Hi there,
I’m Elena, an EMDRIA-Approved EMDR Trainer and Consultant with more than fifteen years of experience across a wide range of clinical settings, from juvenile detention centers to private practice.
EMDR therapy changed the course of my professional life and deepened my commitment to helping clients heal in meaningful ways. Under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Dobo, I trained extensively in Transformational EMDR® and came to appreciate the power of applying the model with clarity, discipline, and trust in the process.
Today, I serve as a trainer with EMDR Educators, where I support therapists in strengthening their skills, deepening their understanding of EMDR, and growing in confidence with the work.
Whether you are beginning your EMDR journey or refining advanced clinical practice, I value authentic connection, thoughtful teaching, and helping clinicians bring their best work into the therapy room.
My contact info:
Website: https://elenaengle.com
Pandora Scotto
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
It is an honor to celebrate the transformative nature of EMDR. One which powerfully changes lives, not only for the client, but for the therapist as well.
It is a sacred process and one to be respected for its deep work.
Reflecting on my EMDR career, as I prepare for retirement, I have witnessed the meaningful changes in the lives of my clients through this transformational process. The work is not without it’s struggles, but the light that emerges from these struggles illuminates the path and the way is discovered. It is indeed a self-healing process.
You have come to this page in search of something. Are you being called to embrace this journey?
My contact info:
Pandora Scotto, LCSW
Step By Step Counseling Services
Independent Contractor
776 W. Midway Road
Ft. Pierce, FL 34982
John Rivera
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
Hi, I’m John.
I’m a retired United States Marine from Carolina, Puerto Rico, with twenty-three years of service as a Marine Infantryman and later as a Regimental Operations Chief. Throughout that time, I worked closely with service members, law enforcement agencies, and first responders, gaining firsthand insight into the effects of trauma, stress, leadership pressure, and resilience under demanding conditions.
Those experiences led me to the field of mental health and to a deeper commitment to helping others heal. I earned a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Hope International University and have worked with adults, families, and at-risk populations facing a wide range of clinical challenges.
My clinical work was further shaped through training in Transformational EMDR®, where I came to value the power of disciplined EMDR practice in helping clients process difficult experiences and move forward with greater freedom.
Today, I bring both operational experience and therapeutic training into my work, especially with those in high-stress professions. I value practical care, careful listening, and helping clients build lasting strength through meaningful change.
My contact info:
John Rivera Jr, M.S.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Office: 727-648-2725
First Responders: 727-463-4349
www.tampabaypsychology.com
1920 Duck Slough Blvd.
Trinity, FL 34655
“What progress have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself.”
-Seneca
Suzanne Sunkel
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
Hi, I’m Suzanne.
I primarily use Transformational EMDR® because I have experienced its impact personally as well as professionally. Years ago, I engaged in the process for my own mental health and experienced significant internal change. Longstanding negative beliefs gave way to a steadier sense of self-worth, along with a deeper feeling of well-being that was no longer dependent on outside circumstances.
That experience shaped the direction of my work and deepened my commitment to helping others through the same model. Since then, I have been especially passionate about collaborating with clients through Transformational EMDR®, supporting them as old fears and triggers lose their hold and a stronger inner confidence begins to emerge.
Clients often describe the process as surprising in the best way. The word that 99% of my clients use to describe this process is “weird.” They are amazed how a new inner confidence in who they are overrides their old fears and triggers. They notice meaningful shifts happening from the inside out.
I have lived in Florida for over 24 years, after relocating from Connecticut. My husband and I are parents of four sons and have 12 grandkids.
I look forward to providing a safe, confidential environment where your goals, healing, and well-being remain the priority.
My contact info:
Mercy Road Counseling, LLC
Suzie Sunkel
1925 20th Street
Vero Beach, FL 32960
772-217-6255
Jacob Bryant
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
Hi, I’m Jacob.
Healing is rarely a straight line, especially when the past still feels heavy in the present. Throughout my career, I have walked alongside individuals facing crisis, addiction, trauma, and life transitions, with a steady commitment to helping people reduce suffering and move toward a clearer, more peaceful way of living.
With more than fifteen years of experience in the mental health field, I have served in hospital systems, community health, and the justice system, including leadership roles as a Crisis Team Leader and Intensive Case Manager. These experiences have deepened my respect for resilience and reinforced my belief that every person deserves thoughtful care, sound judgment, and genuine hope.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Master’s Level Certified Addiction Professional (MCAP), I integrate clinical expertise with a calm, supportive approach. My work has been further strengthened through training in EMDR and Transformational EMDR®, helping clients process painful experiences, loosen what has felt stuck, and create room for greater stability and growth.
Whether you are navigating a major challenge or addressing longstanding pain, I aim to provide a grounded environment where healing can unfold with steadiness, dignity, and care.
My contact info:
Website: wholesoulEMDRcom
Shawna Byrd
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
Shawna Byrd, LMHC is a Transformational EMDR® therapist trained by Dr. Andrew Dobo. She is the founder of Insight Compass Counseling. Licensed since 2013, Shawna works with complex and developmental trauma, attachment injury, and belief-based organizing patterns.
Her work emphasizes attuned presence, dual awareness, and the interpersonal field as central conditions for adaptive information processing. Through Transformational EMDR®, Shawna supports bottom-up neural integration that allows change to emerge organically rather than through effort or symptom management.
My contact info:
Shawna Byrd, MA, LMHC-S
Insight Compass Counseling
2725 Park Drive, Suite 2E
Clearwater FL 33763
727-415-9961
www.insightcompasscounseling.com
Carolyn Lenz
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
Carolyn Lenz is a licensed professional counselor, EMDR Certified therapist, Board Certified Counselor, Transformational® EMDR Certified therapist, and EMDR Consultant-in-Training. She believes lasting healing comes from helping people move beyond symptom management to truly knowing, trusting, and becoming themselves. That commitment has shaped both her clinical work and her dedication to supporting fellow therapists through consultation and professional development.
After experiencing the life-changing impact of EMDR in her own trauma therapy, Carolyn sought training that remained faithful to Dr. Francine Shapiro’s original model while continuing to deepen her clinical understanding. She found that path through EMDR Educators and later Transformational® EMDR, a philosophy that closely reflects her own approach to helping clients create meaningful, lasting change.
Today, Carolyn credits Transformational® EMDR with significantly strengthening her work as a therapist and consultant. She recommends the certification to clinicians who want to deepen both their confidence and their ability to help clients move beyond healing toward genuine transformation.
My contact info:
Phone: 727-344-9754
Website: https://www.emdrtherapy.pro
R. Michael Stapleton, Jr., LMHC
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
Mike Stapleton has spent more than two decades helping people move beyond the effects of trauma, anxiety, depression, addiction, and difficult life experiences. A Licensed Mental Health Counselor since 2002, he is especially passionate about helping people reclaim their sense of identity, believing that healing is not simply about overcoming the past, but discovering who a person is beyond it.
His clinical work includes extensive experience with ADHD, where he enjoys helping clients better understand and make the most of the unique ways their minds work. Mike also has a special heart for men and teenage boys, particularly those carrying the effects of absent, abusive, or emotionally unavailable fathers. Walking alongside them as they rediscover their worth is work he considers a privilege.
Mike has also worked closely with veterans, first responders, Christian leaders, and families navigating the everyday challenges of parenting. Known for joking that he “speaks teen,” he values creating an environment where people feel understood before they feel challenged.
After completing EMDR training with Dr. Andrew Dobo, Mike continued on to become both an EMDR Certified Therapist and a Certified Transformational EMDR Therapist (T-EMDR®). He was drawn to Transformational EMDR because of its ability to help clients move beyond symptom relief toward lasting personal transformation. Dreamwork, in particular, has expanded what he believes is possible, offering a depth of healing unlike anything he had experienced in more than twenty years of clinical practice.
Away from the office, Mike enjoys building furniture, making knives, welding, mountain biking, pickleball, and spending time outdoors with his wife and two daughters. Whether near the water, in the woods, or in the mountains, he finds those places to be where he feels most connected to God.
My Contact Info:
Stapleton Consulting Services
145 Hilden Road, Unit 108
Ponte Vedra, FL 32081
(904) 502-1952
Melinda Johnson, LCSW-QS
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
Melinda Johnson, LCSW QS, is a Dobo-trained EMDRIA Consultant, Certified EMDR Therapist, and Certified Transformational EMDR® Therapist. From her earliest training with Dr. Andrew Dobo, Melinda recognized something in the Transformational EMDR® approach that she wanted to understand more deeply. She continued studying under Dr. Dobo with the goal of becoming a proficient practitioner herself and, eventually, helping other therapists learn to bring the same potential for transformation into their own work.
Today, Melinda’s work spans both sides of that commitment. As an EMDR therapist, she uses Transformational EMDR® to help clients move beyond the experiences that have shaped them and toward deeper healing and personal transformation. As a consultant, she helps other clinicians develop their understanding and confidence in the work. She is also delighted to continue working alongside Dr. Dobo as a member of the EMDR Educators team.
Much of Melinda’s work exists at the intersection of Transformational EMDR® and Christian faith. Beyond her clinical and consultation work, she is an invited speaker for parish and diocesan engagements focused on mental and spiritual health.
Melinda is also a military veteran and former law enforcement officer. Her own experience in these communities gives her a particular appreciation for those who serve, and she considers it an honor to bring healing to veterans, first responders, and others whose lives have been shaped by service.
My Contact Info:
Stuart EMDR
3472 NE Savanna Rd, Suite 111
Jensen Beach, FL 34957
(772) 214-3864
Melinda Johnson, LCSW-QS
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
A Certified EMDR Therapist, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, Trainer-in-Training, and founder of Sunrise EMDR in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. With over 15 years of clinical experience, he specializes in the treatment of trauma, addiction, attachment wounds, anxiety disorders, and performance psychology. Ryan’s work is grounded in Transformational EMDR (T-EMDR) and enriched by Jungian psychology, dream analysis, and mythology, integrating neuroscience with depth psychology to support meaningful and lasting transformation.
Ryan provides EMDR consultation, trainings, and intensives for both clients and clinicians. He believes healing extends beyond symptom reduction to a process of becoming more fully ourselves, and he encourages therapists to practice EMDR with curiosity, authenticity, presence, and trust in the wisdom of the therapeutic process.
My Contact Info:
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
— Commonly attributed to C. G. Jung
Robert G. Engle, LMHC
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
I’m Robert, an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist and Certified Transformational EMDR® Therapist providing virtual therapy throughout Florida and North Carolina.
As a former NCAA Division I athlete, I understand that knowing what to do and being able to access it under pressure are not always the same thing. Injury, criticism, failure, trauma, and changes in identity can continue affecting how someone responds long after the original experience has passed.
Today, I specialize in working with athletes, executives, adults with ADHD, and other high performers experiencing performance anxiety, mental blocks, fear of reinjury, inconsistent confidence, trauma, or difficulty accessing their abilities when the stakes rise.
Transformational EMDR® has deepened how I understand these struggles. Rather than focusing only on symptom relief, I pay close attention to the core beliefs, identity patterns, memories, and automatic nervous-system responses that continue organizing a person’s experience. The work is not about forcing change or giving capable people another motivational strategy. It is about reducing the internal interference that keeps them from living and performing with greater freedom, consistency, and confidence.
I am also completing my Consultant-in-Training requirements under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Dobo and contribute to course-development and research initiatives through EMDR Educators.
Outside of my clinical work, I’m an avid Manchester United supporter who enjoys coaching and staying active.
My Contact Info:
Robert G. Engle, LMHC | Very Good Mind
Virtual therapy throughout Florida and North Carolina
Phone: (239) 686-0285
Email: hello@verygoodmind.com
Website: verygoodmind.com
Mailing Address:
1317 Edgewater Dr #6545
Orlando, FL 32804
Nicole Welch, LCSW, CIT
Transformational EMDR® Therapist
I’m Nicole, an LCSW, Transformational EMDRIA-Certified therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant-in-Training (CIT). I aspire to contribute to the relief of suffering; to help clients move through blocks and resolve the impact of negative experiences. I specialize in Transformational EMDR Therapy to help people realize their personal fulfillment and psychological wholeness.
I am in private practice in Connecticut, where I also combine T-EMDR with Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy as a PATH-Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL). While partnering with a horse in T-EMDR, the horse most often attunes to the client, expressing through body language when the adaptive resolution happens, bearing witness to and validating the client’s process. It’s simply being in the presence of a horse while doing T-EMDR. There is no need to add an activity or extra anything.
Whether it’s in an office or partnering with a horse, less is more. T-EMDR is self-healing in the most profound ways. It’s a privilege to witness the language of the unconscious guide clients to healing, whether it’s through their creative reprocessing in sessions; or noticing their journey through the six transformational EMDR stages toward self-actualization.
As a CIT, I’m excited to be able to help other therapists enhance their work aligned with Transformational EMDR.
My contact info:
Nicole Welch, LCSW
Measurable Progress Therapy
47 Canal Road, Granby, CT 06035
(203) 598-4707