Do You Need a CIT Program? What to Know Before You Commit
For many EMDR therapists, there comes a point where the question shifts from: “How do I use this model?” to “How do I deepen, embody, and eventually teach this work?” As you experience multiple EMDR sessions with your clients and truly begin to trust the process, you become less afraid of making mistakes and more tapped into your creative wisdom. Over time you move away from strict adherence to the protocol and into the art of EMDR.
If you are feeling a pull toward deepening into the art of EMDR, you may find yourself wondering if you should pursue an EMDR Consultant-in Training (CIT) program. A CIT program can be a powerful next step in becoming a more embodied EMDR therapist, and it is also a significant investment of time, energy, and resources. Let’s take an honest, grounded look at what a CIT program is, who it’s for, and how to know if it’s actually the right fit for you.
What Is a CIT Program?
A CIT (Consultant-in-Training) program is the pathway to becoming an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, someone who supports and guides other therapists in their EMDR practice. Becoming a consultant is not something you should do simply because you are certified, and it is not about proving your competence as an EMDR therapist.
An effective CIT program is not just about checking boxes; it is about deepening your clinical decision-making and expanding your ability to conceptualize complex cases. It is where therapists can shift from simply doing EMDR to truly embodying it. It is a process to help you develop your voice as a consultant and teacher.
And for those of us integrating models like IFS, this depth becomes even more essential. EMDR alone can be powerful, but when working with complex trauma, dissociation, or protective systems, many clinicians find they need a more nuanced, integrative lens. The best CIT programs will stretch you into the edges of what you don’t yet know, in a way that’s supportive, but also honest.
A CIT program may be a good fit if you notice:
✔️ You’re craving depth, not just more techniques
You’re no longer satisfied with “what to do next” questions. You want to understand why something is or isn’t working.
✔️ You’re working with complexity
You’re holding space for clients with complex dissociation, attachment trauma, and protective systems that block processing. You realize that a more integrative and creative approach to EMDR is what is often needed to help clients to find a deeper level of healing.
✔️ You feel pulled toward teaching, mentoring, or leadership
You don’t just want to be a good EMDR therapist, you want to support other therapists in becoming one. You see the value of making a bigger healing impact on the world through supporting therapists in supporting their clients.
✔️ You’re open to being challenged
A strong CIT program will ask you to reflect on your own parts and patterns as a clinician, and learn to receive feedback. You will be encouraged to make mistakes, be vulnerable, and expand how you think.
What to Look for in a CIT Program
Not all CIT programs are created equal. If you’re considering this kind of training, it’s worth slowing down long enough to notice the differences because the space you choose will shape what you learn and how you show up as a consultant.
✔️ Approach to teaching and learning
In some programs, it’s mostly lectures, protocols, and steps to follow. In our program, we focus on real cases, real questions, and dialogue.
We use an IFS-informed approach, which means we are paying attention to how you show up in the room. We make space to notice what therapist/CIT parts may be present, and we check in with you not just as a clinician/CIT, but as a human being doing this work.
When learning is grounded in an IFS-informed EMDR perspective, you are not just trying to figure out the next step in the protocol. You are learning how to recognize when a client/consultee is blocked, how to understand which parts of them are showing up, and how to respond in a way that keeps the work moving without pushing too quickly.
✔️ Support structure
In an IFS-informed EMDR space we support you in staying connected to your clinical instincts while also expanding your capacity to hold complexity.
For example, a consultee might bring a case where their client keeps getting blocked during reprocessing. In a more traditional consultation space, the focus might stay on what to try next or how to move the protocol forward.
But here, we would slow down together. We might get curious about what parts are showing up across the system: for you as the CIT, for your consultee as the therapist, and for the client. We would explore what each part is needing, and why the system might not feel ready to move forward yet.
Is there a part that feels stuck or unsure?
Is there a part that wants to push the process forward?
Instead of working around those reactions, we include them in the conversation.
In consultation, the goal is not just to solve the case, but to help you (as the CIT) and your consultee stay with what is happening, think more clearly when things get complex, and respond in a way that supports the work.
✔️Compassionate lens for working with complexity
When EMDR is informed by IFS, ambivalence, and resistance are not pathologized or seen as a barrier to treatment. They are information about what is happening in the system, and they help guide what needs to happen next. They can become an opening for curiosity and dialogue, using an IFS lens while still staying grounded in the EMDR protocol.
✔️The Feel of the Space
If consultation feels too evaluative or performance-based, that tends to carry into the way you show up with your consultees. While we do complete some evaluation of your work, our space is grounded and allows for curiosity. This lends itself well to becoming a Consultant who is parts-aware and holds genuine curiosity for consultee concerns/questions about their clients.
This matters even more in an IFS-informed EMDR context, where you tracking the client experience and also how your consultee is showing up in the room. Learning how to hold that kind of space is not something you can pick up from a protocol. It has to be experienced.
So, Does Pursuing a CIT Program Make Sense for You?
Pursuing a CIT program is less about advancing your credentials, and more about stepping into a different relationship with your work. It is about deepening your identity as an EMDR therapist, and stretching yourself outside of your comfort zone. A good CIT program will ask you to move from doing to understanding, from knowing to questioning, and from performing to embodying. To learn more about the upcoming CIT program offered by Align Therapy & Consultation, connect with us here.
