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Required Reading for This Course: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures, Third Edition by Francine Shapiro

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Bill White, LCSW

Bill White, LCSW, is licensed in the state of Louisiana as a clinical social worker. He owns and operates EMDR Instruction. He has over 35 years of experience in treating clients with a myriad of disorders associated with emotional and psychological trauma. In addition, he has also treated mood, anxiety, and dissociative disorders. In his training to treat such disorders, he was initially trained in hypnosis at the Menninger Clinic when it was in Topeka, Kansas. While hypnosis proved to be a useful tool for the treatment of traumatic disorders, he later learned of EMDR through his continuing education at Menninger. At a conference dedicated to the understanding of traumatic disorders, Dr. Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., presented her approach on EMDR. Mr. White was so impressed with Dr. Shapiro and EMDR he began his training the next month. Today, Mr. White uses both EMDR and hypnosis to help clients heal from the difficulties that developed from their unfortunate experiences in life.

He received his part 1 training in Denver with Dr. Gerald Puk, Ph.D., in March of 1996. He received his part 2 training 6 months later with Dr. Shapiro herself in Chicago. He became a part of the EMDR Institute's faculty in 1997. Through this training, he facilitated EMDR classes at various locations around the country. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, he was a volunteer teacher for the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program (EMDR HAP).

Through his years of teaching EMDR, Mr. White took note of what students required to utilize EMDR in their practice. In 2014 he introduced his own teaching manual for teaching EMDR after 3 years in development. In addition, Mr. White has also helped new clinicians to develop their skills in trauma therapy. This is an important point because many people coming into training for EMDR or other forms of treatment, other than conventional talk therapy, come in with different levels of expertise. We feel it is important to help clinicians grow as clinicians and not just with one particular form of therapy.

Mr. White's years of experience as a clinician and faculty member of EMDR have had a profound influence on his life. EMDR dramatically changed his life and practice, as this therapeutic approach is truly one of the major contributions to the mental health profession in the past 100 years.

Need more information? Call us at (318) 834-0969 to speak with one of our instructors.

Juliet Catrett, LMSW, LCSW

BA in English and History for Louisiana College

LMSW from Tulane University School of Social Work

Mrs. Catrett has 20 years of experience treating adults with complex PTSD and dissociative disorders. She completed Mr. White’s basic training in 2015 and has seven years of experience working as a facilitator for EMDR Instruction. She facilitates the basic training’s practicum and assists with demonstrating the protocols covered in the lecture. She is a member of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). Mrs. Catrett has completed ISSTD’s introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses on the diagnosis and treatment of complex PTSD and dissociative adaptations throughout the life cycle. Mrs. Catrett provides consultation to clinicians completing basic training and candidates seeking the Certified Therapist or Approved Consultant credentials. In addition to teaching basic training, Mrs. Catrett and Mr. White offer a two-day course, Introduction to Trauma: Diagnosis and Treatment, for licensed mental health professionals seeking foundational knowledge and updated information about diagnosing and treating trauma-related disorders.

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What Our Students Think About Us

Tammy F.

Learning EMDR from Bill White has been very informative and helpful.  Bill White breaks down EMDR training  into bite size instruction, experiential exercises and consultation making it easier to retain the information and use EMDR in a practical way with clients. The supplemental manual helps with guidelines while working with clients. Thank you.

Panteleymon A.

Bill is knowledgeable, passionate, and generous with his time to ensure that his students feel confident using EMDR with their patients. I strongly recommend his courses to my colleagues because of my experience.

Rajani R.

I would highly recommend the EMDR training by Bill White! I have implemented EMDR in my therapy practice with many clients and have witnessed tremendous improvements in their mental health. Bill has been available and patient to answer all my questions. At this point, I feel very confident because of my training to continue to utilize EMDR in my practice! Thank you Bill!

Rebecca L.

I attended both the basic EMDR training and the 2.0 training while I was in school to get my masters in clinical mental health counseling. I had heard about Bill and his courses from my own counselor years ago and was thrilled to see that he allowed counseling students to take the classes once they've reached their internship semesters. I have known that I wanted to use EMDR as a counselor before I had even applied to my graduate program so being able to begin my training before graduation was something I was excited to do. My one concern in doing this as a graduate student was that I might be less prepared going into the class than the licensed professionals who have been in the field for a while, but this was not an issue at all. All of the teaching material and instruction was very easy to understand and absorb and the classes and consultations helped me to feel informed and competent in using EMDR. As a student sitting in a room with experienced professionals, I did not feel for a moment that I did not belong there or that I would have more difficulty learning these skills. The environment was welcoming and accepting, and I felt like I was among peers. I feel like I have a head start now and am very grateful for the opportunity and the support I have received through this course. Bill's willingness to use himself and his real experiences as a teaching tool while demonstrating techniques is something that I really respect and appreciated.  I was moved by his willingness to be vulnerable, and I feel this drove home the meaning and importance of EMDR in a way that felt more human and relatable than what most classes offer. In the practice sections of the course, being able to do my own processing was incredibly helpful as well and I feel that taking the role of the client should be a necessary experience for anyone doing this work. I have felt confident recommending these courses to my colleagues and will continue to do so to anyone who is looking to incorporate EMDR into their practice.

Jenise E.

Excellent teacher. Information presented well. Organized. More practice time would have been helpful however given the time, it was divided well with practice and teaching time.

Jessica M

I have been forging ahead with EMDR and watching it do some amazing things. Your classes impressed me so much that I recommended you to my colleagues who have also signed up! Thank you for your training and support.

Lisa F.

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed both of your training sessions and how happy I am to be able to use EMDR with my clients. I also wanted to let you know how much Juliet's expertise has helped me become a better EMDR clinician. I truly appreciate you both!

Erica Duckworth, M.Ed., LPC-S

Thank you for your knowledge and efforts that made this weekend’s conference such a valuable experience, here is my review below:

I had the pleasure of attending the EMDR Basic Training - Part 1 with Mr. Bill White. His thorough knowledge and passion for the subject matter was both empowering and inspirational. Mr. White’s engaging presentation style made the material understandable which gives me the confidence to begin implementing the skills taught immediately.

Mr. White provided antidotal insights into the clinical application of EMDR, offering practical tools and thoughtful reflections that I can immediately integrate into my own practice. What stood out most was his ability to connect theory with real clinical experience enriching the overall learning experience.

I highly recommend this course for anyone wanting to correctly learn and incorporate EMDR into their practice!

Providing EMDR Courses for Mental Health Professionals

Upcoming Courses

Register to attend our upcoming courses at EMDR Instruction to become certified for EMDR therapy.

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Eligibility

Ensure that you are eligible and meet the minimum requirements to register for our courses at EMDR Instruction.

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Course Fees

Learn more about course fees for Part 1 and Part 2 of the EMDR Instruction training courses.

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Course Dates

Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm
Saturday 8:30am to 5:30pm
Sunday 8:30am to 4:30pm

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Welcome to EMDR Instruction

Welcome to EMDR Instruction, the site for mental health professionals who are striving to learn more about EMDR and how to better incorporate EMDR Therapy into their practices. Our mission at EMDR Instruction is to train professionals in having the necessary skills & techniques in providing effective treatment to individuals who suffer from past traumatic events. Students will gain the ability to offer clients a broad spectrum of EMDR treatment as well as other applications to treat a wide range of issues that the clients present within treatment.