EMDR Online Membership

EMDR can be a pretty challenging process - the work is very rewarding but the process can be hard. And online Group EMDR is a little bit more hands-off than one on one work. I get less feedback about where you are at during the processing, and less opportunity to step in and give more assistance if things are hard. As a clinician I need to know a little bit about you before I work with you in this way. I need to know that you are suitable for EMDR, and for EMDR online and in a group. It is a safety measure, so that we can all be safe and reassured in the knowledge that we both know what an EMDR session looks like for you. If we haven’t worked together previously, and you want to consider the membership, maybe have a look at my Intensives or to do the 6 week Heal Your Past course first, then the membership is the next step from there. 

You can cancel at any time. I will need a couple of days notice to cancel the payments, but there is no ongoing commitment at all.

At present the membership is small (though mighty!). This means that I will only be offering the monthly sessions on the first Tuesday of the month. As the membership grows, I will open up other options, so you will have a choice of dates. However for now, I will only have the first Tuesday of the month available. 

For those who pay monthly, unfortunately No. Medicare has an item number for allied health professionals like psychologists and social workers to do group sessions, but the rebate is fairly small, and currently GP’s do not have an item number for group sessions, so there is no Medicare rebate for the Group sessions.

The good news is that if you join for the year, you do get a 1:1 session with me, and that does have an item number attached, so you will get back approximately $197 from Medicare. If you have reached the Medicare threshold, then you will get back substantially more. If you have not reached the Medicare threshold, then the out of pocket costs will contribute to the threshold, like any other GP attendance.

There are a number of academic studies that have researched the effectiveness of Online Group EMDR, in a couple of different scenarios - Doctors during the pandemic, Syrian refugees, out of home residential carers in community residential care, and they show that it is very effective at resolving difficult memories. Even a couple of sessions can produce lasting improvement in symptoms. 

Very likely! Most people have some difficult memories, even if they don’t classify them as traumatic. It may be that a divorce was difficult and bruising, and you are reluctant to date again,  or ill health or hospital experiences have left you with a sense of fragility around your health, or avoidance of hospitals.  Maybe step parenting has eroded your sense of self esteem, or bullying at work has left you with no confidence in the workplace. Maybe you have seen some footage on the news that you just can’t shake from your mind. Any experience that you find yourself trying not to think about, or that changes your behaviour in a negative way, is a perfect target for EMDR.

EMDR helps the bad memory seperate from the emotions that the memory is held with. If the memory has an emotional charge, then EMDR can help it settle. The memory will still be there, but will not be so upsetting, or not be upsetting at all. It doesn’t matter what type of trauma happened, memories reprocess the same way. Having said that, if you experienced childhood sexual abuse, then online group therapy may not be for you, as you may be better served with individual attention. 

If you are having suicidal thoughts or impulses, you will be best helped by individual therapy.

Please reach out to your GP or your therapist, or call Lifeline on 131114 or the Suicide Callback Service on 1300 659467
Please know that you are valuable, that help is available and that you can feel better.

Payment options are $97/month or $997/year.

For those who opt to pay yearly, you have the added bonus of a 1:1 session with me, to fully assess where you are at right now and conceptualise which memories are the most important or urgent to work on, and to make a treatment plan on how to best utilise the year's therapy.