EMDR Phase 1: How to write an EMDR Treatment Plan for PTSD

You’re a newer clinician to EMDR and you’ve been focusing on how to process EMDR targets . . . but now that you’ve got that down you realize you’re not sure how to write an EMDR treatment plan! You’ve got some ideas, but would like to see an example of how to write an EMDR treatment plan. I can help with that! I’ve got a sample EMDR treatment plan for PTSD right here for you.

If you want a deeper, step-by-step framework with downloadable templates, you can also enroll in the EMDR Treatment Planning CE Course for continuing education credit.

Key components for writing an emdr treatment plan

Diagnoses, Goals, Objectives, Interventions

If you bill insurance — or if you give your clients Superbills so they can seek reimbursement — you’ll need to have your client’s diagnosis documented on your EMDR treatment plan. If you work at an agency, you may be required to also document the goals, objectives, and interventions specific to your client’s treatment.

Goals: These are the general outcomes your client is seeking in treatment. Goals could be learning emotion management, improving relationships, or building confidence in setting/maintaining boundaries.

If we were writing an EMDR treatment plan for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), then a goal could be “client’s trauma symptoms will no longer be at a clinical level and they will have improved functioning overall.” The overarching goal is for your client’s symptoms to decrease, or even resolve completely.

Objectives: These are smaller steps that help you achieve the above-stated goal. These are meant to be measurable! Some possible objectives could be “client will be able to identify five stimuli that trigger flashbacks,” or “client will be able to implement self-soothing behaviors when triggered by a trauma stimulus.” Another could be “client’s symptoms of intrusion, avoidance, and alterations in cognition/mood/arousal/reactivity will decrease from 60 to 20 or less as measured by the PCL-5.”

Interventions: Personally, I prefer an EMDR treatment plan to be focused on interventions, because these are the actual methods used to facilitate healing. Also, when you review an EMDR treatment plan with a client, the goals/objectives are typically skipped over, because your client wants to know how you are going to help them feel better.

As EMDR has eight phases, you could conceptualize each phase as a cluster of interventions! Of note — I cluster Phases 3–8 together, as those phases are specific to each EMDR target.

EMDR Phase 1: History & Treatment Planning

This phase of EMDR is just like all other types of psychotherapy. When first meeting with a client, you need to understand their history and symptoms in order to help them. In EMDR, some additional legwork can really make a difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of your treatment.

Identifying your client’s attachment style can give you a lot of insight into how treatment might progress. I like to use the Relationship Questionnaire by Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991. A client with a secure attachment style will likely need less preparation than another client with a less healthy attachment style.

It’s paramount that you evaluate the level of dissociation your client is likely to experience. There are some screeners available, such as the Dissociative Experiences Scale. I prefer to screen using the MID-60, which is a shortened version of the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation. If, after screening, I find I need to assess further, I like to use the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule, though many will also use the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation or the SCID-D. You’ll want to evaluate the available assessments and choose the one that best fits your needs.

For a deeper dive into treatment planning frameworks, visit the EMDR Treatment Planning Hub.

EMDR Treatment Planning

As you collect your client’s history, you’ll begin developing a generalized picture of how treatment will progress. Personally, I don’t ask specific details about a client’s trauma history at this time. I typically gather more specific information after EMDR Phase 2: Preparation.

When you’re ready to identify EMDR targets, tools like the EMDR Target Selection Worksheet for Clinicians and EMDR Target Sequencing Guide can help structure your plan. Though you can create a rough treatment plan that covers each of the 8 phases of EMDR.

EMDR Phase 2: Preparation

This phase of EMDR can vary widely from client to client! For some, you can have them ready in 1-2 sessions. Others may take months, or even years. You’ll find that for the clients with more complex PTSD, they are more likely to take months/years. If you’ve found that someone’s attachment style is highly disorganized and/or they dissociate as a primary coping tool, these are the clients who will take longer in EMDR Phase 2: Preparation. Knowing this early can really make a big difference in how you approach treatment with your client.

At minimum, your client’s need to be educated on trauma memory storage, the Adaptive Information Processing Model, mechanics of EMDR and common reactions to EMDR. You need to ensure your clients are fully informed about this process so they can consent to EMDR treatment. To ensure clients can consent fully and ethically, use a professional EMDR Informed Consent Form

Additionally, your clients need to have skills to draw upon during and in between sessions. At minimum, I like to install a container and calm place. For my clients that need extended stabilization and preparation, other tools such as meditation, grounding and resource development are among the many tools available. This will all depend on how your client responds to each different stabilization procedure. For those needing extended stabilization, other tools such as meditation, grounding, and resource development are useful. For guidance on readiness assessment, you can download the free EMDR Client Readiness Checklist (email required).

EMDR Reprocessing

Once your client is ready for reprocessing targets, this is when I recommend you select EMDR targets and sequence them in the most impactful order for processing. This is a nuanced procedure that’s beyond the scope of this blog, but you can explore it in depth through the EMDR Treatment Planning CE Course.

Returning to the big picture, the general recommendation is to process past events to completion, then address present triggers (such as sounds, smells, or touch), and finally move on to future templates.

General Treatment Updates

It’s really important to update your treatment plans regularly. I prefer to document the date when each intervention was completed. Additionally, I document progress, barriers, and the rationale for any treatment pivots. For example, if someone experiences a loss, I’ll pivot to grief counseling until it’s appropriate to return to the EMDR plan — documenting this both in progress notes and under the “treatment update” section.

Sample EMDR Master Treatment Plan for PTSD

I hope this walkthrough was helpful! The intention was to give you enough information to apply this to your agency or practice — as well as your own style in designing a treatment plan. Below is my generalized example of a Sample EMDR Master Treatment Plan for PTSD.

For structured templates and detailed examples, visit the EMDR Treatment Planning Hub or enroll in the EMDR Treatment Planning CE Course for continuing education credit.

For a deeper dive into general EMDR treatment planning beyond addiction, explore our EMDR Training and Treatment Hub