Psychologist or psychiatrist?
A psychologist holds a degree in psychology and a licence to practise psychotherapy. A psychiatrist is a doctor: they can also practise psychotherapy, and they can prescribe medication. Both can train in EMDR. They often work together: you see a psychologist for therapy and a psychiatrist for medication.
| Psychologist | Psychiatrist | |
|---|---|---|
| Studied | Psychology | Medicine |
| Practises psychotherapy | Yes | Yes |
| Prescribes medication | No | Yes |
| Can train in EMDR | Yes | Yes |
If you already take medication, you can still do EMDR. The FAQ explains how.
What is a licence, and how do I check it?
A licence is the number a country’s or state’s health authority gives to someone who finished their psychology studies and can legally practise. Every verified profile in this directory shows that number, the authority that issued it, and the date Psilumina last confirmed it was still active.
How it looks on a profile
- The licence number
- The authority that issued it
- The date we confirmed it was still active
How you check it depends on the country.
- Argentina
- Each province has its own professional board (colegio or consejo) for psychologists, searchable by number or name.
- Uruguay
- The register sits with the Ministry of Public Health.
- Spain
- Each regional Colegio Oficial de la Psicología keeps its own list of members.
- United States
- A licence is verified through the psychology board of the state where the person practises.
An active licence confirms
That the person finished their studies and was authorised to practise as of the date it was checked.
On its own it says nothing about
- Their experience with a specific concern.
- How you'll feel in the room.
- Whether their way of working will suit you.
You only find that out by talking to them. That’s what comes next.
Is EMDR training the same as a licence?
A licence authorises someone to practise psychology in general. EMDR training is a separate course, specific to this psychotherapy model, taken afterwards on its own. A therapist can hold a licence and never have done that training, so it’s worth asking about each one separately, never assuming one implies the other.
In practice, EMDR has its own training ladder. The levels show how much training someone has completed, not a score on their general clinical skill:
EMDR basic training complete
Completed the basic training in full, with its supervision.
EMDR certified
Added supervised EMDR practice and an assessment by their association.
EMDR consultant
Can supervise other therapists in their EMDR training.
EMDR facilitator
Assists in delivering the basic trainings.
EMDR trainer
Delivers the basic trainings.
No level on this list is better than another for your particular situation: they’re facts for you to weigh, not a quality ranking.
The directory lets you filter by reason for consulting, language and modality, and every profile shows its EMDR training level. A higher level on this ladder doesn’t mean more years of clinical experience overall: it measures EMDR-specific training, nothing else. You can weigh that against whatever the person tells you in a first consultation.
What should I ask in a first consultation?
In a first consultation you can ask about their experience with what brings you in, whether they work in person, online, or both, how they build a treatment plan, how often you’ll meet, and what happens if you need to change or cancel an appointment. How they answer says as much as the answers themselves.
There’s no single correct answer: what matters is that they answer clearly and without rushing you. Some concrete questions worth bringing with you:
To bring to a first consultation
Have you worked before with what brings me in?
What does an EMDR session generally look like?
What happens if I decide to stop coming at some point?
How do you handle the confidentiality of what we talk about?
You can also ask whether they work with supervision or consult with colleagues when they need to.
What signs mean I should keep looking?
Before or during a first consultation, keep looking if someone:
- pressures you to decide before answering your questions,
- avoids talking about their licence or their training,
- promises a fixed number of sessions will resolve something,
- or brushes off what worries you.
None of these on their own means bad faith, but they’re reason enough to get a second opinion.
If several of these show up together, or something still doesn’t sit right after a first consultation, you can ask another therapist for a second opinion.