EMDR Mastery
Master Your Practice
and Lead with Presence
Advanced EMDR pathways for EMDR trained clinicians seeking depth, discernment, and sustained clinical presence without compromising protocol fidelity or ethical standards.
Clinical Consultation, Certification, and Advanced Practice
Head and Heart Institute offers EMDRIA-aligned clinical consultation and certification pathways for EMDR trained clinicians seeking greater confidence, clinical judgment, and embodied presence in complex trauma work.
These pathways support:
✓ Clearer pacing and sequencing decisions
✓ Stronger internal regulation during high-affect sessions
✓ Greater consistency in ethical and protocol-aligned decision-making
The focus is not on adding techniques, but on strengthening the clinician’s internal orientation so EMDR practice remains steady, responsive, and sustainable over time.
Heal the Healer™ Framework
Supporting Embodied EMDR Practice
All EMDR Mastery offerings are informed by the Heal the Healer™ Framework: a capacity-based model that supports therapist regulation, internal coherence, and sustained clinical presence while honoring the mind, body, and emotional truth.
This framework does not replace the EMDR protocol. It supports how clinicians orient internally while practicing EMDR, particularly in complex, prolonged, or high-intensity work, so moment-to-moment clinical decisions remain clear, ethical, and attuned.
Through this lens, clinicians develop:
✓ Greater steadiness under clinical intensity
✓ Reduced self-override during challenging sessions
✓ Improved integration of intuition, cognition, embodiment, and protocol
The Five Core Elements
Earth
capacity & foundation
Earth supports therapist grounding, containment, and nervous system steadiness during EMDR sessions.
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A strong Earth foundation supports sustained presence across phases and sessions.
This capacity informs:
✓ Regulation during high-affect processing
✓ Boundary integrity and session pacing
✓ The ability to hold prolonged or complex material without depletion
Water
emotional navigation
Water supports emotional attunement and somatic awareness during processing.
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Water capacity strengthens moment-to-moment attunement and therapeutic responsiveness.
This capacity informs:
✓ Tracking affective shifts and somatic cues in real time
✓ Remaining emotionally present without flooding or detachment
✓ Responsive pacing during intense or relationally complex work
Fire
Leadership Identity & Alignment
Fire supports clinical confidence, ethical clarity, and decisive action.
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Fire capacity reduces hesitation, reactivity, and over-reliance on external validation.
This capacity informs:
✓ Clinical judgment and timely decision making
✓ Use of interweaves and protocol adaptations when indicated
✓ Therapist authority grounded in ethical alignment rather than urgency
Air
Internal Dialogue & Clarity
Air supports cognitive coherence and clear internal reasoning.
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Air capacity supports consistency, precision, and clinical confidence.
This capacity informs:
✓ Case conceptualization and target selection
✓ Recognition of internal narratives that interfere with clarity
✓ Communication that aligns cognition with somatic and emotional signals
Space
Integration & Coherence
Space integrates all elements into a cohesive clinical presence.
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Space supports longevity and coherence across years of EMDR practice.
This capacity informs:
✓ Holding complexity across sessions and phases
✓ Sustained presence over long-term trauma work
✓ Integration of protocol, intuition, embodiment, and ethical judgment
Multiple Ways to Deepen
Skill, Confidence, and Coherence
EMDR Certification Pathway
Somatic-Informed, Readiness-Focused EMDR Consultation
This structure supports clinicians in developing confidence, clarity, and steadiness across the certification process.
This certification pathway emphasizes protocol fidelity alongside attention to therapist presence and clinical judgment. Consultation is structured as a developmental process that supports ethical readiness and sound decision-making over time.
Includes:
✓ 20 hours of EMDR certification consultation
• Combination of monthly 90 minute group consultation and required individual or triadic sessions (minimum 10 hours).
✓ Case consultation informed by somatic awareness and nervous system cues
✓ Guidance on pacing, sequencing, and target selection with complex presentations
✓ Support with documentation, ethical readiness, and certification requirements
✓ Clinical frameworks and integration tools supporting sustained practice
Investment: $1,800
Group Consultation
Advanced EMDR Group Consultation
Advanced group consultation for EMDR trained clinicians seeking to refine judgment, therapist presence, and decision-making in complex or high-intensity work.
Includes:
✓ Monthly 2 Hour small group consultations
• 1st Wednesday of the Month, 10:30am-12:30pm ET. Starting May 6, 2026. July off
✓ Case-based learning with facilitated discussion
✓ Advanced focus areas (such as attachment patterns, somatics in EMDR, therapist nervous system capacity, ego states and working with shame.)
✓ Curated handouts and integration tools
✓ EMDR-first language, ethics, and consultation standards
Investment: $150
per session — bundle pricing available
rachel pires
About the Founder
Rachel Pires is the founder of Head and Heart Institute and the creator of the Heal the Healer™ Framework.
With nearly two decades of experience in psychotherapy, somatic practice, EMDR, and leadership facilitation, Rachel brings a grounded, attuned approach to supporting healers and practitioners. Her work integrates clinical depth, somatic awareness, and leadership formation to support sustainable practice and ethical presence.
She is known for her calm guidance, depth of knowledge, and the ability to help people connect head and heart with clarity and integrity.