You can do EMDR therapy online, over a video call, with a therapist trained in it. The steps are the same as in a room together; what changes is how the eye movements happen and what you need on your side of the screen. This page covers both, and what to ask before you book.
What EMDR therapy is
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. A therapist guides you to hold a difficult memory in mind while you do something that keeps part of your attention busy, usually moving your eyes from side to side, tapping your knees in turn, or listening to a sound that alternates between ears. Between those short sets you talk about whatever came up. The therapist helps you stay with it and brings the session to a settled place before you finish.
Sessions are structured, and the work is paced. A therapist usually starts with history and a plan, then moves to the memories you came for, and spends time at the end on closing the session properly. Nothing about the format needs you to know in advance how it works.
What an online EMDR session looks like
- You meet on a video call, usually for 50 to 60 minutes.
- For the eye movements you follow a dot or a bar that travels across your screen, or you tap your knees in turn, or you use headphones with a tone that moves from ear to ear. Your therapist watches you and stops the set when it needs stopping.
- You talk between sets. That part is ordinary conversation.
- Your therapist keeps notes on the memory you are working on and where the session ended, so the next one picks up from there.
What you need on your side
- A room you can close the door on, where nobody walks in.
- Headphones, especially if the eye movements are audio.
- A screen bigger than a phone where you can, so the moving dot is easy to follow.
- A stable connection, and a phone number for your therapist in case the call drops.
- Agreement up front about what happens if you finish a session upset and the call has ended.
Online or in person
The method is the same. Online removes the travel and lets you pick a therapist who is trained in EMDR rather than the one who happens to be closest. In person gives you a room away from home and a therapist in the same space. Some people choose online for a first course of sessions and in person later, or the other way round. What matters more than the medium is whether you can work with the person: ask about their training, how they pace sessions, and what happens between them.
What to ask before you book
- Are you trained and supervised in EMDR, and by whom?
- How many sessions do people usually have with you, and how will we know it is working?
- What is the fee per session, and what is your cancellation policy?
- Can you give me a receipt with the codes my medical scheme needs?
- What do we do if a session leaves me unsettled after the call?
Cost and medical cover
EMDR is delivered by psychologists, registered counsellors and therapists trained in the method, and each sets their own fee per session. Ask for the fee in writing before the first session. Whether a scheme pays part of it depends on your plan, your day-to-day benefits and whether the session is submitted with the right codes, so it is worth checking before you start rather than after.
Ollie can read what your scheme lists for mental health cover: ask it on the web or on WhatsApp what your plan says, and it will explain the benefit in plain language. What it will not do is tell you what to do about your health.
How to start with Ollie
Ollie is free to start and private. You get an agent to talk to on the web or WhatsApp, a 30-second face scan for a wellness reading of heart rate, HRV, stress and breathing (blood pressure is an estimate), and, when you want a person, a video session with a counsellor booked from the app. Tell it what you are looking for, including EMDR, and it will point you to the right next step.
Start a free chat with Ollie, or book a session with a counsellor.
Questions people ask
Can EMDR be done online?
Yes. Therapists run it over video using a moving dot on the screen, tapping or alternating sound in place of the hand movements used in a room. The structure of the session stays the same.
How long is a session, and how many will I need?
Sessions are usually 50 to 60 minutes. The number depends on what you are working on and how you pace it; ask your therapist to plan the first few with you and to review it as you go.
Do I need to know what I want to work on?
No. A therapist will help you work out what to start with. If you are unsure whether EMDR is the right approach, say so in the first conversation.
Is Ollie a therapist?
No. Ollie's agent gives wellness guidance, never a diagnosis, and hands you to a human expert when you want one. Sessions with a counsellor are booked through the app.
Is it private?
Yes. Your chats are yours. If you are using Ollie through an employer, they see team totals, never what an individual wrote.