EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of the most powerful ways to heal from trauma and build resilience. I combine EMDR with parts work and somatic therapies in my trauma counselling and coaching for a holistic approach. It helps clients release deeply held pain and integrate their experiences. But here’s the real question: how much is EMDR therapy?
How much does EMDR therapy cost?
The short answer is that it varies. Each counsellor sets their own pricing based on their business model, overhead, expertise—and, let’s be honest, how much money we want to make and how much capitalism influences us. In Canada, sessions usually range between CAD 100 and 250, but there’s no fixed upper limit. Higher prices don’t necessarily mean better therapy—these are just the pricing choices of the counsellor. Sadly, marketing tactics that are persuasive and manipulative have conditioned us to believe otherwise. Quality depends on experience, training, and fit—not on the price you pay.
As a professional with over 20 years of marketing experience, I’ve applied that expertise to create a variable, income-based pricing model at Bright Horizon Therapies. This ensures EMDR and trauma counselling are accessible to everyone while sustaining a practice that provides high-quality care.
Factors that influence your cost for EMDR
Here’s the thing: you can’t control what a counsellor charges, but you can plan your budget and choose who you work with and what price feels right for you. A few key factors affect the total cost:
- Session price: This is the cost you pay for each session. The counsellor sets this price depending on the counsellor’s pricing strategy and other business factors.
- Number of sessions: The required number of sessions varies depending on your trauma history and the complexity of your symptoms. For complex trauma or childhood abuse more sessions are typically needed due to the extended preparation phase before processing trauma with EMDR. Additionally, the number of sessions depends on your goals for trauma recovery. As a result, the total number of sessions can vary widely.
- Recovery journey: For some clients, significant symptom reduction occurs within 6-12 sessions during the memory integration stage with EMDR, but this depends on the stability of your nervous system and capacity to be in dual awareness. Other people need a longer preparation time, and that’s okay.
Beyond pricing, it’s just as important to consider whether the counsellor is the right fit. Quality therapy happens when you feel safe, supported, and understood in the alliance —not just when a session is expensive.
Behind the price: Counselling as a business
It’s easy to look at a session price and think it tells the whole story—but it doesn’t. Many counsellors run their own practices, and session prices need to cover business costs as well as the income they aim to earn. Operational expenses, client base, training, and business goals all play a role.
Yes, EMDR requires additional training, which I invested in to provide more effective trauma recovery services. While the break-even point came quickly, I don’t see it as a reason to raise prices—it’s a necessary step to offer trauma-focused counselling.
With my background in marketing, I’ve structured pricing intentionally. By keeping overhead low, applying my 20+ years of marketing experience, and challenging the capitalist ideas I had internalized, I can offer high-quality, affordable sessions. This means you can access expert EMDR therapy without sacrificing affordability—quality and accessibility go hand in hand.
How much is EMDR therapy? – Value versus price tag
I’ve heard counsellors say they “charge what they’re worth.” However, the price of a service is not the same as a counsellor’s worth as a human being. Whether I charge CAD 200 or CAD 100 for a session, my intrinsic value as a person remains unchanged. Pricing is a business decision, not a measure of worth.
Higher fees don’t necessarily mean better counselling. True value comes from a counsellor’s expertise, ongoing growth, and commitment to your healing. The amount you invest should reflect the quality of care and support you receive—not just arbitrary price points.
Who can really define the value of healing? My own journey has felt priceless, yet I am deeply grateful for the affordable professionals who helped me—without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today. No matter how much you pay, the work still needs to be done in collaboration with your counsellor.
Research shows that the connection with your counsellor—how safe, understood, and supported you feel—is a key factor in progress and essential for positive counselling outcomes. What matters most is that EMDR helps you move toward your goals—the real value lies in your healing, not just the price tag.
How much is EMDR therapy? – Access, equity and justice
Some counselling associations suggest a standard session fee for all. It might sound fair—but it doesn’t reflect the reality of a diverse society. As an industry, counsellors need to ask themselves: who do we exclude from accessing therapy based on our pricing? Not every client can pay the same rate, and pricing should reflect the clients a counsellor chooses to work with. This is a basic principle of marketing.
At Bright Horizon Therapies, I prioritize accessibility. My variable, income-based pricing helps ensure therapy is within reach for clients from marginalized groups, including LGBTQ2S+, Black, and Indigenous communities. This approach is part of an anti-oppressive commitment to breaking down systemic barriers and creating equitable access.
When pricing is unjust: Systemic barriers
Income inequality, lack of insurance, and other systemic factors can make EMDR therapy out of reach—especially for communities already facing higher risks of trauma. Effective mental health care should be inclusive, not exclusive. Choosing a counsellor who values justice and accessibility can make your healing journey not just possible, but empowering.
How much is EMDR therapy? – Takeaway
The price of healing
The cost of EMDR therapy often depends on your personal healing journey. Recovering from a single traumatic event may require fewer sessions and cost less than working through childhood abuse or complex trauma. Breaking your recovery into smaller goals can help make therapy more manageable for your budget.
How systemic barriers affect access
Unfortunately, therapy costs can create extra barriers for marginalized communities. People without benefits, and those from LGBTQ2S+ or BIPOC backgrounds, often face higher risks of systemic trauma—and higher hurdles to accessing effective therapy. While some of these barriers are beyond your control, finding counsellors with more flexible or affordable pricing can help make healing possible.
Why the counselling field needs to change
Healing shouldn’t be a luxury. Without a broader conversation about how the counselling field can perpetuate systemic oppression, counselling risks remaining out of reach for many people. As someone within the field, I recognize that I may have blind spots and commit to critically reflecting on my own pricing. EMDR and other trauma counselling approaches need to be not only effective but also fair and inclusive—ensuring everyone has the opportunity to heal, regardless of income or benefits.
Sources
This article is informed by my professional training, lived experience in trauma recovery, ongoing study, professional practice, and the works of trusted authors and organizations in trauma recovery, mental health, and social justice. The references below include the books, trainings, and evidence-based resources that shaped the ideas discussed here:
Greenwald, R. (2020). EMDR basic training, approved by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). [Online professional training]. Trauma Institute & Child Trauma Institute
Davis, E., & Marchand, J. (2021). Attachment and dissociation assessment and treatment [Online professional training]. R. Cassidey Seminars
