Deciding whether a client is a good fit for online EMDR, and making sure they've genuinely consented to the remote format, is part of good remote practice. This is an overview of the considerations that tend to come up, not a set of rules. The specifics of what you must screen for and document vary by country and licensing board, so treat your own professional guidelines as the final word.
Remote EMDR opens treatment to clients who can’t easily attend in person. It also asks you to think carefully about suitability and consent in ways that in-person work sometimes takes for granted.
Screening: is remote a good fit?
There’s no universal checklist for who is suitable for online EMDR, and the decision rests on your clinical judgment and training. That said, a few considerations commonly inform it. Hold these as questions to weigh, not thresholds to enforce.
- Stability and current functioning. How settled is the client right now, and how well can they tolerate activation between sessions when you’re not in the room?
- Support at home. Who, if anyone, is around after a difficult session? A client with support nearby is in a different position from one who is entirely alone.
- A private, safe space. Does the client have somewhere they can speak freely and process without being interrupted or overheard? Without it, remote EMDR is hard to do well.
- Dissociation risk. Clients who dissociate more readily may be harder to track and ground over video. This doesn’t rule remote work out, but it’s worth weighing in how you plan and pace sessions.
- Comfort with the technology. A client who finds the technology stressful may spend energy on it that would otherwise go into the work. A short practice call can settle this, as noted in our pre-session checklist.
These are considerations, not rules
None of the above automatically qualifies or disqualifies a client. They're prompts to inform the judgment you're already trained to make. Your professional guidelines and clinical assessment come first.
Informed consent for the remote format
Whatever consent process you already use, the remote format adds a few things worth covering explicitly so your client knows what they’re agreeing to.
A plan for technical failure
Tell your client, in plain terms, what happens if the video call drops or the audio fails mid-session. Agree on a backup channel, usually a phone call, and make clear that a technical glitch isn’t a reason to panic. Knowing the plan ahead of time keeps a dropped connection from becoming distressing.
Privacy of the setting
In the office you control the room. Remotely, you don’t. Talk with your client about choosing a private space, using headphones, and making sure they won’t be overheard or interrupted. Consent here is partly about a shared understanding of who is responsible for privacy on each end.
Recording policy
Be explicit about whether anything is recorded. Many therapists record nothing; whatever your policy, state it clearly and get agreement. Your client should never be unsure whether a session is being captured.
Emergency procedures and local resources
Cover what happens in a crisis. Because your client may be far from you, you need their physical location, an emergency contact, and the crisis and emergency numbers local to them. Walk through this together so the client knows the plan too. Our post on grounding techniques for remote EMDR covers the in-session side of managing difficult moments.
Requirements vary by region
Rules on remote consent, documentation, cross-border practice, and record-keeping differ by country, state, and licensing board, and they change. This article can't give legal advice. Consult your own licensing board or professional association for what applies to you.
Data and privacy: what CloudEMDR collects
Part of informed consent is being able to tell your client how the tools you use handle their information. With CloudEMDR, the answer is simple.
CloudEMDR collects no client data. Your client doesn’t create an account or enter any personal details; in a Remote Session they simply open a link and press Start Session. All communication runs over SSL, and CloudEMDR is built to be GDPR compliant. You can point clients to our security overview and read more in our post on GDPR compliance in digital therapy.
That doesn’t cover your whole setup, of course. Your video platform, your notes, and your own records each have their own privacy considerations, and those are worth reviewing as part of your consent process. But the EMDR tool itself adds no client data to worry about.
Documenting consent
Whatever you decide, document it the way your professional guidelines require. A brief record that you discussed the remote format, the technical and privacy considerations, the emergency plan, and any recording policy, and that the client agreed, protects both of you and makes the shared understanding concrete.
Screening and consent aren’t hurdles to clear before the real work starts. Done well, they build the trust and safety that make remote EMDR effective in the first place.
A tool that keeps client data out of the picture
CloudEMDR collects no client data, runs over SSL, and is GDPR compliant, so it's one fewer thing to worry about in your consent process. Try Pro Remote Sessions free for the first three weeks.