Becoming a Trauma Therapist in California
California has no separate trauma therapist license. You become a trauma therapist by earning a mental health license, such as the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), and then adding training, supervised experience and, if you choose, a private certification in trauma treatment.
Two private trauma credentials open to California therapists are certification from the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) and the Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) from Evergreen Certifications. Both require a license for independent practice, so the license comes first. EMDR training itself can begin before licensure, because EMDRIA-approved basic training is open to some graduate students and to associates working under supervision.
What Does a Trauma Therapist Do?
A trauma therapist assesses and treats people who are struggling after traumatic events, using treatments designed for trauma. The National Center for PTSD at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that the talk therapies that work best for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Prolonged Exposure (PE). It calls these therapies trauma-focused, which "means that the treatment focuses on the traumatic event and what it means to you," and says they usually last about 8 to 16 sessions.
In these treatments, clients work through the trauma by visualizing, talking or thinking about the traumatic event until it becomes less upsetting, and the therapist guides that process from session to session. In California, this work falls within the scope of the state's mental health licenses. The marriage and family therapy law, for example, covers assessing and treating "relational issues, emotional disorders, behavioral problems, mental illness" (Business and Professions Code section 4980.02(a)).
Is "Trauma Therapist" a Separate License in California?
No. California has no separate trauma therapist license. The Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) licenses four professions: marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, professional clinical counselors and educational psychologists. The Board of Psychology licenses psychologists. "Trauma therapist" describes a specialty that therapists in these professions develop. A certification records specific training, and the license is what authorizes independent practice.
Trauma credentials are issued by private organizations and are separate from state licensure. EMDRIA describes its certification as recognition that a licensed mental health professional "has demonstrated advanced competency in EMDR therapy beyond basic training." Evergreen Certifications, which issues the CCTP, says it is "an independent organization" that is "not connected to any state or national boards at this time," and its certification page states that certification "does not imply endorsement of clinical competency." The general difference between these kinds of credentials is covered in license vs. certification vs. registration for California therapists.
What Underlying License Do You Need?
You need one of California's mental health licenses, and both EMDRIA certification and the CCTP require that it be a full license for independent practice. EMDRIA certification is open to clinicians "fully licensed to engage in private, independent practice," and the CCTP requires a license held with all training hours and supervision requirements completed for independent practice. In California, that means a license from the BBS or the Board of Psychology, such as the LMFT.
The LMFT path shows what reaching that point involves. It requires a qualifying master's degree, registration as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT), at least 3,000 hours of supervised experience gained over at least 104 weeks, and passing the California Law and Ethics Exam and the clinical exam. Associates practice under supervision, and the BBS treats independent practice before licensure, including opening one's own office, as unlicensed practice. Associates can see clients affected by trauma as part of their supervised work and can take EMDR basic training. EMDRIA certification and the CCTP must wait until they are licensed.
How Do You Become EMDR Certified in California?
You become EMDR certified through EMDRIA in two stages: an EMDRIA-approved EMDR basic training, and then EMDRIA certification once you hold a license for independent practice. EMDR certification is a credential of EMDRIA, a professional association, and California does not issue a separate one.
Basic training comes first. An EMDRIA-approved basic training includes at least 20 hours of instruction, 20 hours of supervised practicum and 10 hours of consultation, and its length and format vary by training site. It is open to licensed clinicians, to pre-licensed clinicians such as associates who hold a mental health master's degree and work under a licensed supervisor, and to graduate students who have finished their core coursework and are in the practicum or internship part of their program. First-year graduate students are not eligible, and individual trainers may add their own criteria.
Certification comes after licensure. Applicants must be fully licensed for independent practice, must have completed basic training in its entirety, and must attest to at least two years of experience in their licensed field. They must conduct at least 50 EMDR sessions with at least 25 clients and, after basic training, complete at least 20 hours of consultation with an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, at least 10 of them individual, within the five years before applying. They also need at least 12 hours of EMDRIA Credits (continuing education in EMDR), a recommendation from an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and two colleague letters. The fee is $150 for EMDRIA Full Members and $350 for non-members, and the credential renews every two years.
What Is the CCTP Certification?
The Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) is a certification that Evergreen Certifications, a private company, issues to licensed clinicians who document training in trauma assessment and treatment. Applicants need at least a master's degree in their profession and a state or national license, with all training hours and supervision requirements completed for independent practice. They also need at least 12 clock hours of continuing education in trauma assessment and treatment, from courses completed within three years of applying. The certification page lists no exam. The fee is $99.99, and renewal requires six hours of continuing education each year. For pre-licensed clinicians and graduate students, Evergreen points to a different credential, the Certified Trauma Professional.
Therapists who work with children and adolescents can also pursue certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), which requires a license that includes a passed licensing exam; the guide to becoming a child therapist describes its requirements.
Is Trauma Certification Required to Practice Trauma Therapy in California?
No. The requirements for California's mental health licenses, and for registration as an associate, do not include a private trauma certification. EMDRIA's own rules show that therapists use EMDR before they are certified: applicants must already have conducted at least 50 EMDR sessions with at least 25 clients.
What the rules do require is competence. The marriage and family therapy law defines unprofessional conduct to include performing, or holding oneself out as being able to perform, mental health services "beyond the scope of one's competence, as established by one's education, training, or experience" (Business and Professions Code section 4982(s)). Supervisors carry the same duty for the people they supervise and may not let a trainee or associate perform mental health services beyond the supervisee's level of education, training or experience (section 4982(t)). For trauma work, training and supervised experience are what the rules call for, with or without a certificate. A certificate is one way to document that training.
Why Clinical Skill Rehearsal Matters for This Work
Trauma-focused therapy asks clients to talk or think about the traumatic event until it becomes less upsetting, and guiding a client through that process is a clinical skill. Rousmaniere and Vaz (2025) describe how knowledge about therapy "does not automatically translate into competent clinical performance when a therapist faces a real client."
The trauma field builds practice into its own training. An EMDRIA-approved basic training pairs its 20 hours of instruction with 20 hours of supervised practicum and 10 hours of consultation, and EMDRIA certification adds at least 20 more hours of consultation with an approved consultant. Deliberate practice applies the same idea earlier in training: trainees rehearse specific therapeutic responses, receive feedback and repeat them until they can use them with clients. Video review of real sessions continues the process once a trainee is seeing clients, because a supervisor can see what actually happened in the session.
A Closer Look at One Program: The Sentio MFT Program
Programs differ in where students complete their clinical training and which clients they serve. Every student in the Sentio MFT program has a guaranteed practicum at the Sentio Counseling Center, an online counseling center that serves diverse, low-income clients and specializes in serving clients with trauma. Students begin seeing clients in their second semester and complete more than 400 supervised clinical hours before graduating, and supervisors review video of their sessions.
The program is a 20-month, 60-credit Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, based in Los Angeles and open to students across California, with weekly live online classes and a short in-person residency in Los Angeles at the start of each semester. Students train in deliberate practice every week, rehearsing specific therapeutic skills with feedback. In the Class of 2026, the program's first graduating class, 100% of graduates were registered as Associate Marriage and Family Therapists within six weeks of graduation.
Making Your Decision
If trauma work is your goal, plan the path in order. The degree and license come first, since EMDRIA certification and the CCTP both require a license for independent practice. EMDR basic training can begin once you have finished your core coursework and are in practicum, or during your associate years, and EMDRIA certification or the CCTP can follow licensure. When you compare degree programs, ask where students complete practicum and whether the clients there include people affected by trauma, because supervised work with those clients is where trauma skills begin.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I become a trauma therapist in California?
Earn a California mental health license, then add training in trauma treatment. California has no separate trauma therapist license, so trauma therapists practice under licenses such as the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). The LMFT path requires a qualifying master's degree, at least 3,000 hours of supervised experience over at least 104 weeks as a trainee and registered associate, and two exams. EMDR basic training can start during practicum or the associate years, and private certifications such as EMDRIA certification and the CCTP follow full licensure.
Is there a trauma therapist license in California?
No. California has no separate trauma therapist license. The Board of Behavioral Sciences licenses marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, professional clinical counselors and educational psychologists, and the Board of Psychology licenses psychologists. A therapist who specializes in trauma holds one of these licenses and builds the specialty through training and supervised experience. Trauma credentials such as EMDRIA certification and the Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) are private certifications, separate from state licensure.
How do I get EMDR certified in California?
EMDR certification comes from the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA), a professional association. The steps are an EMDRIA-approved basic training, a license for independent practice, at least 50 EMDR sessions with at least 25 clients, at least 20 hours of consultation with an EMDRIA Approved Consultant (at least 10 of them individual), at least 12 hours of EMDRIA Credits, and letters of recommendation. Applicants also attest to at least two years of experience in their licensed field. The fee is $150 for EMDRIA Full Members and $350 for non-members, and the credential renews every two years.
Can graduate students or associates take EMDR training?
Yes, with conditions. EMDRIA-approved basic training is open to graduate students who have finished their core coursework and are in the practicum or internship part of their program, and to pre-licensed clinicians such as associates who hold a mental health master's degree and work under a licensed supervisor. First-year graduate students are not eligible, and individual trainers may add their own criteria. EMDRIA certification is different, because it requires a license for independent practice, so associates must wait until they are licensed.
What is the CCTP certification?
The Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) is a certification issued by Evergreen Certifications, a private company that says it is not connected to any state or national board. Applicants need at least a master's degree, a license for independent practice, and at least 12 clock hours of continuing education in trauma assessment and treatment completed within three years of applying. The certification page lists no exam, and renewal requires six hours of continuing education a year. Evergreen states that certification does not imply endorsement of clinical competency.
Do you need a certification to be a trauma therapist?
No. The requirements for California's mental health licenses, and for registration as an associate working under supervision, do not include a private trauma certification. What the rules do require is competence: under California's licensing law, a therapist may not offer services beyond the competence established by their education, training and experience. EMDRIA's own requirements show that therapists use EMDR before certification, since applicants must already have conducted at least 50 EMDR sessions with at least 25 clients.
How long is EMDR basic training?
An EMDRIA-approved basic training includes at least 20 hours of instruction, 20 hours of supervised practicum and 10 hours of consultation. EMDRIA publishes these minimums, and the length and format of each training vary by training site. Basic training is the first step toward EMDRIA certification, which also requires a license for independent practice, at least 50 EMDR sessions and at least 20 hours of consultation.
References
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2025). Important answers to frequently asked questions for associate marriage and family therapists and MFT trainees. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/mft_faq.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026). Statutes and regulations relating to the practice of professional clinical counseling, marriage and family therapy, educational psychology, clinical social work. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/lawsregs.pdf
California Legislature. (2025). Business and Professions Code section 4982. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4982
EMDR International Association. (n.d.-a). Eligibility requirements for EMDR training. https://www.emdria.org/emdr-training/eligibility-requirements-for-emdr-training/
EMDR International Association. (n.d.-b). EMDR basic training. https://www.emdria.org/emdr-training/
EMDR International Association. (n.d.-c). EMDRIA certified therapist. https://www.emdria.org/emdr-training/emdr-certification-2/
Evergreen Certifications. (n.d.-a). Certified clinical trauma professional (CCTP). https://www.evergreencertifications.com/certification/certified-clinical-trauma-professional/
Evergreen Certifications. (n.d.-b). FAQs. https://www.evergreencertifications.com/faqs/
National Center for PTSD. (2026). PTSD treatment basics. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/tx_basics.asp
Rousmaniere, T., and Vaz, A. (2025). Sentio's clinic-to-classroom method: Bridging deliberate practice and clinical training. Psychotherapy Bulletin, 60(2), 79-84. https://societyforpsychotherapy.org/sentios-clinic-to-classroom-methodbridging-deliberate-practice-and-clinical-training/
TF-CBT Certification Program. (n.d.). Certification. https://tfcbt.org/certification/
