Online EMDR Therapist & Counsellor — UK & International
Pete Tobias Counselling
Specialist EMDR Therapy Online – Accessible Across the UK
Are you struggling with the impact of trauma, anxiety, or distressing memories? EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a powerful, evidence-based approach that helps people process and heal from overwhelming experiences.
I’m Pete Tobias – a BACP-accredited counsellor and EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner offering online EMDR therapy to adults across the UK. I work exclusively online with clients seeking focused trauma therapy in a confidential, supportive space.
Why Choose EMDR Therapy?
EMDR is a structured approach that helps your brain process stuck memories and responses. Whether you’re dealing with PTSD, childhood trauma, abuse, or anxiety linked to past events, EMDR can help you find relief and move forward. Many people choose EMDR when talking therapy alone hasn’t been enough.
EMDR is particularly effective for:
- PTSD and complex trauma
- Childhood neglect or abuse
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Intrusive thoughts or flashbacks
- Phobias and performance anxiety
- Low self-worth linked to past experiences
Online EMDR Therapy from the Comfort of Your Home
Online EMDR is just as effective as in-person sessions—and can be more accessible and comfortable. I use secure, encrypted platforms to guide clients through every phase of the EMDR process, from preparation and resourcing to reprocessing and integration.
My work is trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, and always paced at a level that feels safe for you. I bring care, clarity, and clinical structure to each session.
Online EMDR Therapy with Pete Tobias
You Are Not Alone In This
Taking the first step towards therapy can feel daunting — particularly when you're carrying something difficult. The consultation is a relaxed, no-pressure conversation lasting around 15 minutes. There's no expectation, no commitment, and nothing you need to prepare. It's simply an opportunity to ask any questions you have, share a little about what's bringing you to therapy, and get a sense of what it might feel like to work together. Many people find that just having that first conversation makes everything feel more manageable.
Pete is a BACP Accredited Counsellor and EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner — bringing both clinical expertise and lived experience to every session.
Book your free 15-Minute Consultation
What to expect
- The call lasts 15 minutes via secure video
- There's no obligation to book further sessions
- You'll hear a little about how I work
- We'll agree next steps together if it feels right
Who it's for
- You're considering EMDR for the first time
- You've tried other therapy but want something different
- You're based anywhere in the UK or internationally
- You prefer to get a feel for things before committing
How online EMDR works
Online EMDR follows the same eight-phase protocol used in face-to-face therapy. Using bilateral stimulation delivered through your screen — or self-administered tapping — your therapist guides you in processing distressing memories at a pace that feels right for you. Most people are surprised by how quickly they begin to notice a shift. You don't need to talk in detail about what happened. EMDR works with the brain's own natural healing process, helping memories that have become "stuck" to be stored in a new, less distressing way.
Is online EMDR right for you?
Online EMDR is suitable for adults experiencing the effects of trauma, whether recent or from many years ago. It can be particularly helpful if you've tried talking therapy before but felt it didn't quite reach the root of things. It is also well-suited to people with busy lives, those who find it difficult to attend in-person appointments, or anyone who simply feels more comfortable processing difficult experiences from their own home. A free initial consultation helps establish whether EMDR is the right fit for you and what you're bringing to therapy.
Who you'll be working with
Your sessions are with a fully accredited EMDR Europe practitioner with extensive experience working with trauma, anxiety, and complex presentations. Pete Tobias is accredited with EMDR UK and is committed to ongoing training and supervision to ensure the highest standard of care. All work is carried out within a clear ethical framework and in accordance with GDPR. You will always be met with warmth, professionalism, and without judgement — wherever you are in your journey.
“Working with Pete, I was finally able to process my past trauma and truly accept myself. I'm deeply thankful.”
Client M
Online EMDR Therapy | UK & International
Wherever you are in the UK or around the world, online EMDR therapy sessions take place on a secure, encrypted video platform — so you can focus entirely on your work together. Online EMDR is available to clients across the UK and to many international clients — get in touch to find out if sessions are available in your location.
Online EMDR Therapy — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between EMDR and counselling?
Counselling tends to work through talking — exploring your thoughts, feelings, relationships, and experiences in depth. EMDR is more structured and less focused on verbal processing. Rather than analysing what happened, it helps your nervous system and memory networks actually process it differently, using bilateral stimulation. Some talking is still part of the work, but it's not the main mechanism of change.
What is the difference between EMDR and CBT?
CBT primarily focuses on identifying and changing patterns of thinking and behaviour. EMDR focuses on helping the brain process distressing experiences and memories that continue to influence current difficulties. Both are evidence-based — they just work in fundamentally different ways.
What does bilateral stimulation mean?
Bilateral stimulation refers to alternating left-right stimulation — such as eye movements, tapping, or sounds — used as part of the EMDR process. It's what makes EMDR distinctive, and it can be delivered in several ways depending on what feels most comfortable for you.
Why do people choose EMDR therapy?
People often choose EMDR because it's an evidence-based approach that can help process difficult experiences, reduce emotional distress, and create lasting change — particularly when other approaches haven't quite reached the root of things.
Can EMDR help when talking therapy hasn't worked?
This is one of the most common reasons people come to EMDR, and it makes complete sense. You can spend years understanding why something affected you and still feel the weight of it in your body and emotions. EMDR works differently — it helps the brain process experiences that have become "stuck," rather than analysing them from the outside. Many people find it reaches places that conversation alone couldn't.
What do I need for online EMDR therapy?
Just a device with a camera and microphone (laptop or tablet), a stable internet connection, and a private space where you won't be interrupted. Before your first session I'll send you simple guidance on how to set up your space so you feel safe, comfortable, and ready to begin.
Is online EMDR available internationally?
Yes. Online EMDR sessions are available to clients across the UK and internationally. If you're based outside the UK and would like to check availability in your location, get in touch and I'll be happy to help.
what emdr can help with:
Can EMDR help with childhood trauma?
Yes, and this is one of the areas where EMDR really comes into its own. Whether you experienced neglect, emotional or physical abuse, bullying, loss, or other painful experiences growing up, EMDR can help you process the lasting effects of those years — not just understand them, but genuinely feel differently about them.
Is EMDR effective for complex trauma?
Complex trauma — sometimes called relational trauma or complex PTSD (C-PTSD) — differs from single-incident PTSD in important ways. Where PTSD typically develops in response to one or more discrete traumatic events, complex trauma usually arises from prolonged, repeated experiences — often in the context of relationships, such as childhood neglect or abuse, domestic violence, or chronic emotional harm.
EMDR is a versatile psychotherapy that can be carefully adapted to work effectively with complex trauma. Rather than following the standard EMDR protocol used for single-incident trauma, working with complex trauma typically requires a longer preparation phase — building internal resources, developing a strong therapeutic relationship, and ensuring the nervous system can tolerate the processing work before it begins.
When this groundwork is in place, EMDR can be a highly effective approach for complex trauma — helping to process the layered, interconnected memories and beliefs that often underpin C-PTSD presentations.
Can EMDR help with emotional abuse and neglect?
Yes. The long-term effects of emotional abuse, neglect, criticism, rejection, and painful relational experiences can run very deep — affecting self-esteem, relationships, and how you feel about yourself day to day. EMDR can help process those experiences at their root, rather than just managing the symptoms. EMDR can also be combined with relational cousnelling to work on developmental gaps and rupture and repair.
Can EMDR help with difficult childhood experiences?
Yes. EMDR can help process experiences from childhood that continue to influence emotions, beliefs, relationships, and behaviour in adult life — even experiences that are hard to name or fully articulate
Can EMDR help with shame and low self-worth?
Yes, and this is deeply important work. Shame and low self-worth often have roots in specific experiences — things that were done or said, or that we concluded about ourselves as a result. EMDR can help address those experiences directly, supporting a shift toward more honest and compassionate ways of seeing yourself.
Can EMDR help with anxiety?
Yes. Anxiety is often connected to unresolved experiences, patterns, or stressors — and those connections can be explored and processed within EMDR. It's not just about managing symptoms; it's about getting to what's underneath them.
Can EMDR help with panic attacks?
EMDR may help reduce panic symptoms when they are linked to specific experiences, memories, fears, or underlying emotional triggers. If panic feels like it has a history behind it, that's often where the work begins.
Can EMDR help with intrusive thoughts?
EMDR can be helpful when intrusive thoughts are connected to distressing experiences, anxiety, or unprocessed memories. Rather than trying to push thoughts away, EMDR works with what's driving them.
Can EMDR help with health anxiety?
EMDR may help where health anxiety is linked to distressing experiences, medical events, fears, or beliefs that continue to trigger anxiety responses. If worry about health feels disproportionate or hard to reason your way out of, there may be something deeper worth exploring.
Can EMDR help with social anxiety?
Yes. EMDR can help explore and process experiences that contribute to fears of judgement, rejection, embarrassment, or social situations — particularly when those fears have roots in past experiences.
Can EMDR help with anxiety linked to past experiences?
Yes. EMDR is specifically designed to help process experiences that continue to trigger emotional distress in the present — the connection between past and present is often exactly where the work happens.
Can autistic adults benefit from EMDR therapy?
Absolutely. EMDR can be adapted in lots of ways — to suit different sensory preferences, communication styles, and processing differences. Good therapy should always be collaborative and flexible, and that's especially true here. We'd work together to find an approach that genuinely fits you.
Can EMDR help if I don't remember everything that happened?
Yes. You don't need complete recall for EMDR to be helpful. The work focuses on what's present now — the emotions, body sensations, beliefs, and fragments of memory that are currently causing distress — rather than requiring a full account of the past.
What to Expect in Sessions
What happens during the first EMDR session?
The first session is mostly about getting to know each other — understanding your history, what's been difficult, and what you're hoping for. We won't necessarily begin processing straight away. That part comes when the groundwork is in place and you feel ready.
Do I need to talk in detail about what happened?
No — and for many people, that's a relief to hear. One of the things that makes EMDR different is that you don't need to describe everything in detail. We'll identify what to work on together, but you won't be asked to recount traumatic events at length. The processing happens internally, not through retelling.
How is bilateral stimulation delivered online?
There are a few options, and we choose together based on what feels most comfortable for you. You might follow a moving dot on screen, listen to alternating tones through headphones, or use self-administered tapping. For online sessions, I use a dedicated EMDR platform called Bilateral Base, which is designed specifically for this work.
What if I become emotional during an EMDR session?
Emotional responses are completely normal and expected — they're often a sign that something real is being reached. Sessions are paced carefully, and I'll support you in staying within what feels manageable. You're never left to handle it alone.
What happens after an EMDR session?
People often feel tired, reflective, or lighter after a session — sometimes with new insights or emotions still surfacing. This is normal. We'll always talk about how to look after yourself between appointments, and there's space to check in about how things land once you're home.
IS EMDR RIGHT FOR ME?:
How do I know if EMDR is right for me?
A consultation is the best way to explore this properly. EMDR tends to be particularly helpful when distressing memories, past experiences, anxiety, or trauma are continuing to affect your daily life — even when you've tried to move past them. If something keeps pulling you back, it might be worth talking about whether EMDR could help.
How do I know if I need EMDR therapy?
If difficult experiences, distressing memories, anxiety, strong emotional reactions, or patterns in relationships keep affecting your life — even when part of you understands why — it may be worth exploring what EMDR could offer. You don't have to be in crisis to benefit. Sometimes it's simply that you've been carrying something long enough.
What happens during an EMDR consultation?
It's a chance to talk about what's brought you to therapy, ask any questions you have about EMDR, and explore what you're hoping to get from the work. There's no pressure — it's about finding out together whether this feels like the right fit.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
There's no single answer to this, and anyone who tells you otherwise isn't being honest with you. Some people notice real shifts after a relatively small number of sessions; others benefit from longer-term work, particularly where experiences are more complex. We'll talk about this during your assessment, and we can revisit it as we go — it's always a conversation, not a fixed plan.
How quickly does EMDR work?
The pace of change varies between individuals. Some people notice shifts relatively quickly; others move through things more gradually, especially where experiences are layered or complex. There's no right timeline — only the one that's right for you.
Online EMDR:
Does online EMDR really work?
It really does, and the research backs this up. Online EMDR follows exactly the same structured protocol as in-person sessions, including the bilateral stimulation that makes EMDR distinctive. Many people actually find that being in their own home — somewhere familiar and safe — helps them feel more settled and open during the work. That sense of safety matters in trauma therapy.
Can EMDR therapy be done online?
Yes. Online EMDR follows the same evidence-based protocol used in face-to-face therapy and can be delivered effectively through secure video sessions.
Is online EMDR as effective as face-to-face EMDR?
Research suggests it can be just as effective for many people. The therapeutic relationship, the preparation, and the EMDR protocol itself remain fundamentally the same — the screen doesn't change what's happening in the room with you, or in your nervous system.
How does online EMDR therapy work?
Sessions take place on a secure video platform. After assessment and preparation, bilateral stimulation is delivered using visual, auditory, or tactile methods while you process targeted memories and experiences.
Can I have EMDR therapy from my own home?
Yes. Many people appreciate being able to do this work from a familiar, comfortable environment without the added pressure of travelling to an appointment. For some, being at home actually supports the process. You will need to have a confidential space where you can talk freely.
Is online EMDR worth it?
Many people find online EMDR to be a highly effective and accessible way to engage in specialist trauma therapy. The convenience is real — but more importantly, so are the results.
What are the benefits of online EMDR therapy?
Greater accessibility, more flexibility with scheduling, no travel time, improved privacy, and the opportunity to do meaningful therapeutic work from an environment where you already feel comfortable. For many people, these aren't small things — they're what makes therapy possible.
Can I have online EMDR therapy if I live outside the UK?
In many cases, yes. I work with clients across the UK and internationally where professional, legal, and insurance requirements allow. It's worth getting in touch to discuss your location and whether sessions are available to you — I'm happy to look into it.
What time zones can you accommodate for online EMDR sessions?
Session availability varies depending on location and scheduling. This is always worth discussing during an initial enquiry — I'll do my best to find something that works.
Practical & Technical:
What technology do I need for online EMDR sessions?
You'll need a reliable internet connection, a laptop or tablet with a camera and microphone, and — importantly — a private space where you can speak openly without being interrupted or overheard. That last part matters more than the tech.
Is online EMDR secure and confidential?
Yes. Sessions take place on a secure video platform, and your confidentiality is protected in exactly the same way as it would be face-to-face — subject to the same professional and legal requirements that apply to all therapy.
Choosing a Therapist:
What qualifications should I look for in an EMDR therapist?
Look for a therapist who has completed recognised EMDR training and receives regular clinical supervision. Accreditation — such as EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner status — shows an additional commitment to professional standards, ongoing development, and quality of practice. It's worth asking about.
What does EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner mean?
It's a recognised professional credential that reflects advanced EMDR training, substantial clinical experience, ongoing supervision, and adherence to professional standards. It goes beyond basic training and signals a serious commitment to doing this work well.
Why choose an accredited EMDR therapist?
Accreditation gives you confidence that your therapist has met recognised standards of competence, experience, and continuing professional development. When you're doing sensitive, important work, that reassurance matters.
Tell Me More About EMDR Therapy
The following animation explains the working memory theory of EMDR
Get in touch
If you have any questions about EMDR therapy or Online Counselling, you’re very welcome to get in touch. I offer a free 15-minute consultation—an opportunity for us to talk about what’s bringing you to therapy, whether EMDR could be a helpful approach, and whether we might be a good fit to work together.
You can:
- Fill out the contact form
- Or call or message me on +44 (0)7815 156 495 if you'd prefer to speak directly or leave a voicemail.
I’m happy to answer any questions you may have before booking your first appointment.
I aim to respond to all enquiries within 24 hours. All contact is treated with the utmost confidentiality and handled using secure phone and email services. You can learn more about how your information is protected by reading my Privacy Policy.