The Short Answer: What Does EMDR Cost in California?

In California, in-person EMDR therapy typically runs $150 to $350 per session for a standard 50–90 minute session. In Southern California specifically — cities like Escondido, Del Mar, San Diego, and Los Angeles — the average tends to fall in the $150–$300 range per session.

Here's a quick breakdown by format:

Typical Cost in California

Standard session (50–60 min) $150–$350

Extended session (90 min) $350–$450

EMDR Intensive (2–3 hours) $600–$900+

EMDR Intensive (full day, 6 hours) $1,500–$2,000/day

PhD-level therapist $400–$450/ 60 min session

What Other EMDR Therapists Charge in California

From my own research and professional experience in the California therapy market, here's what I've observed:

• Licensed therapists (LMFT, LCSW) with EMDR training: typically $150–$300/session

• PhD-level psychologists: around $400–$450/session, though in my experience, many PhDs don't offer the intensive format at all

• EMDR Intensives (multi-hour or multi-day formats): I've seen therapists charge $2,000 per day for a 6-hour intensive — which, when you break it down, is a competitive rate for the depth of work involved

Location matters too. Therapists in Los Angeles and San Francisco tend to charge on the higher end, while those in smaller cities or suburbs may price more moderately. That said, Southern California — particularly coastal areas like Del Mar and the greater San Diego region — still commands strong rates, with most experienced EMDR therapists charging $200–$350 per session.

Does Insurance Cover EMDR in California?

This is where things get nuanced — and where a lot of clients get frustrated.

The good news: If you have a PPO with out-of-network benefits, you may be able to get reimbursed for a significant portion of your EMDR therapy costs. I've had clients with strong PPO plans receive back up to 80% of session fees after submitting a superbill.

The catch: Many insurance companies will only reimburse for a single therapy hour — even if your session was two or three hours. This is a real limitation for clients doing intensive-format EMDR. Insurance companies weren't designed with trauma intensives in mind, and the billing codes for psychotherapy (like CPT 90837 for a 60-minute session) don't always translate cleanly to a two-hour somatic intensive.

Here's what I recommend:

• Call your insurance provider before starting therapy. Ask specifically about out-of-network psychotherapy benefits and whether they reimburse extended sessions.

• Ask your therapist for a superbill. Most private-pay EMDR therapists can provide one, which you submit directly to your insurance for reimbursement.

• HMO plans are unlikely to cover out-of-network EMDR. PPO plans are your best bet.

• HSA/FSA funds can typically be used for EMDR therapy — worth checking if you have one.

Why Somatic EMDR Is Different From Talk Therapy (And Why It's Worth the Investment)

Here's something I wish every potential client knew before they started their search:

EMDR — and especially somatic EMDR — is not like traditional talk therapy. In talk therapy, you can articulate everything. You can say all the words, name all the feelings, gain all the insights — and still not feel meaningfully different. That's not a failure of effort. It's a limitation of the medium.

Somatic EMDR works differently. It invites the body back into the conversation. Trauma isn't just stored in our thoughts — it's held in the nervous system, in the body, in the places we've learned to brace, numb, or disconnect from. When clients work with me, they're not just processing memories cognitively. They're reacquainting themselves with their body's wisdom. They're releasing sensations that have been stuck for years — sometimes decades.

I've seen profound change happen in two hours that years of talk therapy couldn't accomplish. That's not a knock on talk therapy; it's a testament to what becomes possible when we engage the whole person.

That's why I work exclusively in the in-person, intensive format in California — because the body work requires presence, attunement, and time.

Is EMDR Therapy Worth the Cost?

That depends on what you're comparing it to.

Compared to years of weekly therapy that produces gradual, incremental change — EMDR intensives can compress that timeline dramatically. Many of my clients experience more meaningful shifts in one or two sessions than they had in months of traditional therapy.

Compared to the ongoing cost of not treating trauma — the relationship strain, the career impacts, the health consequences of a chronically dysregulated nervous system — the cost of EMDR starts to look very different.

My honest take: If you're dealing with trauma, PTSD, or deeply stored emotional pain, somatic EMDR is one of the most efficient, effective, and transformative investments you can make in your wellbeing. The price of a session is real. So is the cost of staying stuck.

Quick Summary: EMDR Therapy Costs in California

• Standard sessions: $150–$350/session (50–90 minutes)

• Intensive sessions (2–3 hours): $600–$900+

• Multi-day intensives: $1,500–$2,000/day

• Insurance: PPO out-of-network can cover up to 80%, but may not reimburse multi-hour formats in full

• My rate: $300/hour, 2-hour minimum ($600/session), in person in Escondido and Del Mar, CA