Meet Deany Laliotis

Meet Deany Laliotis, Founder of The Center

I’m Deany Laliotis and I am passionate about the power of EMDR therapy to transform lives. Since 1993, I have had the privilege of working very closely with Dr. Francine Shapiro, the originator of EMDR, I was the Director of Training for the EMDR Institute, the training program developed by Dr. Shapiro that trained clinicians all over the world. My husband, Dan Merlis was also on the teaching faculty of the EMDR Institute. We have trained thousands of EMDR therapists over the years and now run a Center for EMDR therapy training, headquartered in Washington DC.

EMDR Is an Integrated Psychotherapy for Transformational Healing

I travel all over the US and abroad, teaching therapists how to apply EMDR therapy as a comprehensive relational psychotherapy. I focus on the treatment of complex trauma, healing wounds of attachment and other challenging presentations. In this EMDR video tutorial, I unpack all the elements that are part of EMDR Therapy—attachment theory, somatic therapy, parts work, the therapeutic relationship and more. Then I explain how they work together with EMDR to offer clients transformational healing that lasts.

Trainees Asked. Deany Laliotis Answered.

Now, over the years, my trainees have told me that they could not find a training program that adequately prepared them for treating more complex and challenging clinical presentations.

After training with me, therapists experience how EMDR Therapy accelerates healing for their clients and creates lasting change in their lives.I also train therapists to use EMDR Therapy to streamline the resolution of everyday issues related to relationships, substance abuse, depression and anxiety. In all of my trainings, I actively promote personal growth as well as professional development.

Nor could they find other trainings that viewed EMDR as a comprehensive therapy for the broad range of common issues clients bring into their practices every day. After training with me, therapists experienced how EMDR Therapy accelerated healing for their clients and created lasting change in their lives. They saw how EMDR therapy was compatible with other approaches—cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, somatic, and relational. And they wanted more training that could help them grow into full EMDR Mastery.

Learn more about Deany Laliotis’ experiences training around the world

Deany Laliotis on the value of going beyond the protocols

Introducing the Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy Training

It was their enthusiasm for my approach and their expressed desire for a path to professional and personal development that inspired me to establish a new center for EMDR therapy training and certification. The Center offers a complete continuum of EMDR trainings—from EMDRIA-approved basic to a variety of advanced and specialty trainings and finally to EMDR Master-level courses and retreats.

Find out what Deany Laliotis is doing now.

Save Your Seat

December 4
EMDR Refresher Training • One Day • Online
December 10 - December 12
Intermediate EMDR Training for Real-World Challenges • Online
January 7, 2022 - January 9, 2022
EMDR Basic Training • Online • Early Winter 2022

see all

Watch & Learn

Deany Laliotis shares examples from clinical practice to illustrate the challenges of working with trauma through teletherapy…

"The best training I’ve attended in my 14 years with EMDR! I had huge insights into my clinical work as well as my own self."

"An EXCELLENT presentation and seminar! Ms. Laliotis is clearly an expert – I greatly appreciated the detail and her skill at teaching."

"Deany’s passion for her work and clients (and EMDR) is palpable. I have never attended a seminar in which the presenter was so greatly skilled and also so patient and open-minded – no question was too simple."

"I gained significantly from this training! I am eager to integrate new knowledge and awareness with my clients and to share it with my fellow therapists."

"I appreciate Deany’s experience, expertise, and enthusiasm in helping others. I’m so glad she makes time in her calendar for trainings and consultation experiences."

"The training and information was inspirational! I believe that I will be able to incorporate the information and tools into my existing skill set and start using it immediately with clients."

"I have seen Deany present several times and I continue to learn from her expertise. I love the way she relates and connects to her audience. I imagine that it is very similar to how she connects with her clients."

"Deany is very real and authentic and vulnerable in a strong way. I greatly admire and respect her. My goal is to be as good as she is at interweaving someday. She truly has a gift!"

"I’ve never seen any presenter respond to questions as kindly and effectively as Deany does. I’ve been working on understanding attachment styles and this training has given me the chance to consolidate and integrate what I know. I will do better work as a result. Thank you!"

"This workshop was a powerful and instrumental part of my professional development. It offered me profound insight into the work I do."

"The workshop was just fantastic – not just the content but the overall experience! It expanded my growth both professionally and personally. I feel like I will be a better therapist as a result."

"Deany is a phenomenal speaker, presenter, and truly a healer. It was such an honor to learn from and her transparency in her work is amazing. I will take so much from this training into my own work with clients."

"Deany is just amazing! I got a glimpse of this during my first weekend of Basic Training, but I learned so much with this workshop; going so much deeper. I had a personal breakthrough in the dyad work that will serve me well both personally and professionally."

"Amazing! I really appreciated everything, but most of all the videos, examples, and discussions about specific cases and clients. I got indispensable input that relates to my own clients and new techniques that will help in the future. It was an unbelievable experience."

"So much more than a professional training! I will absolutely leave here with so much more for my clients but I have also gained so much personally. It’s been transformative. Thank you!"

"The retreat was an excellent experience in terms of learning and personal growth. I would love to attend more of Deany’s workshops. She is a wealth of knowledge and superb presenter."

"Deany is such a gifted teacher and mentor. It was very helpful to have the opportunity to weave together in real-time what we were learning in the lectures, discussions, and videos while being facilitated and facilitating each other in dyads."

"This was amazing. I’m really glad I came to this – just what I needed to review my clinical attachment knowledge and put it in the context of the great therapeutic framework of EMDR. Deany was organized, personable, and super engaging/easy to listen to. I’ve never been to a conference where the time flew by and I felt a little sad it was ending."

"Best conference–I can’t say enough about how much I learned and what a powerful presenter and educator Deany is. The most adept clinician I’ve probably ever seen!"

"This is one of the best trainings I’ve been to! Clarity in the process is much improved for me. Thank you for what you bring to the profession and all of our clients as a result!"

"Deany is able to teach technical information with a caring and grounded feeling. I appreciate her skill and intuition – very beneficial to me and my practice."

"Most useful training I have attended in years! I feel a new sense of direction with my clients and a confidence that I will be able to apply the principles in practice."