EMDR Fidelity Rating Scale (EFRS)

The EMDR Fidelity Rating Scale is a tool to evaluate adherence to EMDR therapy’s standard eight-phase treatment approach and three-pronged protocol.

Resource Description

“The EMDR Fidelity Rating Scale (EFRS) is a 5-part application that evaluates adherence to EMDR therapy’s standard eight-phase treatment approach and three-pronged protocol (Shapiro, 2001, 2018). Originally developed for use in a study by van der Kolk et al. (2007), the Scale has been revised and expanded over the years after receiving feedback from researchers and raters who had used the scale. The EFRS can be used in the evaluation of EMDR treatment sessions for any disorder or presenting problem in which standard EMDR procedural steps and the three-pronged protocol are used to address either memories of adverse life experiences or current triggers eliciting distress.

The EFRS is a comprehensive rating instrument used to assess treatment integrity in a single EMDR session and over the course of EMDR treatment. While the EFRS was developed for use in research studies, it can also be used by individual clinicians to monitor fidelity in their own treatment sessions, or by EMDR consultants when assisting clinicians in the development of their EMDR therapy skills. It includes the EFRS Scoring Workbook, which contains an embedded calculator that automatically calculates (1) scores for each session, (2) a therapist’s overall fidelity, and (3) the overall fidelity for a research study.”

—Description from publisher

Resource Access

Open Access

Korn, D. L., Maxfield, L., Stickgold, R., & Smyth, N. J. (2023). EMDR Fidelity Rating Scale (EFRS), Version 2. EMDR Research Foundation. Retrieved from https://emdrfoundation.org/research-grants/emdr-fidelity-rating-scale/