As an ESTNA-approved Certified Ego State Therapy Consultant, Cynthia provides consultation to therapists who are working towards becoming an ESTI/ESTNA Certified Ego State Therapy (EST) Therapist (see below for more information), as well as to Ego State Therapy trained Clinicians who, though not seeking certification, are still looking for support to increase their knowledge, skill, and confidence in using Ego State Therapy. Consultees must sign a written contractual consultation agreement with Cynthia in advance of consultation. Information about consultation fees can be found here. To read what others have shared about their experience with Cynthia, please visit the Kind Words page on her website.
ESTI/ESTNA-Approved Ego State Therapy Certification Consultation
Cynthia is a Certified Ego State Therapy (EST) Therapist and Certified Ego State Therapy Consultant approved by Ego State Therapy North America (ESTNA). She provides group and individual EMDR consultation to therapists who are working towards becoming an ESTI/ESTNA Certified Ego State Therapy (EST) Therapist ("certification consultation") and have already completed their foundational training. She is based in Washington state, United States (Pacific Time Zone) and provides consultation virtually.
Cynthia is fortunate to have received foundational and advanced EST training from several internationally renowned EST trainers. She completed her EST foundational training with (and Ego State Therapy consultation-of-consultation from) Wendy Lemke, a co-founder of Ego State Therapy International and global trainer in both EST and Clinical Hypnosis. Wendy originally trained under John and Helen Watkins, the founders of Ego State Therapy. Cynthia is also an ESTI/ESTNA-approved EST Training Assistant, who has assisted both Wendy Lemke in trainings based in North America and Woltemade Hartman (founder and past president of Ego State Therapy International) in trainings based in Iran. Cynthia has also received advanced EST training from Dr. Hartman, Dr. Silvia Zanotta (the founder of Ego State Therapy Switzerland), and Dr. Callie Hattingh (the current president of Ego State Therapy International).
Cynthia is currently one of only 2 consultants in North America who can offer certification consultation services in both EST and EMDR (the other is Sandra Paulsen). Cynthia's journey to become a Certified Ego State Therapy Consultant began during her EMDR training with EMDR Consulting, founded by Roy Kiessling. Her EMDR basic training made clear that more tools are needed to effectively apply EMDR with not just single event trauma, but with complex trauma and resulting dissociation as both a symptom and an alteration in personality structure. After thoroughly vetting “parts work” options, she began her training in EST, as well as in Clinical Hypnosis, with Wendy Lemke.
Certification Consultation Requirements
Ego State Therapy International has established requirements for becoming an ESTI/ESTNA Certified Ego State Therapy (EST) Therapist, which include completion of:
- 48 hours of ESTI-approved foundational EST training
- 60 hours of ESTI-approved advanced EST training
- 64 hours of basic, intermediate, and advanced Clinical Hypnosis training by ESTI recognized and accredited training faculty (e.g., ISH-approved trainers, ASCH-approved trainers)
- 16 hours of group EST Consultation by an ESTI-approved Certified EST Consultant
- At least 4 hours of individual EST Consultation by an ESTI-approved Certified EST Consultant
- At least 4 hours of experiential individual sessions with an ESTI-approved Certified EST Consultant
Cynthia offers 3 kinds of EST certification consultation:
- Group consultation with 2 consultees
- Group consultation with 3-4 consultees
- Individual consultation, consisting of 1 consultee who meets with Cynthia for an hour
- Experiential 1:1 individual sessions that allow consultees to experience Ego State Therapy in an educational and non-therapeutic manner
The focus of individual consultation (whether for certification purposes or not) can be customized to the needs of the consultee, including therapists who are newly trained in EST, have had a gap since training, are not sure how to start incorporating EST in their work with clients, and/or who want to build confidence in using EST. In addition, Cynthia offers support to therapists who want to meet EST certification criteria while seeking support for incorporating elements of other modalities, such as EMDR, Polyvagal Theory, and Clinical Hypnosis. If you are interested in group consultation for EST certification, please reach out to Cynthia via her Contact page.
If seeking consultation hours for the purpose of applying to be an ESTI/ESTNA Certified Ego State Therapy (EST) Therapist, consultees must already have completed their educational requirements.
Documentation, Recommendation, and Application
As an ESTNA-approved Certified EST Consultant, Cynthia is authorized to document certification consultation hours and write letters of recommendation for certification, as well as to receive, review, and approve applications to become a Certified Ego State Therapy (EST) Therapist. ESTI/ESTNA-approved Certified EST Consultants may have their own criteria for the number of hours of certification consultation that consultees must complete with them, as well as criteria related to the format of that consultation, before they will consider approving an application for becoming an ESTI/ESTNA-approved Ego State Therapy (EST) Therapist. So, please ask the Certified EST Consultant to whom you will submit your application what their requirements are, if you will not be completing all of your consultation hours with a single Certified Ego State Therapy Consultant.
Additional information about Ego State Therapy International's certification process and related requirements can be found here.
PLEASE NOTE: Cynthia holds ASCH Certification in Clinical Hypnosis and has experience assisting Wendy Lemke in Clinical Hypnosis foundational training. However, Cynthia is not yet an ASCH Approved Consultant and is not yet able to provide consultation hours for therapists pursuing ASCH Certification in Clinical Hypnosis. She hopes to be able to do so starting in 2027.
