EMDR Therapy in Virginia, Online From Northern Virginia to Hampton Roads
Jamila Kani, LICSW, is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist licensed in Virginia, and she sees adults for EMDR by secure video wherever they are in the state. Arlington, Richmond and Virginia Beach all get the same 75-minute session.
- $315per 75‑minute session
- $250one intake to begin
- Free15‑minute first call
Choose Jamila Kani as your clinician on the booking form. Sessions are one on one, for adults 18 and over, and the fee is self-pay.
Can you have EMDR therapy by video in Virginia?
Yes. The Virginia Board of Social Work applies its regulations to technology-assisted therapy the same way it does to in-person therapy, and its guidance says a social worker seeing a client located in Virginia must be licensed to practice in Virginia.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based trauma therapy. While you bring a hard memory to mind, the therapist guides short sets of bilateral stimulation: eye movements, taps or tones that alternate from one side to the other. Across a series of sessions, the memory tends to carry less emotional charge.
At Life Migration Therapy, every EMDR session happens on secure video with Jamila Kani, LICSW. She’s certified by EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association, and she has more than a decade in mental health and trauma care. A laptop or phone and a room with a door that closes are enough to start.
EMDR here is individual therapy for adults 18 and over. For the phases of treatment, the research and how it compares with CBT, see what EMDR therapy is.
Where can you be during an online EMDR session?
You can be anywhere in Virginia, Washington DC or Maryland during an online EMDR session with Jamila, because she holds a license in all three.
The Virginia Board of Social Work sets this out in Guidance Document 140-3, its guidance on technology-assisted therapy, revised December 9, 2023. One of the board’s recommendations reads, “Provision of services takes place where the client is located, regardless of where the social worker is located.” The same guidance says a social worker providing technology-assisted therapy to a client located in Virginia must be licensed to practice in Virginia, and should make every effort to verify the client’s geographic location.
| Where you are | Can Jamila see you? | What covers it |
|---|---|---|
| At home in Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax | Yes | Her Virginia license |
| In a private room at work in downtown DC | Yes | Her Washington DC license |
| At home in Bethesda or Silver Spring | Yes | Her Maryland license |
| In Richmond, Charlottesville or Virginia Beach | Yes | Her Virginia license, which covers the whole state |
| On a trip to another state | Not covered | None of her three licenses reach it, and the board’s guidance notes that states generally prohibit social work services by someone they haven’t licensed. Ask about travel weeks on the free call |
The guidance ties the session to where the client is located, not to where Jamila is sitting. Someone who lives in Alexandria and spends Tuesdays near Farragut Square can keep one EMDR therapist on both days, and online EMDR in the District follows the same logic from the DC side.
Can a DC therapist see you for EMDR therapy in Northern Virginia?
Not if they’re a social worker licensed only in Washington DC. Virginia Board of Social Work guidance says a social worker providing services by video to a client located in Virginia must be licensed to practice in Virginia, even if their office is a few Metro stops away.
Arlington and Alexandria sit so close to the District that plenty of people look for a therapist in DC without thinking about the state line. For EMDR by video, that line is the one that counts. Psychologists and professional counselors are licensed by separate Virginia boards, so before you book anyone, check that their license covers the place you’ll be sitting.
- Look up the Virginia license. The Virginia Department of Health Professions runs a free public License Lookup for the boards it oversees, social work included.
- Ask which states they’re licensed in, by name. “Virginia, DC and Maryland” is a clear answer, and a vague one such as “the DC area” deserves a follow-up question.
- Think about your travel. If work takes you across the river or out of state, ask how sessions fit around the weeks you’re away.
Jamila Kani, LICSW, is licensed in Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland, and the same lookup works for any therapist you’re considering, her included.
Ask a question about EMDR in Virginia first.
A few lines is plenty, and you don’t need to explain what happened. The practice replies, typically within 1 to 2 business days, to set up a free 15-minute call with Jamila Kani, LICSW, an EMDRIA Certified Therapist licensed in Virginia. Booking online works too: choose Jamila Kani as your clinician on the booking form.
Prefer to skip the form? Book your free call directly or call or text 301-244-8219.
Write to the practice about EMDR
Can you get EMDR therapy from Richmond, Charlottesville or Hampton Roads?
Adults anywhere in Virginia can get EMDR therapy with Jamila by video, so Richmond, Charlottesville, Hampton Roads and the Shenandoah Valley are covered the same way Arlington is.
A Virginia license isn’t limited to one county. Whether you’re in a spare room in Henrico, an apartment near the university in Charlottesville or a house in Chesapeake, the session is the same 75 minutes with the same clinician, and it ends where you already are, with no drive home afterward.
You need a laptop, tablet or phone, a steady connection, and a private room where nobody can overhear you. Headphones help if anyone else is home. Ask on the free call which form of bilateral stimulation Jamila uses on screen, so you know what to expect.
What does a 75-minute EMDR session cost in Virginia?
A 75-minute EMDR session with Jamila costs $315 for clients in Virginia, paid directly, and a $250 intake appointment comes first.
| Item | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Free consultation | $0 | A 15-minute call to speak with the clinician and see if it’s a good fit |
| Intake appointment | $250 | Your first paid appointment, one flat fee |
| EMDR session | $315 | 75 minutes on secure video, paid per session |
| Superbill or reduced fee | Ask | Bring it up on the free call |
The practice is self-pay and doesn’t bill insurance plans. If you’d like to try for out-of-network reimbursement, call your plan first and ask what it pays for therapy, since that part is up to them. Every fee at the practice is listed on self pay mental health services.
Who is Jamila Kani, LICSW?
Jamila Kani, LICSW, is the EMDR therapist at Life Migration Therapy and the clinician Virginia clients see, licensed in Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland.
Her EMDR work centers on sexual trauma and on the trauma of living under systemic oppression. She brings somatic, body-based work in alongside it, paying attention to what your body and nervous system do when a memory surfaces, and she has intermediate training in Somatic Experiencing. Her deep experience with Black, Brown and LGBTQIA+ adults can mean less time spent explaining the context around what happened.
The practice’s founder, Charika White, LICSW, LCSW-C, sees talk therapy clients in Washington DC and Maryland. Clients in Virginia work with Jamila. Both of their bios are on the page where you can meet Jamila Kani and the team, and Maryland clients have their own page for EMDR with Jamila from Maryland.
What happens between your first message and your first session?
Three steps take you from a first message to a first EMDR session, and nothing is paid until the second one.
Talk for 15 minutes
Book the free call online and choose Jamila Kani as your clinician, or write to the practice first. Sharing what happened isn’t required.
Have the intake
If EMDR looks like the right fit, the $250 intake is your first paid appointment.
Start EMDR
Sessions run 75 minutes on video. EMDR’s first phases focus on preparation and coping skills before any memory work begins.
The number of sessions depends on what you’re working on, so the practice doesn’t promise a count or put a deadline on healing. The free call is a good place to settle anything else before the intake, from how video sessions are set up to what a first EMDR session asks of you.
Questions Virginia adults ask before booking EMDR
How much does EMDR therapy cost in Virginia at Life Migration Therapy?
EMDR therapy at Life Migration Therapy costs $315 for each 75-minute session with Jamila Kani, LICSW, for clients in Virginia. A $250 intake appointment comes before the first EMDR session, the 15-minute call before that is free, and every fee is self-pay.
How much does EMDR typically cost?
The cost of EMDR depends on the therapist’s fee and on how long each session runs, so it helps to compare prices with the session length beside them. The VA and Department of Defense PTSD guideline describes EMDR sessions of 60 or 90 minutes. At Life Migration Therapy, an EMDR session with Jamila Kani, LICSW, is $315 for 75 minutes.
Will EMDR work on me?
Whether EMDR will work for you can’t be known before you start, and the practice doesn’t promise a result or a number of sessions. Cleveland Clinic says EMDR is unlikely to help with a condition that comes from an inherited cause, an injury or another physical effect on the brain. If what you’re carrying traces back to a distressing experience, ask Jamila on the free call whether EMDR fits it.
Can EMDR therapy be done by video in Virginia?
EMDR therapy can be done by video in Virginia, and every EMDR session at Life Migration Therapy runs on secure video. Virginia Board of Social Work guidance says a social worker providing technology-assisted therapy to a client located in Virginia must be licensed to practice in Virginia, and Jamila Kani, LICSW, is licensed there. The VA and Department of Defense PTSD guideline recommends secure video for trauma-focused therapies such as EMDR when the therapy has been validated for video or other options are unavailable.
Do I have to be in Virginia during an online EMDR session?
You need to be in Virginia, Washington DC or Maryland during an online EMDR session with Jamila Kani, LICSW, because those are the three places she’s licensed. Virginia Board of Social Work guidance says services take place where the client is located, regardless of where the social worker is located, so for a Virginia session, where you are that day is what counts.
Can a therapist licensed only in DC see me in Northern Virginia?
Not if that therapist is a social worker licensed only in Washington DC. The Virginia Board of Social Work’s Guidance Document 140-3 says a social worker providing technology-assisted therapy to a client located in Virginia must be licensed to practice in Virginia. Psychologists and professional counselors are licensed by separate Virginia boards. Jamila Kani, LICSW, holds licenses in Virginia, DC and Maryland, so a session from any of the three works.
Is Jamila Kani licensed in Virginia?
Jamila Kani, LICSW, is licensed in Virginia, and she also holds licenses in Washington DC and Maryland. Anyone can check a Virginia license for free on the Virginia Department of Health Professions License Lookup before booking.
What if I split my week between Virginia and DC?
Splitting your week between Virginia and Washington DC doesn’t mean changing EMDR therapists, since Jamila Kani, LICSW, is licensed in both. Book each session for wherever you’ll be that day, home in Fairfax on a Monday or a private room near K Street on a Thursday, and the same clinician picks up where you left off.
Is online EMDR available in Virginia Beach and the rest of Hampton Roads?
Online EMDR with Jamila Kani, LICSW, is available in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News and the rest of Hampton Roads, because her Virginia license covers the whole state. Sessions are 75 minutes by secure video, so there’s no office to drive to.
Does Life Migration Therapy take insurance for EMDR?
Life Migration Therapy doesn’t take insurance for EMDR or for any other service, so you pay the $315 session fee directly. Whether a superbill or a reduced fee is available for EMDR is a question for the free 15-minute call. Out-of-network reimbursement depends on your plan, so check with it before counting on any.
Who can book EMDR therapy at Life Migration Therapy?
Adults 18 and over can book EMDR therapy at Life Migration Therapy, as individual sessions with Jamila Kani, LICSW. You need to be in Virginia, Washington DC or Maryland during each session, and the fee is self-pay.
How do I start EMDR with Jamila Kani from Virginia?
Starting EMDR with Jamila Kani, LICSW, begins with a free 15-minute call. Book it online and choose Jamila Kani as your clinician, or send the practice a message and expect a reply typically within 1 to 2 business days.
Ask Jamila your questions on a free call.
Fifteen minutes, at no cost, to talk through whether EMDR with Jamila fits before you pay for anything.
