Questions to ask an ART therapist before you start

Before starting Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), ask the therapist about their ART training and certification, how they decide whether ART is right for you, how long sessions run and what they cost, what you might feel between sessions, what happens if it is not helping, and how they describe the research. A good answer is specific, something you can check, and honest about limits. For the general questions to ask any trauma therapist, see 10 questions to ask a trauma therapist before you start. This page covers the ones specific to ART.

Training and fit

1. “Are you trained or certified in ART, and at what level?”

Why it matters. “Trained” and “certified” are different claims. Training is a three-day course. Certification through IS-ART also requires a log of 30 client ART sessions, a group consultation and a test, and it is only valid while membership is current.

A good answer names the level exactly, tells you where to check it (the IS-ART directory), and includes their license, which you can check on the Texas board’s Verify a License search. More on this in ART training and credentials.

2. “What else do you offer, and why ART for me rather than something else?”

Why it matters. For PTSD, the 2023 VA/DoD guideline gives its strongest recommendation to Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure and EMDR, and says the evidence for ART is insufficient to recommend for or against it. ART may still be a reasonable choice, especially if you do not want to tell the story aloud, but you should hear the alternatives.

A good answer mentions at least one other option, says when that option would be the better place to start, and asks what matters to you. Be wary of a therapist who offers only ART for every problem.

3. “How will you check whether ART is safe for me?”

Why it matters. RCRR, the organization that trains ART clinicians, says there are no absolute contraindications but lists things to think about: eye conditions, dissociative disorders, ongoing substance use, heart or breathing problems such as asthma, traumatic brain injury, vertigo and migraines. It also notes that anti-anxiety medicines such as benzodiazepines may blunt the response. Who ART is not for goes further.

A good answer describes a real assessment before the first ART session: questions about your health, your eyes, your medicines, whether you are currently safe, and what else is going on. “Not yet” or “something else first” is a legitimate answer.

The sessions

4. “What will I actually be asked to do?”

Why it matters. You do not have to tell the therapist the details of what happened. But ART is not a way of avoiding the memory: it includes brief, deliberate recall of the scene while you follow sets of eye movements, before you replace the distressing images with ones you choose. The memory of what happened remains.

A good answer walks you through the steps plainly, including the recall, and does not promise that you will forget anything. An ART session, step by step is a good check against what you are told.

5. “How long is each session, and what will it cost?”

Why it matters. ART sessions in the research ran about 60 to 75 minutes, longer than a standard therapy hour. Insurance codes for psychotherapy top out at the 60-minute code, and TRICARE covers individual sessions up to 60 minutes outside a crisis, so longer sessions can cost more than you expect.

A good answer gives you the length and fee before you book, explains what your plan is likely to be billed for and what you would pay, and offers a written Good Faith Estimate if you are paying privately. See Does insurance cover ART?

6. “How many sessions do you expect, and how will we know it is working?”

Why it matters. In studies, people had between one and five ART sessions, and averaged about three to four (Kip 2013). Those are research averages, not a promise for any one person.

A good answer does not quote you a fixed number before assessing you. It explains how progress will be tracked, for example by rating your distress on a 0 to 10 scale at the start and end of the work, and when you will review together whether to continue. How many sessions does ART take?

7. “What might I feel between sessions, and what do I do if it is rough?”

Why it matters. In the trials, side effects were rare and not serious, but they did happen: a few people felt low after a session, slept badly, felt more anxious, or had more nightmares. Knowing that in advance makes it less alarming if it happens.

A good answer is honest that this can happen, tells you how to reach the therapist between sessions, and gives you a plan for a bad night, including crisis numbers. Before and after a session has practical steps.

8. “Do you do ART in person or by video?”

Why it matters. Every ART study was done in person. ART by video has not been studied, and the ART organizations have no official position on it.

A good answer is clear about which they offer, and if it is video, explains how they have adapted the eye movements and what happens if the connection drops. Can ART be done online?

The evidence, and what happens next

9. “How would you describe the research on ART?”

Why it matters. This question tells you a lot about the therapist. ART has promising early research: two published randomized trials, one against an attention-control condition and one against a wait-list, and a 2024 systematic review that found “some promise” but said more high-quality studies are needed (Storey 2024).

A good answer sounds like that: promising, early, smaller than the research on EMDR, CPT or PE. Watch for the red flags below. The research on ART sets out every study.

10. “What happens if ART is not helping?”

Why it matters. Not everyone responds, and some people stop partway. In one study of 148 veterans and service members, 72% completed treatment (Pang 2023).

A good answer names a point at which you will stop and review, and what you would try instead, whether that is a different trauma therapy or a referral to someone else.

How I approach these

I would rather you asked these questions than not. For a first course of ART I generally recommend meeting in person. An ART session often runs longer than a standard 50-minute session, and we agree the length and the fee before we book it. I will not quote you a number of sessions before I understand your situation, and if ART is not the right starting point, I will say so. I am also trained in EMDR, so that is an option too.