About EMDR Matters
Clinical session software for online EMDR — built by practising therapists, used in live sessions, and designed privacy-first from the architecture up.
Clinical session tool
Client-first
Minimal data storage
Smooth bilateral stimulation
Trauma-informed stages
Free to use
For clients
EMDR Matters helps you and your therapist do online EMDR with a smooth moving ball and bilateral sounds on your own screen — not a blurry shared window in a meeting app.
You wait until your therapist lets you in. You talk on video when that fits the stage of the session. When it is time for bilateral stimulation, the ball and tones run on your device, controlled by your therapist.
We do not record your session or build a clinical file about your therapy on our servers. Your name is used only so your therapist can admit you from the waiting room.
For therapists
EMDR Matters is used in live EMDR practice. Priorities follow what matters in the room:
- Smooth BLS — the ball and tones are rendered on the client device, not screen-shared from another app.
- Privacy by design — no session recording, no clinical notes store, no long-term client profiles. Operational data is short-lived. Full privacy policy.
- Trauma-informed pacing — waiting room, then video connection, then bilateral work when you are ready; clear end to the session.
- Accessible economics — the app is free to use. Maintaining the service is time-consuming and incurs a cost for the software designer; you can donate or subscribe if you find it useful and valuable.
Privacy in brief
- Video and voice use peer-to-peer WebRTC when the network allows.
- We do not store session recordings, transcripts, or therapy content.
- Client names are used only for the waiting room and active session, then removed; queue records are deleted after a short retention period.
- Optional voice processing runs in the browser, not as a cloud recording pipeline — which may mean a quiet session environment is more important to avoid background noise.
Full privacy policy · Compliance & data (for therapists)
Compliance & data
EMDR Matters is production clinical session software — not an EHR, not a training programme, and not a substitute for your professional judgement. Privacy is built into how the product works: minimal stored data, no session recording, and direct browser-to-browser video where the network allows.
What the platform is designed to do
- Peer-to-peer video (WebRTC) between therapist and client when connectivity allows; relay only when needed to connect — not to record.
- Client-side bilateral stimulation — ball and tones on the client's device, controlled by you remotely.
- No session recordings, transcripts, or therapy content stored on our servers.
- Short-lived operational data only — display name, queue status, and live connection signals, with automatic deletion (see privacy policy).
- Session connection tool — waiting room, video, and BLS in one flow; not clinical notes or long-term client records.
What we do not claim
- We do not market EMDR Matters as a HIPAA-compliant business associate or offer a BAA from Psychmatters.
- We do not claim certification or registration as a medical device or regulated health product in New Zealand or any other country.
- Privacy-oriented architecture and security practices describe how the product is built — they are not a guarantee that the service alone meets your statutory obligations.
For therapists assessing regulatory fit
Your obligations — client consent, professional registration, record-keeping, and compliance with laws such as HIPAA (US), GDPR (EU/UK), or local health-privacy rules — remain yours. If your practice requires a Business Associate Agreement or specific data-processing terms, you may need to assess and arrange those with relevant infrastructure providers (for example Google Cloud/Firebase) as well as your own policies.
We are happy to walk through what the platform stores, what stays peer-to-peer, and which third-party services are involved. Email stefan@psychmatters.co.nz with compliance questions.
Feedback welcome
Development is collaborative and community-informed. If you use EMDR Matters in practice, we want to hear from you — especially what would help your clients in session.
Helpful feedback includes:
- Device and browser (e.g. iPhone Safari, Windows Chrome)
- Stage: waiting room, video mode, or BLS mode
- What you expected vs what happened
- How a change would improve the client experience