Course Description

Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD-January 2026 Intake





Please CLICK HERE to see our Accreditation

Please Visit our Website HERE

Provider: State of Mind Psychotherapy, Counselling & Education
Delivery: Online (Live via Zoom)
Duration: 10 Weeks | 3 Hours per Week
Accredited CPD Points Awarded: 30 Points

Moodle Access: Upon Enrolment

 

The Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD is an intensive, CPD-accredited clinical training programme designed for psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, and mental health professionals seeking advanced knowledge and practical skills in the assessment and treatment of psychological trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Accredited by The CPD Standards Office (UK) and awarding 50 CPD Points, this live online programme bridges the latest developments in trauma research with a robust, integrative therapeutic framework. It equips practitioners to work effectively with the complex and often overwhelming impacts of trauma on the brain, body, and relational systems.

Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, developmental psychology, somatic regulation, and trauma-informed clinical practices, this diploma explores trauma across its many presentations—acute, chronic, complex, intergenerational, developmental, and dissociative. Special attention is given to understanding PTSD, Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and trauma’s entanglement with anxiety, shame, dissociation, CBT Treatment and addiction.

The course offers an evidence-based yet humanistic approach to trauma care, emphasising not only clinical tools but also the centrality of therapeutic presence, safety, and resilience-building in post-traumatic recovery.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this diploma, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the neurobiology of trauma, including the role of the amygdala, hippocampus, and vagus nerve.

  • Differentiate between PTSD, Complex PTSD, and developmental trauma presentations.

  • Conduct trauma-informed assessments using established clinical frameworks.

  • Apply integrative treatment strategies grounded in somatic, cognitive, relational, and psychoeducational modalities.

  • Recognise the signs of dissociation, fragmentation, and autonomic dysregulation in clients.

  • Incorporate safety and stabilisation techniques, grounding tools, and affect regulation protocols.

  • Navigate professional and ethical challenges in trauma treatment, including re-traumatisation and therapist vicarious trauma.

  • Facilitate post-traumatic growth and long-term healing through resilience-focused practices.

Course Content

Module 1: Understanding Trauma and Its Impact

  • Definitions and categories of trauma: acute, complex, systemic

  • Trauma and the nervous system: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses

  • Polyvagal theory and neuroception of safety

Module 2: PTSD and Complex PTSD

  • Diagnostic criteria and symptomology (DSM-5 & ICD-11)

  • Trauma memory, flashbacks, and intrusive phenomena

  • Comorbidity with anxiety, depression, and dissociative disorders

Module 3: Assessment and Clinical Formulation

  • Trauma-informed intake and history-taking

  • Red flags and contraindications for trauma work

  • Formulation of trauma responses through developmental and attachment lenses

Module 4: Clinical Interventions & Treatment Phases

  • Phase-oriented trauma treatment: safety, processing, integration

  • Somatic-based interventions: grounding, tracking, titration

  • Cognitive and narrative techniques: restructuring and meaning-making

Module 5: Dissociation, Shame & the Fragmented Self

  • Understanding structural dissociation and the dissociative spectrum

  • Working with shame, avoidance, and emotional numbing

  • The role of the inner critic and self-compassion in trauma recovery

Module 6: The Therapist’s Role & Post-Traumatic Growth

  • Therapist embodiment, boundary integrity, and trauma presence

  • Vicarious trauma, burnout, and self-regulation

  • Recovery as reconnection: meaning, identity, and resilience

Accreditation & Certification

  • Fully accredited by The CPD Standards Office (UK)

  • Award: 50 CPD Points

  • Recognised for formal CPD across professional bodies.

  • Participants receive a Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD upon full attendance and completion of an assignment

Delivery Format

  • Live Online via Zoom over 10 weeks/sessions (3 hours per session)- 6:30pm to 9:30pm (Click “Book Now” for Schedule)

  • Blended learning style with live lectures, breakout groups, guided clinical exercises, and optional practice sessions

  • Access to a secure learning portal with downloadable slides, recordings (where applicable), handouts, and further reading resources

Who Should Attend?

This course is suitable for:

  • Accredited and trainee counsellors and psychotherapists

  • Counselling & Psychotherapy Graduates & Students

  • Clinical and counselling psychologists

  • Social workers, nurses, and addiction specialists

  • Mental health professionals working with trauma-impacted populations

  • Practitioners seeking a formal, CPD-accredited grounding in trauma theory and treatment

Philosophy of the Course

This diploma does more than teach techniques—it invites practitioners to become safe, regulated containers for trauma recovery, grounded in compassion, curiosity, and clinical competence. It supports the therapist’s development as a calm, attuned presence capable of navigating the deepest dimensions of human suffering and resilience.

The Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD-January 2026 Intake course at Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy Studies (ICPS) is listed in Courses.ie's national courses finder.
Training ProviderInstitute for Counselling & Psychotherapy Studies (ICPS)
Course TypeOnline Learning
Course QualificationCPD Diploma
Awarding BodyCPD
Awarding Body DetailsProfessional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD
Course Start Date10th January 2026
Course End Date21st March 2026
Course Duration10 Weeks
Course Time6:30pm-9:30pm for 10 weeks
Course FeePrice available on www.icps.ie
Entry RequirementsOpen to all members of the public

Counsellors, Psychotherapist's, Psychology, Psychoanalysis etc
For more information about Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy Studies (ICPS), please visit our College page on Courses.ie by clicking here.

Make Enquiry

Please insert your contact details and any additional information you require and we will forward your request to Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy Studies (ICPS)

    Captcha code        I confirm I have read the Cookie Information, Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and I agree to join the Courses.ie community.