Course Description
Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD-January 2026 Intake
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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:
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Understand the neurobiology of trauma, including the role of the amygdala, hippocampus, and vagus nerve.
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Differentiate between PTSD, Complex PTSD, and developmental trauma presentations.
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Conduct trauma-informed assessments using established clinical frameworks.
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Apply integrative treatment strategies grounded in somatic, cognitive, relational, and psychoeducational modalities.
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Recognise the signs of dissociation, fragmentation, and autonomic dysregulation in clients.
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Incorporate safety and stabilisation techniques, grounding tools, and affect regulation protocols.
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Navigate professional and ethical challenges in trauma treatment, including re-traumatisation and therapist vicarious trauma.
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Facilitate post-traumatic growth and long-term healing through resilience-focused practices.
Course Content
Module 1: Understanding Trauma and Its Impact
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Definitions and categories of trauma: acute, complex, systemic
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Trauma and the nervous system: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses
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Polyvagal theory and neuroception of safety
Module 2: PTSD and Complex PTSD
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Diagnostic criteria and symptomology (DSM-5 & ICD-11)
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Trauma memory, flashbacks, and intrusive phenomena
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Comorbidity with anxiety, depression, and dissociative disorders
Module 3: Assessment and Clinical Formulation
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Trauma-informed intake and history-taking
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Red flags and contraindications for trauma work
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Formulation of trauma responses through developmental and attachment lenses
Module 4: Clinical Interventions & Treatment Phases
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Phase-oriented trauma treatment: safety, processing, integration
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Somatic-based interventions: grounding, tracking, titration
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Cognitive and narrative techniques: restructuring and meaning-making
Module 5: Dissociation, Shame & the Fragmented Self
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Understanding structural dissociation and the dissociative spectrum
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Working with shame, avoidance, and emotional numbing
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The role of the inner critic and self-compassion in trauma recovery
Module 6: The Therapist’s Role & Post-Traumatic Growth
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Therapist embodiment, boundary integrity, and trauma presence
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Vicarious trauma, burnout, and self-regulation
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Recovery as reconnection: meaning, identity, and resilience
Accreditation & Certification
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Fully accredited by The CPD Standards Office (UK)
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Award: 50 CPD Points
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Recognised for formal CPD across professional bodies.
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Participants receive a Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD upon full attendance and completion of an assignment
Delivery Format
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Live Online via Zoom over 10 weeks/sessions (3 hours per session)- 6:30pm to 9:30pm (Click “Book Now” for Schedule)
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Blended learning style with live lectures, breakout groups, guided clinical exercises, and optional practice sessions
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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:
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Accredited and trainee counsellors and psychotherapists
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Counselling & Psychotherapy Graduates & Students
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Clinical and counselling psychologists
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Social workers, nurses, and addiction specialists
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Mental health professionals working with trauma-impacted populations
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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.
| Training Provider | Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy Studies (ICPS) |
| Course Type | Online Learning |
| Course Qualification | CPD Diploma |
| Awarding Body | CPD |
| Awarding Body Details | Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD |
| Course Start Date | 10th January 2026 |
| Course End Date | 21st March 2026 |
| Course Duration | 10 Weeks |
| Course Time | 6:30pm-9:30pm for 10 weeks |
| Course Fee | Price available on www.icps.ie |
| Entry Requirements | Open to all members of the public Counsellors, Psychotherapist's, Psychology, Psychoanalysis etc |
