Professional Diploma in Trauma-Informed Counselling & Intervention (Live-Online Lecturer Led) May Intake €595

Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy Studies
10 hours ago
3 min read

Trauma shows up in counselling rooms in many forms: anxiety, shutdown, hypervigilance, relationship difficulties, dissociation, and the long tail of experiences that were never fully processed or safely held. A trauma-informed approach helps practitioners work with these realities in a way that prioritises safety, choice, collaboration and empowerment.

The Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy Studies offers the Professional Diploma in Trauma-Informed Counselling & Intervention as a live-online, lecturer-led programme designed to strengthen your clinical confidence and deepen your understanding of trauma across the lifespan.

Course format (at a glance)

Delivery: Live-online lecturer led classes (virtual classroom) via Zoom
Attendance: Live online attendance plus self-directed learning
Assessment: Written assignment (with possible viva voce assessment)
Award: Accredited Professional Diploma
Accreditation: Professional Development Consortium (PDC), CPD Standards Office, Irish Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (ICPA)

For dates, times and current fees, visit the booking page: https://www.icps.ie/booking

Who this diploma is for

This programme is suited to counsellors, psychotherapists, and helping professionals who want to:

Build a clear, practical framework for trauma-informed work
Understand what trauma does to the brain, body and nervous system
Improve assessment and formulation while reducing the risk of re-traumatisation
Expand stabilisation, grounding and emotion regulation skills
Work more confidently with complex trauma, dissociation and attachment wounds
Strengthen ethical practice, boundaries and practitioner wellbeing

What you will learn (10-class structure)

Class 1 — Foundations of trauma & trauma-informed practice

Core concepts and the trauma-informed lens, including:

Trauma definitions (single-incident vs complex trauma, developmental trauma)
PTSD vs CPTSD
Prevalence and impact across lifespan, systems and communities
Principles of trauma-informed practice: safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment
Role boundaries and multidisciplinary working

Class 2 — Neurobiology of trauma & the body

How trauma affects the brain, nervous system and body:

Fight, flight, freeze, fawn
Polyvagal theory in plain language
Implicit vs explicit memory, fragmentation and flashbacks
Somatic manifestations (hyperarousal/hypoarousal)
Implications for pacing, timing and safety in counselling

Class 3 — Assessment, case formulation & risk

Safe assessment through a trauma-informed lens:

Creating safety in intake and early sessions
Gathering trauma history without re-traumatising
Screening tools (pros/cons/limits)
Risk assessment (self-harm, suicidality, safeguarding)
Formulation: linking history, triggers, symptoms, strengths and resources
Referrals, signposting and interagency collaboration

Class 4 — Safety, stabilisation & grounding

Building safety before deep trauma processing:

Phase-oriented approach to trauma treatment
Internal and external safety
Psychoeducation and normalising responses
Grounding skills (sensory, cognitive, movement-based)
Distress tolerance for flashbacks and panic
Knowing when not to proceed to processing

Class 5 — Emotion regulation & resource building

Strengthening capacity to manage affect:

Emotional dysregulation in trauma
Window of tolerance (recognising and expanding)
Internal resources (imagery, compassionate self, protective figures)
External resources (safe people, routines, community)
Working with shame, guilt and self-blame
Integrating CBT/DBT-informed skills within a trauma-informed frame

Class 6 — Trauma processing approaches & techniques

An overview of evidence-informed processing methods (not a full training in each):

Readiness indicators and contraindications
Trauma-focused CBT
EMDR principles
Parts-based work (e.g., IFS-informed ideas)
Narrative and exposure-based approaches
Pacing, titration and dual awareness
Managing strong emotional releases safely

Class 7 — Complex trauma, dissociation & attachment

Working with complex presentations:

Complex trauma vs single-incident trauma
Dissociation spectrum and recognising it in session
Responding safely to dissociation
Attachment patterns and relational trauma
Rupture/repair and the therapeutic relationship
Managing dependency and idealisation

Class 8 — Trauma, identity, culture & specific populations

Intersectional and culturally aware trauma work:

Cultural, social and systemic trauma (oppression, migration, poverty)
Adaptations for children and adolescents
Trauma in couples and families, transgenerational trauma
Overview considerations for LGBTQ+ clients, refugees/asylum seekers, and survivors of domestic/sexual violence
Culturally responsive and anti-oppressive practice
Barriers to accessing trauma-informed care