Guilt and Self-Forgiveness Courses Ireland: Professional Training for Counsellors

Guilt is a complex emotion that can serve an adaptive function in human relationships and moral life — but can also become chronic, distorted, and clinically significant. The Professional Diploma in Guilt and Self-Forgiveness at ICPS College provides practitioners with a nuanced understanding of guilt in psychological experience and how to support clients in moving towards self-forgiveness and integration.

This programme explores guilt alongside related experiences including moral injury, self-blame, shame, and regret — drawing on psychodynamic, cognitive, existential, and compassion-focused perspectives.

Programme Overview

The ten-module programme covers the psychology and phenomenology of guilt, the distinction between guilt and shame, moral injury and its clinical implications, guilt in grief and bereavement, guilt in survivors of trauma and abuse, cognitive approaches to guilt, compassion-focused therapy and self-forgiveness, the role of guilt in religious and cultural contexts, and the ethics of working with moral experience. Sixty CPD credits are awarded on completion.

Who Should Attend?

This diploma is designed for counsellors and psychotherapists working with clients who present with chronic guilt, self-blame, or difficulty forgiving themselves — including those working with trauma survivors, bereavement clients, addiction, and moral injury in veterans, emergency responders, or healthcare professionals.

Related Programmes

The Professional Diploma in Shame Resilience, the Professional Diploma in Bereavement Counselling, and the Professional Diploma in Anger Management and Emotional Regulation are frequently combined with this diploma.

For full programme details, visit the Guilt and Self-Forgiveness course page.