Professional Diploma in Neuroscience for Counselling & Psychotherapy: CPD Training Ireland

Advances in neuroscience have transformed our understanding of the human mind, mental health, and the processes of change in therapy. For counsellors and psychotherapists, a working knowledge of brain structure, function, and neuroplasticity provides a powerful complement to relational and psychological skills. ICPS College's Professional Diploma in Neuroscience for Counselling and Psychotherapy bridges the gap between cutting-edge brain science and everyday therapeutic practice.

Delivered live online over ten weeks, this course equips practitioners with an accessible, clinically relevant understanding of neuroscience — one that directly informs the way they understand and support their clients.

What the Professional Diploma in Neuroscience Covers

Ten modules explore:

• Brain anatomy and function: key structures relevant to mental health and therapeutic change

• The neuroscience of emotion regulation and the limbic system

• Neuroplasticity: how the brain changes through experience, therapy, and learning

• The stress response: cortisol, the HPA axis, and the impact of chronic stress on the brain

• Polyvagal theory and its application in therapeutic practice

• Attachment neuroscience: the developing brain and early relational experience

• Trauma neuroscience: how traumatic stress affects brain structure and function

• The neuroscience of depression, anxiety, and addiction

• Therapeutic implications: using neuroscience to inform interventions and psychoeducation

• Ethical considerations in applying neuroscience in clinical practice

Who Is This Course For?

• Counsellors and psychotherapists seeking to deepen their understanding of the brain and its relevance to therapy

• Healthcare professionals who want a clinically applicable neuroscience foundation

• Practitioners with an interest in trauma, anxiety, or emotion regulation

• Anyone seeking a bridge between psychological theory and contemporary brain science

Delivery Format and Duration

Delivered live online via Zoom over ten weeks, with one session per week. Teaching is in real time by experienced practitioners, with reading and reflective tasks between sessions. Participants receive 60 CPD credits on successful completion.

Accreditation and CPD Credits

Accredited by the Professional Development Consortium and the CPD Standards Office, this course provides a Professional Diploma in Neuroscience for Counselling and Psychotherapy and 60 CPD credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a science background to study this course?

No prior science background is required. The course is designed to be accessible to practitioners from all therapeutic backgrounds, with neuroscience concepts explained clearly and connected directly to clinical application.

How will this course improve my practice?

Neuroscience knowledge enhances practitioners' ability to explain therapeutic processes to clients, understand the impact of stress and trauma on the body and brain, and select interventions that are neurobiologically informed. Polyvagal theory, nervous system regulation, and neuroplasticity are all areas with direct clinical relevance.

Is this course relevant if I specialise in trauma?

Particularly so. The trauma modules directly address how traumatic stress affects brain structure and function, and the therapeutic implications of this understanding for treatment approaches, pacing, and stabilisation.

Enrol in the Professional Diploma in Neuroscience

View full course details on the Professional Diploma in Neuroscience for Counselling and Psychotherapy course page. You may also be interested in the Professional Diploma in Trauma & PTSD, Professional Diploma in Traumatology, and Professional Diploma in Clinical Psychology. For enquiries, visit the ICPS College contact page.