Format: Live-online Lecturer Led Classes (Virtual-Classroom) via Zoom

Duration: 1 Evening Every Week 6pm to 9pm

Online Live Attendance: 30 Hours

Self-Directed Learning: 30 Hours

Total CPD Credits: 60 Credits

Assessment: Written Assignment +/- Viva Voca Assessment

Award: Accredited Professional Diploma

 

Course Accreditation:

• Professional Development Consortium

• Provider of Excellence

• CPD Standards Office

• Irish Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (ICPA)

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Description

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Professional Diploma in Working with Shame & the Hidden Shadow Self (Live Online) is a comprehensive 10-week training designed for practitioners who wish to develop deep, trauma-informed competence in understanding and working with shame. Awarding 60 CPD points, this live online programme integrates psychological theory, neurobiology, somatic awareness, relational practice and reflective shadow work.

Participants begin by exploring the foundations of shame—distinguishing it from guilt and humiliation—while understanding its role as a social and survival emotion that powerfully shapes identity, behaviour and relationships. The course then examines the neurobiology of shame, emotional dysregulation and the body’s role in storing shame-based memories, before moving into assessment, formulation and the identification of shame-driven patterns.

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A core feature of the diploma is its exploration of the hidden shadow self—an archetypal, non-clinical concept drawn from Jungian theory—examining repression, projection and disowned traits that often emerge from chronic shame. Cognitive, narrative, somatic and relational approaches are taught to support clients in safely naming shame, softening the inner critic and reconstructing self-identity.

Later weeks address shame in relationships, attachment, boundaries, culture and collective identity, alongside work with deep shame, self-hatred and self-sabotage. The programme concludes with ethics, practitioner self-reflection and therapist shadow work to support sustainable, ethical practice.

The course is experiential and reflective, combining lectures, practical exercises, roleplay, journaling and two written assignments. It is suitable for therapists, coaches, counsellors and helping professionals seeking depth, confidence and integration in shame-informed work.

 

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Week 1 — Understanding Shame: Foundations & Functions

Learning Outcomes

• Define shame and distinguish it from guilt, embarrassment & humiliation

• Understand shame as a social and survival emotion

• Explore the adaptive and maladaptive roles of shame

Lecture Topics

• Primary vs. secondary shame

• The evolutionary function of shame

• How shame shapes identity, behaviour & relationships

• Introduction to the “shadow self” (non-clinical archetypal concept)

Practice

• Values exploration activity

• “Shame vs guilt” experiential sorting exercise

Assignment

• Journal: “My personal history with shame.”

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Week 2 — The Neurobiology of Shame & Emotional Dysregulation

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the brain circuits linked to shame

• Recognize physiological shame reactions (collapse, freeze, hiding, shrinking)

• Understand the body’s role in storing shame memories

Lecture Topics

• Shame and the nervous system: dorsal vagal shutdown

• Somatic markers, posture & shame-based body language

• Shame spirals, rumination, and inner critic activation

Practice

• Somatic shame-mapping

• Grounding techniques for shame activation

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Week 3 — Assessment & Case Formulation: Identifying Shame Patterns

Learning Outcomes

• Identify shame-based thinking & behaviours

• Conduct shame-sensitive assessments

• Create trauma-informed case formulations involving shame

Lecture Topics

• Behavioral signs of shame: avoidance, perfectionism, people-pleasing

• Attachment wounds & developmental shame

• Shame scripts & self-beliefs

• Integrating shame into formulation frameworks

Practice

• Roleplay: shame-sensitive interviewing

• Building a 5-P formulation for a shame-driven case

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Week 4 — The Hidden Shadow Self: Archetypes, Repression & Projections

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the concept of the “shadow self”

• Explore how repression, denial, and projection form the hidden self

• Recognize shadow dynamics in clients

Lecture Topics

• Theoretical roots: Jungian shadow (non-clinical overview)

• Splitting, idealization & devaluation

• Projection as a defence against shame

• Shadow traits: aggression, envy, fragility, desire, vulnerability

Practice

• Shadow journaling: identifying hidden traits

• Projection mapping exercise

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Week 5 — Cognitive & Narrative Approaches to Shame

Learning Outcomes

• Identify shame-based cognitive distortions

• Help clients rewrite shame narratives

• Introduce healthy self-talk & self-perception

Lecture Topics

• Common distorted beliefs (“I’m unlovable,” “I’m broken”)

• Naming vs. suppressing shame

• Narrative reconstruction methods

• Countering the inner critic

Practice

• Narrative rewriting workshop

• Group reframing exercises

Formative Assignment

• Essay 1,000 Words: “How shame creates a shadow self.”

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Week 6 — Somatic & Relational Approaches to Healing Shame

Learning Outcomes

• Use somatic practices to regulate shame states

• Understand relational repair and co-regulation

• Deepen client capacity for safe vulnerability

Lecture Topics

• Shame in the body: contraction & collapse

• Gentle exposure & titration

• Corrective emotional experiences

• Relational attunement & therapeutic presence

Practice

• Grounding & expansion techniques

• Relational mirroring practice

• Safe-embodiment exercises

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Week 7 — Shame in Relationships: Attachment, Boundaries & Intimacy

Learning Outcomes

• Explore shame’s impact on intimacy, communication & attachment

• Support clients navigating shame-driven relational patterns

• Apply boundary-setting in the context of shame

Lecture Topics

• Attachment shame: abandonment, rejection & fear of exposure

• Shame in romantic & family relationships

• People-pleasing, avoidance, anger & shutdown

• Boundary distortions caused by shame

Practice

• Boundaries roleplay

• Relationship mapping activity

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Week 8 — The Social, Cultural & Collective Dimensions of Shame

Learning Outcomes

• Understand cultural roots of shame

• Identify social norms shaping shame expressions

• Adapt interventions to diverse worldviews

Lecture Topics

• Shame in collectivist vs. individualist cultures

• Social shame: stigma, honour, reputation

• Gendered shame & identity-based shame

• Community norms and internalized narratives

Practice

• Cultural shame case analysis

• Group discussion on multicultural shame sensitivity

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Week 9 — Working with Deep Shame, Self-Hatred & the Inner Critic

Learning Outcomes

• Help clients navigate severe shame states

• Guide clients from self-rejection to self-acceptance

• Understand the roots of self-hatred and self-sabotage

Lecture Topics

• Severe shame loops: worthlessness, hopelessness, invisibility

• The inner critic’s origins & functions

• Self-compassion, boundaries & emotional regulation

• Healthy vs. unhealthy responsibility

Practice

• Inner critic / inner protector dialogues

• Compassion-focused practices

• Mapping the shame spiral

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Week 10 — Ethics, Integration & Practitioner Shadow Work

Learning Outcomes

• Understand ethical responsibilities in shame work

• Recognize countertransference and therapist shame

• Develop long-term wellbeing & resilience as a practitioner

Lecture Topics

• Shame triggers in therapists

• Ethical boundaries when exploring vulnerability

• Confidentiality, pacing & client safety

• Integrating shadow work into professional practice

• Course synthesis & future professional pathways

Practice

• Supervision-style group reflection

• Therapist shadow journaling

• Developing a personalised resilience plan

Summative Assignment

• Essay 3,500 Words: “How shame creates a shadow self.”