Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD

Provider: State of Mind Psychotherapy, Counselling & Education
Delivery: Online (Live via Zoom)
Duration: 10 Weeks | 3 Hours per Week
Award: Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD

Accredited CPD Points Awarded: 30 Points

Intake: November 2025

Description:

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.

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Learning Outcomes
By the end of this diploma, participants will be able to:

• Understand the neurobiology of trauma, including the role of the amygdala, hippocampus, and vagus nerve.
• Differentiate between PTSD, Complex PTSD, and developmental trauma presentations.
• Conduct trauma-informed assessments using established clinical frameworks.
• Apply integrative treatment strategies grounded in somatic, cognitive, relational, and psychoeducational modalities.
• Recognise the signs of dissociation, fragmentation, and autonomic dysregulation in clients.
• Incorporate safety and stabilisation techniques, grounding tools, and affect regulation protocols.
• Navigate professional and ethical challenges in trauma treatment, including re-traumatisation and therapist vicarious trauma.
• Facilitate post-traumatic growth and long-term healing through resilience-focused practices.
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Course Content
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Module 1: Understanding Trauma and Its Impact

Definitions and categories of trauma: acute, complex, systemic
Trauma and the nervous system: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses
Polyvagal theory and neuroception of safety
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Module 2: PTSD and Complex PTSD

Diagnostic criteria and symptomology (DSM-5 & ICD-11)
Trauma memory, flashbacks, and intrusive phenomena
Comorbidity with anxiety, depression, and dissociative disorders
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Module 3: Assessment and Clinical Formulation

Trauma-informed intake and history-taking
Red flags and contraindications for trauma work
Formulation of trauma responses through developmental and attachment lenses
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Module 4: Clinical Interventions & Treatment Phases

Phase-oriented trauma treatment: safety, processing, integration
Somatic-based interventions: grounding, tracking, titration
Cognitive and narrative techniques: restructuring and meaning-making
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Module 5: Dissociation, Shame & the Fragmented Self

Understanding structural dissociation and the dissociative spectrum
Working with shame, avoidance, and emotional numbing
The role of the inner critic and self-compassion in trauma recovery
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Module 6: The Therapist’s Role & Post-Traumatic Growth

Therapist embodiment, boundary integrity, and trauma presence
Vicarious trauma, burnout, and self-regulation
Recovery as reconnection: meaning, identity, and resilience
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Accreditation & Certification

Fully accredited by The CPD Standards Office
Award: 50 CPD Points
Recognised for formal CPD across professional bodies.
Participants receive a Professional Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD upon full attendance and completion of an assignment

Delivery Format
Live Online via Zoom over 10 weeks/sessions (3 hours per session)- 6:30pm to 9:30pm (Click “Book Now” for Schedule)
Blended learning style with live lectures, breakout groups, guided clinical exercises, and optional practice sessions
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:

Accredited and trainee counsellors and psychotherapists
Counselling & Psychotherapy Graduates & Students
Clinical and counselling psychologists
Social workers, nurses, and addiction specialists
Mental health professionals working with trauma-impacted populations
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.