Certificate in trauma counselling for mental health professionals: Level 2

Dates: February 5, 6, 26, 27, March 4, and 5, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET

This training is suitable for:
Mental Health Professionals: psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers

Level of training: Intermediate/advanced

Prerequisite: This training is for regulated professionals whose scope of practice allows for counselling specific therapies. This training is not appropriate for unregulated professionals. You must have completed the Certificate in trauma counselling for mental health professionals: Level 1  at SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute, as this training builds on the theories, concepts, models, and method discussed in the Level 1 program.

Trigger Warning: This training may evoke disturbing feelings and can retriggers any participants who have unresolved past and current personal trauma conflicts. If you have not resolved past traumas, it is strongly advised that you do so prior to participating in the training. Participants can be triggered by training content, class discussion, or examples shared.

Description:
The certificate in trauma counselling for mental health professionals: Level 2 is an advanced clinical training for those who provide psychotherapy and counselling to clients who have experienced traumatic exposures. This training will introduce key components for working with client presenting historical or oriented trauma exposures.

This will include: countertransference/transference reactions; overview of trauma-specific assessments and structuring the assessment process; case conceptualization and formulation process; treatment planning; applying “bottom up” approach treatment approaches to assist in regaining control of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) mobilization and collapse responses; and overviewing the use of ego state therapeutic approaches such as schema and structural dissociative therapy as treatment models of care. It is an educational applied training program, having several breakout groups, dyads and practice experiences to the theories and model discussed.

Daily training breakdown: The training days are broken down as outlined below. Please see the agenda tab for more details.

• Day 1 - Transference and countertransference as a predictor of therapeutic attachment, treatment outcome, and potential impact on the professional doing trauma work
• Day 2 - Where to begin: stabilization, structure assessment and building the treatment plan
• Day 3 - Introduction of polyvagal theory as a viable therapy for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Day 4 - Practical clinical application of polyvagal therapy
• Day 5 - Working with dissociative phobic ‘parts’ of self
• Day 6 - Schema therapy for PTSD

Learning objectives:

• Understand that clinical attachment is the means to “safety” in a therapeutic setting and fundamental to the treatment of trauma; this training will provide deeper insight into the clinical significance of transference reaction from clients with PTSD and the potential risks of negative countertransference reactions from the professional
• Gain a working knowledge and practical skills into a structured assessment process for PTSD, which will support in developing an individualized treatment plan
• Gain a working knowledge, based on the assessment process, how to prepare a case conceptualization and treatment formulation plan
• Develop a working knowledge and practical skills for Polyvagal therapy as a treatment approach
• Develop a working knowledge and the application of ego state therapies including Schema and Structural Dissociative treatment models

COVID-19 related content: Many individuals who have experienced past historical exposures to trauma, are now finding that the isolation, confinement and disconnection and overarching exposures to COVID risks including within themselves, outside of themselves and being around others has created a compounding trauma effect, elevated fear responses, re-activating their symptoms. This training will be able to equip professional on how to begin to support other professionals and clients who are presenting with these features as a result of the current pandemic.