Professional Certificate: A Cognitive Behavioural Approach to Working with Trauma and PTSD

March 2027 | 15 CPD Hours | Live Online via Zoom

1. Presenter Bio

Susi Lodola (MIACP)

Susi Lodola (MIACP) is an IACP-accredited psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with over 11 years of clinical experience in private practice. Her work includes psychotherapy with adults and adolescents, clinical supervision, professional education and the development and delivery of continuing professional development programmes for counsellors and psychotherapists.

Susi has lectured at third level in psychotherapy and psychological perspectives on mental health and delivers professional training to psychotherapists, counsellors and educational professionals. She also provides training for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), Department of Education.

She holds an MSc in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Motivational Interviewing, a Higher Diploma in Psychology from University College Dublin, a BA (First Class Honours) in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy, a BA (Hons) in Linguistics from University College Dublin, a Professional Certificate in Child & Adolescent Counselling, a Practitioner Certificate in Mindfulness and a Diploma in Clinical Supervision.

2. Course Outline

The Professional Certificate: A Cognitive Behavioural Approach to Working with Trauma and PTSD is a three-day practical training programme for therapists and other appropriately qualified professionals who want to develop the knowledge and clinical skills required to work effectively with trauma and PTSD.

Working with trauma can feel challenging when a client presents with intrusive memories, flashbacks, avoidance, hypervigilance, guilt, shame or a persistent sense of threat. The difficulty is often knowing how to bring these experiences together into a clear formulation and, importantly, what to do next in therapy. The programme provides a practical, evidence-informed framework for this work using trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

An important part of the course examines what current research and clinical guidelines tell us about the treatment of PTSD. Participants consider which psychological therapies have the strongest evidence, what the research tells us about the active elements of effective trauma treatment, and how trauma-focused CBT fits within the wider treatment landscape.

The course also distinguishes between interventions that help a client manage distress, such as grounding, emotional regulation and stabilisation strategies, and treatments designed to address the processes maintaining PTSD. This supports therapists to make thoughtful, evidence-informed clinical decisions rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

The training takes participants through the clinical process from assessment and formulation to active trauma-focused treatment. Participants learn how to identify what may be maintaining a client’s PTSD symptoms, develop an individualised formulation and use this to guide treatment, including pacing, responding to complexity and comorbidity, and monitoring whether therapy is helping.

Teaching is practical and interactive, using clinical case material, demonstrations, discussion, supervised triad work in breakout rooms, experiential exercises and resources that can be adapted for clinical practice.

Key areas covered

• Assessing trauma-related difficulties and recognising PTSD
• Developing an individualised trauma-focused formulation
• Understanding trauma memories, triggers and the persistent sense of current threat
• Working with avoidance and safety behaviours
• Addressing trauma-related beliefs and meanings
• Working with guilt, shame and self-blame
• Deciding when stabilisation may be helpful and when to begin active trauma-focused work
• Pacing treatment and responding to complexity and comorbidity
• Monitoring progress and evaluating whether therapy is helping
• Working safely and within professional competence

3. Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Recognise and assess the key clinical features of PTSD, including trauma-related symptoms, risk and common co-occurring difficulties.
• Summarise what current research and clinical guidelines indicate about the treatment of PTSD, including which psychological therapies have the strongest evidence and where trauma-focused CBT sits within the wider treatment landscape.
• Develop an individualised CBT formulation identifying the processes maintaining a client’s trauma-related difficulties, including trauma memories, triggers, avoidance, safety behaviours and trauma-related appraisals.
• Explain PTSD and the rationale for trauma-focused CBT clearly and collaboratively to clients.
• Develop a structured trauma-focused treatment plan based on the individual client’s formulation.
• Distinguish between interventions that help a client manage distress, such as grounding, emotional regulation and stabilisation, and treatments that target the processes maintaining PTSD, and decide when each is clinically indicated.
• Apply cognitive and behavioural strategies for working with trauma memories, triggers, avoidance and safety behaviours.
• Work therapeutically with trauma-related meanings and beliefs, including guilt, shame and self-blame.
• Assess when and how to begin trauma-focused work, including considerations around dissociation, complexity and emotional activation.
• Monitor treatment progress, recognise when therapy has become stuck and adapt the formulation and treatment plan accordingly.
• Recognise the limits of professional competence and make appropriate use of supervision, specialist input or onward referral.

4. Dates, Fee, Booking & Contact

Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided on the IACP website event calendar, the IACP cannot accept any responsibility or liability for information provided by outside organisation. The views expressed in presentations made at this event are those of the event organiser / speaker and not, necessarily, of the IACP. Presentations at this event do not constitute an endorsement  of the IACP regarding organiser’s or speaker’s views, products or services.