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Course Description

The Professional Diploma in Addiction Studies is a comprehensive, evidence-based programme designed to deepen understanding of addiction and enhance professional competencies in working with individuals affected by substance use and behavioural addictions. Delivered online over 10 weeks, this diploma is suitable for psychotherapists, counsellors, healthcare workers, educators, social care professionals, and anyone with a professional or personal interest in addiction and recovery.​

Grounded in a trauma-informed and integrative framework, the course explores the psychological, neurobiological, social, and cultural dimensions of addiction. Each weekly module combines theory with practical case examples, group discussions, and reflective practice to ensure applied learning. Participants will gain tools for assessment, intervention planning, and ethical decision-making, while also learning about recovery models, relapse prevention, and self-care in the therapeutic relationship.

Whether you’re new to the field or seeking to build on existing experience, this diploma offers a valuable and accessible foundation in addiction studies — equipping you to support clients with empathy, clinical insight, and professional integrity. The course also integrates a strong theory and application principles of Psychoanalysis

The Accredited Professional Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a comprehensive, practice-focused programme designed for counsellors, therapists, and helping professionals seeking to develop competence and confidence in evidence-based CBT interventions. Delivered through live, lecturer-led online classes via a virtual classroom on Zoom, the course runs one evening per week from 6.00pm to 9.00pm, providing an interactive and structured learning environment.

The programme consists of 30 hours of live online attendance and 30 hours of self-directed learning, totalling 60 CPD credits. Participants complete both formative and summative assessments, and successful graduates are awarded an Accredited Professional Diploma. The course is accredited by the Professional Development Consortium, CPD Standards Office, Irish Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (ICPA), and recognised under Provider of Excellence standards.

Across ten modules, participants gain a thorough grounding in the theoretical foundations of CBT, including the cognitive model and core principles developed by Beck, Ellis, and Meichenbaum. The course places strong emphasis on assessment, case formulation, and the delivery of structured, goal-oriented interventions for anxiety, depression, trauma, and related conditions. Core cognitive and behavioural techniques are taught alongside third-wave approaches such as mindfulness, compassion-focused therapy, schema work, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Participants also learn to adapt CBT for adolescents, trauma survivors, and clients with complex or comorbid presentations, while maintaining ethical standards, professional boundaries, and reflective practice. This diploma is ideally suited to practitioners seeking a rigorous, clinically relevant CBT qualification that supports effective and ethical therapeutic practice.

This advanced training diploma is designed for mental health and allied professionals working with individuals affected by domestic violence and sexual abuse. The course provides a trauma-informed, evidence-based framework for understanding the dynamics, impact, and therapeutic responses to interpersonal violence and abuse. Through live online lectures, interactive discussions, and a written assignment, participants will deepen their clinical competence and ethical awareness in this sensitive area of practice.

Key Topics Include:

• Understanding the dynamics of domestic violence and coercive control

• The psychological, emotional, and physical impact of sexual abuse

• Trauma responses: dissociation, shame, PTSD, and complex trauma

• Risk assessment and safety planning

• Working with survivors: trauma-informed and empowerment-based approaches

• The role of gender, culture, and power in abuse

• Childhood sexual abuse and long-term effects

• Ethical considerations, boundaries, and practitioner self-care

• Case studies and clinical application

A written assignment is due for thi course for CPD Accreditation 

Are you interested in pursuing a BSc (Honours) Degree in Counselling & Psychotherapy? The journey begins with our Certificate in Counselling & Psychotherapy at State of Mind Counselling & Psychotherapy.

This foundational certificate course provides the essential knowledge and skills required for entry into an accredited honours degree programme. It is the minimum entry-level qualification for those aspiring to become professional counsellors and psychotherapists.

Whether you're starting a new career or deepening your personal development, this course offers a comprehensive introduction to the field and lays the groundwork for further academic and professional training.

Begin your path toward a meaningful and rewarding profession—enrol today.

The Professional Diploma in Psychosomatic Health & Mind–Body Approaches is designed for practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of how psychological, emotional, and social factors influence the body, physical symptoms, and overall wellbeing. The course provides a comprehensive introduction to psychosomatic theory, stress physiology, and integrative models of health that view mind and body as inseparable rather than separate systems.

You will explore how experiences such as chronic stress, trauma, unprocessed emotion, and relational difficulties can contribute to or exacerbate physical symptoms, including pain, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, skin conditions, headaches, and medically unexplained symptoms. The course looks at the role of nervous system regulation, inflammation, and the stress response, alongside the impact of beliefs, personality patterns, attachment, and coping styles.

A central focus of the programme is on practical, mind–body interventions that can be integrated into different professional settings. You will be introduced to approaches such as body-focused awareness, grounding and breathing practices, relaxation and regulation skills, psychoeducation, guided imagery, and gentle movement-based strategies. You will also consider how to have sensitive conversations about the mind–body connection without blaming or minimising a person’s physical experience.

Teaching methods typically include lectures, experiential exercises, skills practice, case discussion, and reflective work. You will be encouraged to notice your own mind–body patterns and to develop a grounded, compassionate stance that models the kind of regulation and integration you are supporting in others.

This diploma is suitable for counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, coaches, nurses, allied health professionals, complementary therapists, and those in wellbeing, education, and community roles. By the end of the course, you will have a richer understanding of psychosomatic health, a toolkit of practical mind–body strategies, and greater confidence in supporting clients who present with the complex interplay of physical symptoms, emotional distress, and life stressors.

This programme is a professionally developed programme designed to support emotional wellbeing, build psychological resilience, and cultivate a deeper sense of compassion—both for ourselves and others.

Developed in partnership with MindfulnessUK, the CMR Course integrates core principles of mindfulness, compassion-focused therapy, and resilience training. Participants are guided through practices and reflections that foster greater awareness, self-kindness, and emotional balance in the face of life’s challenges.

This 4-week course is ideal for individuals seeking to:

• Manage stress, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm

• Build inner strength and self-compassion

• Deepen their mindfulness practice

• Enhance overall psychological wellbeing

Our trained teachers are listed on the official MindfulnessUK Trained Teachers Register. You can verify our credentials here:
👉 View our registration on the MindfulnessUK Trained Teachers Register

The Professional Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling & Insight-Oriented Therapy is designed for practitioners who wish to deepen their understanding of the unconscious mind, relational patterns, and the emotional roots of psychological distress. The course offers a thorough grounding in the core principles of psychodynamic theory, including the impact of early experiences, internal conflicts, defence mechanisms, and transference–countertransference dynamics in the therapeutic relationship.

You will explore how past relationships shape current ways of thinking, feeling, and relating, often outside conscious awareness. The programme examines key concepts such as attachment, object relations, the inner world of fantasy and symbols, and the role of loss, guilt, shame, and aggression in human experience. Emphasis is placed on understanding how these processes emerge in the therapeutic encounter and how they can be used to foster insight and change.

A central focus of the course is the therapeutic relationship itself. You will learn to listen at depth, work with silence, attend to non-verbal communication, and reflect on your own emotional responses as valuable sources of information. The diploma supports you in developing a stance that is curious, reflective, and containing, creating a safe space where clients can begin to explore and make sense of their inner worlds.

Teaching methods typically include lectures, close reading of clinical and theoretical texts, case discussions, skills practice, and personal and professional reflection. You will be encouraged to link theory to your own practice context and to develop your capacity for ongoing self-awareness and supervision.

This diploma is particularly suitable for counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, and other helping professionals who wish to work at a deeper, insight-oriented level with clients. By completion, you will have a richer understanding of psychodynamic perspectives, enhanced confidence in working with complex emotional material, and a more nuanced appreciation of how long-term, insight-based work can support meaningful and lasting psychological change.

This course introduces key concepts from existential philosophy and phenomenology, exploring themes such as freedom, choice, authenticity, anxiety, and the lived experience of being. Through live online lectures and reflective discussion, participants will learn how these philosophical frameworks can deepen therapeutic presence and enhance clinical understanding. Suitable for counsellors, psychotherapists, and mental health professionals seeking to expand their theoretical foundation and practice. Includes a written assignment for CPD certification.

The Professional Diploma in Child & Adolescent Mental Health is designed for professionals who work with young people and want a deeper, evidence-based understanding of their emotional and psychological development. The course explores how children and adolescents think, feel, and behave, and how family, school, community, and online environments influence their mental health.

You will be introduced to key mental health difficulties commonly seen in childhood and adolescence, such as anxiety, low mood, behavioural challenges, neurodevelopmental conditions, trauma-related difficulties, and emerging risk behaviours. Emphasis is placed on early identification, understanding underlying causes, and knowing when and how to refer on for specialist support.

Throughout the diploma, you will develop practical skills in communication, engagement, and relationship-building with children, teenagers, and families. You will learn how to have sensitive conversations about mental health, how to respond to distress, and how to provide safe, supportive, and boundaried help within your professional role.

The course draws on current research, real-life case examples, and reflective practice. Teaching is typically delivered through lectures, workshops, group discussions, and guided self-study, allowing you to link theory directly to your day-to-day work.

This diploma is suitable for teachers, SNAs, social care workers, youth workers, nurses, counsellors, social workers, and other allied professionals. By the end of the programme, you will have increased confidence in recognising mental health needs, collaborating with families and services, and contributing meaningfully to a young person’s support network.

Graduates leave with a strong foundation in child and adolescent mental health theory and practice, ready to apply their learning in schools, community settings, health and social care, or further specialist study.

The Professional Diploma in Advanced Therapeutic Skills for Complex Clients is designed for experienced practitioners who work with individuals presenting with multiple, longstanding or high-risk difficulties. The course focuses on deepening your clinical thinking and broadening your skills so you can stay steady, effective and compassionate in the face of complexity, uncertainty and strong emotions.

You will explore the nature of “complexity” in clinical work, including chronic and co-occurring difficulties such as trauma, personality-related issues, self-harm and suicidality, addiction, eating difficulties, relational instability, and physical and mental health comorbidity. The programme examines how attachment histories, shame, dissociation, neurodiversity, and systemic factors like poverty, discrimination and marginalisation shape presentation and impact engagement with services.

A core focus of the course is on formulation-driven, integrative practice. You will learn to draw on and flexibly combine ideas from different therapeutic models, including psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioural, trauma-focused, and relational approaches, in a way that is coherent and responsive to each client. Emphasis is placed on pacing, boundaries, risk assessment and management, working with ambivalence and rupture, and sustaining a collaborative alliance over time.

The programme also pays particular attention to therapist factors: countertransference, burnout, vicarious trauma, and the emotional impact of working with high levels of distress and risk. You will be supported to use supervision more effectively, to reflect on your own patterns in the work, and to develop sustainable practices that protect both you and your clients.

Teaching methods typically include lectures, case-based learning, live demonstrations, structured skills practice, reflective groups, and opportunities to bring your own anonymised material. This diploma is particularly suited to counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, mental health and social care professionals. By the end of the course, you will have a more nuanced clinical lens, a stronger and more flexible skillset, and increased confidence in working safely, creatively and ethically with complex clients and contexts.

The Professional Diploma in Integrative Trauma Therapy & EMDR Practice is designed for practitioners who wish to work more confidently and effectively with clients affected by trauma, using a flexible, evidence-informed approach. The course brings together key principles of integrative psychotherapy with the structured, phase-based model of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), supporting you to develop a coherent, trauma-focused way of working.

You will explore the neuroscience of trauma, the impact of overwhelming experiences on the brain and nervous system, and how symptoms such as hyperarousal, avoidance, flashbacks, dissociation, and relational difficulties can be understood as adaptations rather than pathology. The programme examines single-incident, complex, and developmental trauma, with attention to attachment, shame, and the role of the body in trauma memory.

A central focus of the diploma is on EMDR as a therapeutic method. You will be introduced to the theory underpinning EMDR, the eight-phase protocol, assessment and case formulation, preparation and stabilisation, target sequencing, and the use of bilateral stimulation. Emphasis is placed on safety, resourcing, pacing, and working collaboratively with clients’ strengths and capacities.

Alongside EMDR, the course integrates elements from person-centred, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, and somatic approaches, helping you to tailor interventions to the needs, preferences, and readiness of each client. You will also consider ethical issues, risk, complex presentations, and working with diverse populations and contexts.

Teaching methods typically include lectures, demonstrations, experiential exercises, supervised practice, and reflective discussion. You will have opportunities to practise core skills in a supported environment and to link learning directly to your own clinical or support work.

This diploma is particularly suited to counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, mental health professionals, and experienced practitioners in related fields. By the end of the course, you will have a stronger theoretical and practical grounding in integrative trauma therapy and EMDR practice, greater confidence in planning and delivering trauma-focused interventions, and an enhanced capacity to work safely, compassionately, and sustainably with trauma in your professional context.

The Professional Diploma in Trauma-Informed Counselling & Intervention is designed for practitioners who wish to deepen their understanding of psychological trauma and develop compassionate, practical skills for supporting survivors. The course provides a solid foundation in the neuroscience and psychology of trauma, including how overwhelming experiences affect the brain, body, emotions, relationships, and sense of self over time.

You will explore different types of trauma, such as single-incident events, complex and developmental trauma, attachment-related difficulties, and intergenerational trauma. Particular attention is given to how trauma may present in everyday settings, including anxiety, depression, dissociation, self-harm, substance use, relational difficulties, and physical health complaints. Throughout, you will be encouraged to view behaviour through a trauma-informed lens: asking “what happened?” rather than “what is wrong?”.

The programme emphasises safety, stabilisation, and empowerment. You will learn practical techniques for grounding, emotional regulation, and building resources, as well as principles for pacing, boundaries, and managing triggers. The course also introduces key therapeutic approaches used in trauma work, such as person-centred, cognitive-behavioural, somatic, and relational perspectives, helping you understand where your role begins and ends and when to refer on.

Teaching methods typically include lectures, experiential exercises, reflective practice, skills training, and case discussion. You will be supported to apply learning to your own context, whether that is counselling, social care, education, youth work, health, community or voluntary services.

This diploma is suitable for those already working in helping roles who wish to work more safely and effectively with people impacted by trauma. By the end of the course, you will have increased confidence in recognising trauma responses, responding in a grounded and attuned way, and contributing to trauma-informed environments and services. You will also be encouraged to prioritise self-care and vicarious trauma awareness, supporting your own wellbeing as you support others.