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The Professional Diploma in Eating Disorders, Body Image & Emotional Health is designed for practitioners who wish to better understand the complex relationship between food, body image, emotions, and identity. The course provides a comprehensive overview of eating disorders and disordered eating, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive intake, and subclinical patterns that may still cause significant distress and impairment.

You will explore how biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors interact in the development and maintenance of eating difficulties. Particular attention is given to perfectionism, shame, trauma, anxiety, low self-esteem, and difficulties in emotional regulation. The impact of family dynamics, peer relationships, media influences, and social pressures around appearance and performance is examined throughout, with sensitivity to gender, culture, and diversity.

A core focus of the programme is on developing a compassionate, non-judgemental and collaborative stance. You will learn how to recognise warning signs, ask safe and sensitive questions, and respond in ways that reduce stigma and promote trust. The course introduces key therapeutic approaches and best-practice guidelines in the support of individuals with eating difficulties, while clarifying the limits of your role and the importance of multidisciplinary working, medical monitoring, and specialist referral.

Teaching methods typically include lectures, case examples, reflective exercises, and skills practice. You will be supported to apply learning to your own context, whether that is counselling, psychotherapy, youth work, education, health, fitness and wellbeing, or community and voluntary services.

This diploma is particularly suited to professionals who frequently encounter concerns about food, weight, shape, or appearance in their work. By the end of the course, you will have greater confidence in understanding eating disorders and body image distress, in holding supportive and informed conversations, and in contributing to environments that promote emotional health, body respect, and recovery-oriented care.

The Professional Diploma in Bereavement, Loss, and Grief is a intensive 10-week online programme designed for helping professionals who wish to deepen their clinical understanding of grief and strengthen their capacity to support individuals experiencing loss. Suitable for therapists, counsellors, social workers, and related practitioners, the course integrates theory, research, and practice to address the multifaceted nature of bereavement across diverse contexts.

Participants engage with established and contemporary theories of grief, including stage-based, task-oriented, and non-linear models, while critically examining how grief manifests psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Through real-life case studies, reflective exercises, and applied learning activities, learners develop practical, evidence-informed skills for working compassionately and effectively with grieving clients. Particular emphasis is placed on recognising complicated and prolonged grief, supporting different populations across the lifespan, and responding ethically and sensitively within varied cultural and religious frameworks.

The course progresses from foundational concepts of bereavement and loss to advanced applications in grief counselling, cultural competence, and post-loss integration. Weekly modules explore grief in children, adults, and older populations; the impact of grief on mental and physical health; and strategies for fostering resilience, meaning-making, and healing after loss.

Delivered in a flexible online format, the programme allows participants to learn at their own pace while engaging with a supportive professional learning community. By the end of the course, graduates will be well equipped to provide high-quality, empathetic, and culturally responsive grief support in professional practice.

The Professional Diploma in Applied Neuroscience for Counselling & Psychotherapy is designed for practitioners who want to understand what is happening in the brain and nervous system during distress, healing, and change, and to translate this knowledge into practical therapeutic work. The course bridges neuroscience and frontline practice, making complex ideas accessible, relevant, and immediately usable in sessions with clients.

You will explore the structure and function of the brain, the stress response system, and key concepts such as neuroplasticity, memory, emotion regulation, and the role of the body and nervous system in mental health. The programme looks at how early experience, attachment, trauma, habits, and environment shape brain development and patterns of responding across the lifespan.

A central focus is on applying neuroscience to enhance assessment, formulation, and intervention. You will consider what current research tells us about anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, compulsive behaviours, and relational difficulties, and how to use this understanding to inform psychoeducation, therapy planning, and moment-to-moment clinical decisions. Particular emphasis is placed on regulation and safety: helping clients move from survival states towards greater flexibility, connection, and wellbeing.

The course introduces a range of brain-informed strategies and ways of working, including body-based and sensory approaches, regulation skills, attention training, and the use of metaphor and imagery. You will also learn how to talk about the brain with clients in clear, non-pathologising language that supports hope, motivation, and self-compassion.

Teaching methods typically include lectures, case examples, experiential exercises, and reflective practice. This diploma is suitable for counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, mental health and social care professionals, and others in helping roles. By the end of the course, you will have a solid grounding in applied neuroscience, increased confidence in integrating brain-based ideas into your work, and a richer framework for understanding and supporting change at emotional, cognitive, relational, and physiological levels.

The Professional Diploma in Relationship, Couples & Family Therapy is designed for practitioners who want to develop specialised skills in working with couples and families experiencing relational strain, conflict, transition, or crisis. The course offers a strong theoretical and practical grounding in systemic, attachment-based, and relational approaches, helping you understand how patterns of interaction, communication, and family history shape current difficulties.

You will explore key concepts such as family systems, attachment styles, boundaries, roles, triangles, power dynamics, and life-cycle transitions. Common presenting issues are examined in depth, including communication breakdown, infidelity, parenting disagreements, intimacy and sexual difficulties, blended families, separation and divorce, grief and loss, and the impact of mental health or addiction within the family system.

A central focus of the programme is on developing core therapeutic skills for working safely and effectively with more than one person in the room. You will learn techniques for facilitating difficult conversations, managing conflict and high emotion, maintaining neutrality, working with strong emotions such as anger and shame, and keeping a clear focus on safety, respect, and consent. Attention is also given to diversity, culture, gender, sexuality, and the broader social context of relationships.

Teaching methods typically include lectures, demonstrations, role plays, skills practice, and structured reflection. Case material is used throughout to connect theory with real-world practice and to build confidence in assessment, contracting, and intervention planning with couples and families.

This diploma is particularly suited to counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, and other helping professionals who wish to extend their practice into relational work or deepen their skills in this area. By the end of the course, you will have a more sophisticated understanding of relational dynamics, a richer toolkit of interventions, and greater confidence in supporting couples and families to navigate challenges, strengthen connection, and move towards healthier, more constructive patterns of relating.

The Professional Diploma in Group Therapy Processes & Facilitation is designed for practitioners who want to develop confidence and skill in working therapeutically with groups. The course provides a solid grounding in the theory and practice of group work, exploring what makes groups powerful places for growth, insight, and change.

You will examine key concepts such as group stages of development, cohesion, norms, roles, sub-groups, power dynamics, and resistance. Attention is given to how issues such as inclusion, trust, identity, conflict, and endings show up in groups, and how these can be understood and worked with in a constructive way. You will also explore different models of group therapy, including psychodynamic, humanistic, psychoeducational, and skills-based approaches.

A central focus of the programme is the role of the facilitator. You will learn how to set up and contract for safe group work, establish boundaries, and create an atmosphere of psychological safety and respect. Practical skills are developed in managing group processes, responding to challenging behaviour, working with strong emotions, and balancing individual and group needs. You will also consider ethical issues, risk, diversity, and inclusion within group contexts.

Teaching methods typically include experiential group work, live facilitation practice, reflective exercises, lectures, and case discussions. Wherever possible, you will learn about groups by being part of a group, allowing you to experience directly the dynamics you are studying and to reflect on your own patterns and responses as a participant and facilitator.

This diploma is particularly suited to counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, youth workers, educators, and professionals in health, social care, community and organisational settings. By the end of the course, you will have a deeper understanding of group processes, a stronger facilitation toolkit, and increased confidence in designing, leading, and evaluating therapeutic and developmental groups in your own practice context.

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.