Trauma, PTSD, Trauma-Focused Approaches and Trauma-Informed Care Training.

Trauma-Informed Practice.

A half-day course.

The overall aim of TIP is to ensure that services are delivered in ways that prevent further harm or retraumatisation for those who have already experienced psychological trauma or adversity at any stage in their lives.

Trauma-Informed Practice principles are generally applicable, for instance in: general practice, mental health, residential care, police, criminal justice social work, addiction services and education. Different authors quote slightly differing lists and numbers of ‘key TIP principles’ but most focus on the following:

• Safety
• Trust
• Choice
• Collaboration
• Empowerment

Including case examples the course examines the steps that individuals and organisations can take to systematically apply these principles, and the barriers that might get in the way.

Developmental Trauma & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Repairing the Damage™

A 3-day course.

For professionals working with young people who have been through experiences which are by any standards 'damaging'.

Adverse childhood experiences may result in changes in the deepest parts of the brain, resulting in effects which are behavioral, cognitive, biological, social and emotional. Examples include: aggressive behaviour, withdrawal, poor self esteem, hostility to others, lack of interest in activities, disturbed sleep and appetite, sadness, anxiety or anger problems, and poor relationships. Although this is a disturbing list there are many children who exhibit most or all of these as a complete 'package' of problems, resistant to repeated intervention and so the cause of great frustration to professionals. The aim of this course is to repair the damage and so avoid those consequences.

Trauma-Focused CBT, for all ages.

A 3-day course.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is literally a life changing disorder. It is famously difficult to treat, yet Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can produce impressive results.

Experiencing a life-threatening event can leave the person with effects including: persistently re-experiencing the event (e.g. intrusive thoughts and images of it), a numbing of general responsiveness (e.g. less interest in significant activities and a feeling of detachment from others), persistent hyperarousal (e.g. difficulty sleeping, irritability, exaggerated startle response) adding up to significant distress or impaired functioning. This course examines effective Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based interventions (a) to ameliorate these effects and (b) to greatly improve the patient's quality of life where some effects cannot be mitigated.

The Assessment and Risk Assessment of Children & Adolescents in Crisis™

A 3-day course. (2-day version also available.)

Using existing clinical skills and Davies's structured interview.

Assessing adolescents and children in crisis settings often causes professionals a lot of concern. They wonder whether they have the necessary skills, they are concerned about the potential volatility of the situation, they are unfamiliar with having another adult (the parent) present and concerned, they are not sure about consent and confidentiality issues, and they are not completely sure what their role is: assessment, risk-assessment, management, or what?

Preventing PTSD after major events, at work and elsewhere.

A 3-day course. (2-day version also available.)

It is difficult to know what to do after a major incident, but 'nothing' is rarely the best option.

Major incidents such as patient-suicide, assaults, severe self harm, hostage takings etc can be very stressful for the staff concerned. Through lecture, case study and role play, this course examines how best to respond to such situations to minimise the stress; when it's best to say little or nothing, when to get a group of staff together, what to say, what procedures to follow, etc. It provides very clear guidelines in an often confused and difficult area.

Assessment, Risk Assessment, and Intervention, in Crisis Situations.

A 3-day course. (2-day version also available.)

This course is designed for people who have predominantly short term contact with clients, either by phone or face to face. Typically those clients will be in or approaching a psychotic episode, suffering with a personality disorder, or so distressed that they may harm themselves or attempt suicide. The key aspects of these disorders are therefore covered, and, in particular, major effective strategies for effective brief intervention. Additionally the principles behind these interventions are covered, to facilitate long term beneficial impact, along with risk assessment in such high stress situations.

Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE).

A half-day course.

‘Psychologically Informed Environments’ is a term that is mostly used in the context of working with marginalised people, such as the homeless. There are several key ideas:

- The use of therapeutic techniques aimed at producing emotional recovery, and not just applying sticking plaster to help the immediate problem.

- To examine how organisations can be redesigned to help achieve the same aim of emotional recovery and achieve lasting benefit.

- To balance past present and future by:

• Grounding the client in the present.

• Addressing any relevant traumas from the past.

• Planning a realistic and attractive future.

Highlighting self-awareness this half-day course aims to examine some of the problems arising from past interventions and looks at current practices which can achieve the aims of PIE, namely emotional recovery.

APT Accreditation.

The Association for Psychological Therapies offers various levels of accreditation to professionals who have completed APT training (or similar).

Trauma FAQs.

View the most frequently asked questions about Psychological Trauma (e.g. "What is Psychological Trauma?").