Course Information

Elevate your practice and become equipped to provide psychological services to those who require specialised trauma care. The Postgraduate Diploma Practitioner in Complex Trauma has been established to support professionals working clinically with adults affected by prolonged or significant exposure to trauma and adversity. You will develop professional competences to provide psychological services to those who require specialised trauma care.

This course has been developed in partnership with The University of Buckingham.

Complex PTSD is a novel diagnosis, although traumatology has long acknowledged the spectrum of complexities in trauma related needs. Yet, current psychological assessment and treatment approaches often fail to differentiate between varying levels of complexity, in the context of limited evidence relating to the efficacy of treatments for complex trauma, specifically. As an emerging field, with a limited, and growing, evidence base, this can create challenges for clinicians wanting to ensure their service users have access to the latest evidence-based models and approaches to treatment.

This course has been developed in recognition that individuals with more complex and enduring needs require nuanced approaches to conceptualising service models and treatments. It adopts a holistic approach to the needs of people who have been exposed to prolonged or significant incidents of adversity or trauma. The structure and content of the PGDiP follows the level three ‘trauma expert’ competencies outlined by the British Psychological Society (Karatzias & Buxton, 2016).

The PGDip operates within a framework of emphasising the idiosyncratic care needs of service users to provide specialist complex trauma care. It provides students with the opportunity to develop trauma-sensitive practice within their organisations and team. There is also a strong emphasis on theory-driven and integrated approaches, and from working from the evidence base, including acknowledging, and working with their limitations.

Emphasis is placed on strengthening core skills of self-awareness, including of awareness of one’s own professional and academic needs, as well as promoting self-care and accessing appropriate supervision.

Course highlights

Strong emphasis on theory-informing practice and the integration of different evidence-based theoretical perspectives of complex trauma.

Developing therapeutic skills and competencies to respond effectively to clinical challenges associated in working with people with complex trauma needs.

Free access to the Centre for Development and Complex Trauma’s international Trauma conference programme.

Course breakdown

Term 1
Throughout your first term, the module ‘Informing Practice’ lays key foundations; through exploring key concepts and theories that underpin our understanding of complex psychological trauma, whilst stressing the importance of understanding the impact of social factors, including structural inequalities in the service user’s life experience. The evidence for, and limitations of, key concepts in trauma diagnostic nosology for different populations are presented.

Term 2
In term 2, the ‘Idiosyncratic Assessment and Formulation of Complex Trauma Needs’ module is studied. You have the opportunity to develop skills for the assessment, diagnosis and idiosyncratic psychological formulations of complex trauma and related needs. This includes for the assessment for core trauma and complex symptoms (PTSD and DSO), psychological co-morbidities and physical health needs. Key legal and ethical issues are also addressed. Teaching has a strong workshop element, allowing for for the development and reflection of clinical skills.

Term 3
The third term explores ‘Idiosyncratic intervention approaches for Complex Trauma’. Through a predominantly workshop-style approach, you can develop practice skills needed for idiosyncratic treatment approaches for a range of complex trauma related needs, including self-care for therapists / practitioners. Core complex trauma symptoms (PTSD and DSO), and challenges that can arise when working with different aspects of trauma, as well as common co-morbidities, including psychological and physical wellbeing are addressed.

Term 4
During the final term, you study ‘Working with hard to reach and underserved populations: Practice guidance & Professional practice issues’. Students focus on developing knowledge and skills to work with a wide range of trauma populations, including those with wider needs such personality disorders, forensic and displaced populations. Vicarious trauma, moral injury and ethical / legal complexities of working with trauma populations are also addressed, with practice-based guidance offered.

Teaching and Assessment

The PGDip is taught one day a week over the period of one year. It is a taught, part-time course offered as a distance learning programme.

Teaching methods
As an online course, the PGDiP utilises a number of teaching approaches, including:

Lectures and seminars led by clinical, forensic and counselling psychologists who have each been working with complex trauma-related needs for over 10 years, with differing populations and specialities.
Extensive reading resources that accompany lectures; students can select information that will support their academic and clinical development.
Personal tutor meetings that take place with a minimum of one meeting per semester.
Workshops.
Group exercises, including large and small group work, that run throughout the PGDip.
Observed practice.
Role play demonstrations, allowing you to observe and take part in live role plays focusing on clinical dilemma and challenges.
Clinical demonstration videos, available to students to study.

The teaching approaches utilised will vary throughout the programme dependent on which techniques are most appropriate for each module.

Assessment Methods
Progress is assessed through different methods, reflecting the clinical and academic context of the course. Across all four modules, learners complete weekly reflective logs. Core academic assessment methods include two essays, two written case studies and an oral case presentation. Two brief observed clinical skills assessments and a class presentation on a professional practice issue complete the assessment process.

After your course

The overarching educational aims of the PGDip are to equip students with the theoretical frameworks and clinical skills to develop, deliver and evaluate interventions, services and organisational frameworks that mitigate the impact of complex psychological trauma and reduce the likelihood of re-traumatisation.

Career skills
After completing the PGDiP Practitioner in Complex Trauma, you will have developed skills to allow you to pursue or develop specialist trauma roles in various healthcare settings, including:

Strong, theory-driven knowledge base of the lifelong impact to the whole person, of experiencing complex trauma, and the understanding of how to apply this knowledge to clinical, research and service development activities.
Theoretical and applied skills appropriate to function at the Level 3 ‘trauma expert’ competences outlined by the British Psychological Society.
Knowledge of how to implement, evaluate, and reflect on specialist trauma assessments and interventions in different settings.
Skills to work within an ethical framework to promote the wellbeing of service users and practitioners.

Careers and Employability Support
Our courses strive to effectively combine academic challenge with the transferable skills that will stand you in good stead for future employment. The PGDip means that our students are well prepared as they embark on their careers and future study.

Entry requirements

UK Offers
UK applicants must have one of the following (or equivalent for International applicants):

HCPC registration
BACP registration
BABCP accreditation
GMC accreditation
Additional registrations with therapeutic experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Students will also need to have access to a patient population and to clinical supervision for their therapeutic work.

International Offers
Find out about The University of Buckingham's requirements and see useful information for international applicants:

Extra information

University entry requirements: includes information on flexible entry, mature students and alternative qualifications.
If you are uncertain whether you will be eligible to apply for this course, please contact The University of Buckingham's Admissions team.