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Certificate in Working with Trauma – ‘Emerging from Emergency’

This five-day online training in trauma counselling with Jonathan Lake will provide practising counsellors and psychotherapists with a detailed understanding of how to work effectively with the various types of trauma we see in the therapy room and onsite at critical incidents.

We will learn experientially as well as didactically, using the group as a community to gain knowledge and understanding from our experiences with clients, training and our own trauma stories. Theoretical lenses on the subject will include Gestalt, Transactional Analysis, Person-Centred, Adlerian, CBT and Jungian perspectives.

You will learn a range of practical CBT-based and other techniques and approaches which will enable you to work effectively with clients who have experienced trauma. The range of traumatic experiences, from single-incident and multiple trauma to severe and prolonged, developmental, external event-based and everyday trauma and will include protocols for working with PTSD and complex PTSD including assessment and diagnosis.

Everyday trauma includes looking at trauma through an intersectional lens and explores power, discrimination and oppression.

The course is based on the New Haven competencies of trauma and will be taught using a range of neuroscience and evidence-based teaching and learning methods.

These competencies were developed by a group of international experts on trauma as a means of identifying best practice and have subsequently been adopted by the American Psychological Association.

Course Summary

A five-day training programme which will include;

• Understanding trauma and its impact, best trauma-informed practice and therapeutic assessment
• Evidence-based models of trauma therapy
• Techniques and Interventions for trauma
• Understanding and working with Complex Trauma
• Case studies of different client character styles, organisations and industries with practical application.
• Guidelines on working onsite on different types of critical incidents, the logistics of such work and how to setup as a critical incident responder
• Assessment and diagnosis of trauma and definitions of the spectrum of trauma
•  The impact of trauma on the brain, memory, and the body.
• The therapeutic relationship and trauma
• Secondary and vicarious trauma and therapist self-care
• Models of trauma processing
• Contraindicated therapies/ techniques
• Therapeutic approaches and techniques for trauma
• Trauma-sensitive mindfulness and mental imagery interventions
• Body-focused trauma therapy interventions
• A TA/Integrative trauma therapy protocol
• Personalising and individualising therapy

Watch Jonathan discuss the course

‘An extremely worthwhile course – choc full of information, theory and absolute pearls of wisdom. Jonathan a fantastic tutor.’ – Course Participant July 2025

‘Jonathan’s experience with trauma and his ability to impart this knowledge was truly impactful. He engaged gently with the group, modelling how to work with the complex subject of trauma. His ability to quote and retrieve information was done with charisma and even humour at times, which made the weight of the subject easily digestible. Thank you.’  – Cameron, Course Participant July 2025

‘A course of great value, with a depth of information and interaction which leaves the trainees with a secure base for such important work.’ – Course Participant July 2025

‘Jonathon created a very warm and welcoming environment in which to look at the topic of trauma. It felt like a very safe space to ask questions and share experiences. He was incredibly inclusive, engaging and gentle in his delivery.’ – Course Participant July 2025

Course Delivery: Live online on Zoom. (Sessions will not be recorded)

Pre-Course Requirements: Participants should be qualified counsellors or in training and seeing clients (Students in training should talk through their planned attendance with their supervisor or course tutor).

There is no pre-course work required.

Recognition: A Link Centre Certificate will be presented.

Maximum number of participants: 40

Tutor: Jonathan Lake STA, PTSTA, CTA, TA Psych M.Sc, Psychology B.Sc

Visit Jonathan’s website to read more about his training and testimonials Jonathan Lake, Therapist

Jonathan has been teaching at Metanoia since 2014, including Integrative, Humanistic and Transactional Analysis MSc courses, having trained there in the late 90s. He also teaches at TA East, Connexus, CPPD and other institutes and corporations, the latter focusing on workplace stress, trauma and disaster recovery.

His hope is to teach in an engaging and informed way, to bring out wisdom from within through experiential exercises as well as more formal delivery of theory and best clinical practices.

Training in Transpersonal Supervision in 2004 involved running groups and individual clinical supervisions, qualifying as a Supervising Transactional Analyst (STA) in 2005.

Jonathan has worked as facebook and Meta’s onsite psychotherapist since 2016 and has supervised at Freedom From Torture, London Friend, James’ Place (for actively suicidal men) and other charities.

Jonathan has worked as an onsite critical incident responder for twenty five years, working on national and international terrorist attacks, as well as traumatic events in London. More recently this has involved working with individuals and families involved in the Israel and Palestine conflict.

In his private practice in East London, he is particularly interested in couples and relationships work, bereavement, developmental trauma and transpersonal work.

More recently consultation work has included traumatic assessment and support for plays such as Grenfell at the National Theatre and student support at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).

Consultant work since 2005 has included the Home Office and Cabinet Office on Mental Health strategies and Employee Assistance Programs provisions.

Previously Jonathan has been the Clinical Manager for two Employee Assistance Programs based in London.