Trauma-Informed Therapy Beyond Disclosure

A focus away from urgency, intensity and pressure to disclose. This course offers a slower, ethically grounded approach to trauma treatment — centered on pacing, consent, nervous system regulation, and relational safety

4 CEUs, text-based continuing education course for California Board of Behavioral Sciences clinicians

⟡Image courtesy of Philip Flyvholm via Unsplash⟡

Titration, Consent, and Relational Ethics in Trauma Treatment

A high level, trauma-informed 4-CEU training that challenges common assumptions which equate therapeutic depth with emotional intensity, rapid disclosure, or cathartic release. Drawing on contemporary trauma theory, relational ethics, and somatic awareness, the course reframes trauma treatment as a capacity-based, consent-centered, and relationally attuned process.

The course examines how urgency, over-disclosure, premature exposure, and standard intake practices can unintentionally replicate harm—particularly for clients with complex, developmental, cultural, or systemic trauma histories.

Across ten modules, clinicians learn to practice trauma therapy that prioritizes pacing, titration, boundaries, and continuous consent, without requiring clients to relive or narrate traumatic events.

Course curriculum

1. Welcome & How to Use This Course
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2. Ethics & Scope of Practice Disclaimer
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3. Instructor & Course Disclosure Statement
  FREE PREVIEW
4. Course Overview & Syllabus
  FREE PREVIEW
5. Syllabus PDF - downloadable
1. I. Overview — Trauma, Trust, and the Therapeutic Alliance as a Living Model
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case Vignette+ Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. I. Overview — How Trauma Can Impact Client Boundaries
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case Vignette + Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. I. Overview — Titration as a Core Trauma Principle
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case Vignette + Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. I. Overview — Continuous Consent — Explicit and Implicit
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case vignette+ Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. I. Overview — Talking About Trauma Without Going Into It
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case Vignette + Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. I. Overview — Trauma Modalities That Do Not Require Re-Exposure
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case Vignette + Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. I. Overview — Intake as a Potential Site of Re-Traumatization
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case Vignette + Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. I. Overview — Trauma in Context: Gender, Power, and Cultural Amnesia
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case Vignette + Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. I. Overview — Diversity, Power, and Trauma-Informed Ethics
2. II. Key Content Areas
3. III. Case Vignette + Discussion Prompts
4. IV. Practice Exercise
5. V. Chapter Reflections
6. VI. References
1. COURSE-WIDE QUIZ (15 ITEMS)
2. Course handout
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About this course

$69.00

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify and critically evaluate the myth of catharsis and its impact on trauma treatment practices

• Apply titration as a moment-to-moment clinical and ethical principle grounded in neurobiology

• Distinguish verbal consent from somatic readiness when working with trauma material

• Utilize pacing and meta-conversation as relational interventions that protect against retraumatization

• Recognize over-disclosure as a potential trauma adaptation rather than evidence of readiness

• Implement trauma-informed boundaries with clients who lack prior experiences of containment

• Conduct intake assessments in ways that prioritize safety, choice, and nervous system regulation

• Integrate cultural, gendered, and systemic contexts into trauma formulation without diagnostic reductionism

• Employ non-exposure-based trauma modalities ethically and within scope of practice

• Strengthen ethical decision-making through somatic awareness and countertransference literacy

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Course Format

• Self-paced, home-study / distance learning

• Text-based learning (no required video or audio)

• Designed for reflective pacing and nervous system regulation

Each module includes:

• Conceptual overview • Case vignette with guided discussion • Structured reflection questions • Somatic-based experiential exercise
Includes one end-of-course multiple-choice exam.
15 questions. Unlimited attempts. 80% passing score.
Course Outline

1. The Myth of Catharsis in Trauma Work

2. Trauma, Trust, and the Therapeutic Alliance

3. How Trauma Can Impact Client Boundaries

4. Titration as a Core Trauma Principle

5. Continuous Consent — Explicit and Implicit

6. Talking About Trauma Without Going Into It

7. Trauma Modalities That Do Not Require Re-Exposure

8. Intake as a Potential Site of Re-Traumatization

9. Trauma in Context — Gender, Power, and Cultural Amnesia

10. Diversity, Power, and Trauma-Informed Ethics

Who this Course is For

California BBS-licensed mental health clinicians

Marriage & Family Therapists
Clinical Social Workers
Professional Clinical Counselors
Educational Psychologists

Especially relevant for clinicians working with:

• Complex or developmental trauma • Dissociation or somatic shutdown • Neurodivergent clients • Marginalized or historically harmed communities • Clients who worsen after traditional “trauma processing”

CE Credit Information

• Course Level: Intermediate • Instructional Method: Home Study / Distance Learning • CE Credit Hours: 4 • Learning Assessment: 15-item multiple-choice exam • Passing Score: 12 out of 15 items correct • Completion Requirements: • Review all course materials • Pass exam • Submit course evaluation

Certificates issued upon successful completion.

Instructor

Dr. Josie Valderrama

Clinical Psychologist

Josie Valderrama, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist based in San Francisco, California. Clinically, Dr. Valderrama works from an intersectional, trauma-informed perspective, with particular attention to sexual, relational, and gender diversity; neurodiversity; and ethnocultural context.

She is a founding member of the Bay Area Open Minds therapist association.

Accessibility & Safety

Because trauma material can be activating for clinicians as well as clients, this course intentionally emphasizes slow pacing, somatic awareness, and optional engagement with reflective exercises. Participants are encouraged to take breaks as needed and to attend to their own regulation throughout the learning process.
Important Disclosures

• This course is educational and does not replace clinical supervision or training in specific trauma modalities.

• The course does not provide certification in any proprietary treatment model.

• No commercial support was received for this course.

• The instructor has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Can I subscribe to all courses, or do I have to purchase each course?

Courses are available to buy individually or via an all-access monthly/annual subscription.