Qualifications

Qualifications of Trauma Treatment Specialist Stuart Morgan-Ayrs

The two main differences between a general therapist and a Trauma Therapist are:

1. Training in the Specialist are of Trauma Treatment: This should be Post Graduate level in order to be credible, it should be evidenced with professional certification, and there should be regular renewal showing ongoing updates to the knowledge and validity of the practitioner's practice ability.

2. Experience and understanding of trauma: The majority of trauma specialists of any real note have worked in the field for decades, and most have had experience of trauma personally or within their close circle of family or friends. Without experience of the extreme disruption of complex trauma it is not possible to adequately comprehend the differences between complex trauma and other mental heath conditions.

But surely everyone has trauma?

It is true to say that everyone normally has life events that could potentially cause traumatic response. However that is not the same as having enough events to be above the clinical threshold to be diagnosed as having PTSD or C-PTSD, nor does everyone react the same to potentially traumatic events. The psychological, social and physical development of the person before traumatic event or events greatly influences the likelihood of whether the outcome may be trauma.  So basically everyone has incidents where trauma could be an outcome, but not everyone has a trauma response, and not everyone has the depth or range of experience that is needed to result in complex or developmental trauma.

Trauma can be identified either by a medically qualified clinician confirming the diagnosis using the ICD or DSM criteria which is essentially symptom based diagnosis, or from the use of information gathering such as the Adverse Childhood Experience diagnostic forms. In the UK only medically qualified personnel can diagnose any "medical" condition, including C-PTSD.  That is not our area, competency or role.

Qualifications in Specialised Trauma Treatment

To be qualified as a clinician in specialist trauma treatment normally requires the following:

1. The practitioner needs to qualify as a general therapist in a core area, such as psychology, counselling, psychotherapy, coaching, hypnotherapy, other therapy

2. The practitioner needs to be practicing and fully licensed

3. The practitioner usually needs to be qualified to post graduate level or equivalent (such as a Master's Degree)

4. The practitioner then needs to complete a comprehensive, specialist and recognised training programme

5. The general attainment level on testing usually needs to be a minimum of 80% on the final examination after the programme.

6. Current licensing, qualification etc needs to be checked before Certification is issued

The practitioner can then walk away with a "certificate" showing qualification in that method. However to maintain active "certification" means that the therapist is maintaining a high professional standard on an ongoing basis. This requires regularly showing specialist and up to date training each year, maintenance of licensing, and checking qualifications remain valid for practice.

Advanced Certification requires the practitioner to complete Clinical Certification first, and then repeat the process at an even higher level in order to attain Advanced Clinical Specialism, again with similar standards of attainment and checking of credentials.

At either level the practitioner also needs to qualified, registered and insured to provide all the therapy models they use in their trauma specialist practice. This is as well as maintaining their specialist credentials. This is because all practitioners must ensure they remain in their scope and area of competency, meaning they must remain properly qualified, registered and insured to use the tools within their specialist practice.

Usual stages of career development:

1. General qualification core method

2. Becoming trauma informed

3. Adding appropriate additional therapies, we estimate the minimum for true comprehensive service is NINE

4. Post Graduate qualification if not already

5. Certification Clinical Specialist (level I)

6. Certification Advanced Clinical Specialist (level II)

Job titles used by Trauma Specialists:

• Clinical Trauma Specialist

• Traumatic Stress Specialist

• Traumatologist

Stuart Morgan-Ayrs, Advanced Clinical Trauma Specialist

Stuart has been a therapist since 1993. His career progression is summarised below but is provided in more detail in the "stuart competencies" section of the main reference website HERE He has trained both live and with blended (course based) learning programmes with some of the leading experts in the world, including Gabor Mate, Peter Levine, Stephen Porges, Ruth Lanius, Dan Siegel, Bessel Van Der Kolk, Richard Schwarz, Frank Anderson, Pat Ogden, and many more. He attends extensive leading edge training every year, including being a regular attendee at the Oxford University Master Series Trauma Conference.

• Pre-therapy training: BSc(Hons) IIT Specialising in Human Resource Management, Systems Modelling. City of Birmingham University

• Diploma Analysis & Clinical Hypnosis specialising in Stress Management: Association of Stress Management & Institute of Hypnosis & Parapsychology. Externally validated by City & Guilds via NVQ system (old level 4) modified level 5 equivalent.  Specifically Stress & Trauma focused award.

• Accreditation in Counselling, Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy, specialising in CBT, Analysis & Mindfulness with the National Association of Counsellors, Hypnotherapists & Psychotherapists. 

• Cert Education -  Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers, specialising in mental health support. Lampeter University

• BA(Hons) Open, specialising in psychology & politics. Open University Scotland

• BA(Hons) Psychology & Philosophy of the Mind, Open University Scotland

• Cert Education - Specailising in Psychology & Philosophy, Edinburgh University

• MSc Psychology, specialising in Neurology & Identity, Open University Scotland

• Certified Trauma Specialist Training, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Anger Management Specialist Training, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Depression & Mood Disorder Specialist training, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Grief Counselling Specialist training, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Advanced Certified Trauma Specialist Training, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified ACT, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified DBT, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified RO (Radically Open) DBT. PESI

• Certified informed practitioner: Internal Family Systems (Parts work) PESI with Richard Schwarz & Richard Anderson

• Certified informed practitioner: Sensormotor Psychotherapy (Somatic mind-body) PESI with Pat Ogden

• Certified informed practitioner: Brainspotting (Somatic mind body eye movement) PESI

• Certified informed practitioner: Relational EMDR (advanced EMDR methods) PESI

• Certified informed practitioner: Polyvagal methods: PESI with Stephen Porges

• Certified: Somatic processing (integrative) Trauma Institute International

• Certified: Hakomi Somatic Therapy: PESI

• Certified informed practitioner: Somatic Experiencing: PESI with Peter Levine

• Certified Mindfulness Clinician, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Hypnosis & Neurology informed Trauma Specialist, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Advanced Specialist Grief Therapy, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Individual Trauma Clinical Specialist, Trauma Institute International

• Certified Functional Medicine Trauma Specialist, Trauma Institute International

• Certified Integrative Mental Health Trauma Specialist,PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Nutrition for Mental Health Specialist, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Certified Advanced Certified Trauma Specialist, Trauma Institute International

• Certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies, Trauma Research Foundation: overseen by Bessel Van Der Kolk & collegues

• Level 7 (Post graduate) Diploma in Clinical Complex Trauma Treatment 

• Level 7 (Post graduate) Diploma in Child Psychology: Applied Behavioural Analysis

• Level 7 (Post graduate) Diploma in Counselling: CBT focused

Also certified in:

• NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming

• Life Coaching

• Naturopathy

• Herbalism

• Integrative Counselling

• Psychotherapy

• Hakomi Somatic Processing

• Integrative Somatic Processing

• EFT

• Conversational Hypnosis

• Sidereus (story telling) hypnosis

• Narrative based CBT

• Shamanic based including Soul Retrieval

• MBCT

• MBSR

The above list is a summary and is not a full list of all trainings

Active Certifications in Specialised Complex Trauma treatment

• Advanced Clinical Trauma Certification, PESI & Evergreen Certifications

• Advanced Clinical Trauma Certification, Trauma Institute International

• Functional Medicine for Trauma Certification, Trauma institute International

Other underpinning certifications in specialist therapies such as DBT are also maintained.

Active Registrations to provide therapy for trauma

• Fellow National Association Counsellors Hypnotherapists Psychotherapist

• Senior Fellow Association of Counsellors Coaches Hypnotherapists Psychotherapists

• Fellow International Society Psychotherapists Counsellors

• Fellow Royal Society Public Health

• Accredited Hypnosis Practitioner Lifetime award International Hypnosis Association

• Accredited NLP Practitioner Lifetime award International Hypnosis Association

• Practitioner: British AssociationTherapeutic Hypnosis & NLP

• Practitioner: Complementary Health Therapists Association

Regulation

In the UK some job titles fall under statutory (compulsory) regulation, others fall under a voluntary government scheme called the Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register scheme. This is sometimes referred to as "right touch" regulation. The registers are held by independent professional bodies who have to meet strict requirements from the PSA to become and remain "accredited" as part of this regulatory scheme.  The PSA AR scheme covers the majority of complementary and psychological professions in the UK and it is normal for eclectic therapists to be registered for at least one major Core therapy. Being on a PSA AR means you are subject to recognised high standards of qualification, ethics, monitoring and fitness to practice.

• Complementary Natural Healthcare Council (PSA AR): Clinical Hypnotherapy

• United Kingdom Society Behavioural Analysis (PSA AR): Practising Registrant

Note: the above are the two registrations held by the main practitioner Stuart Morgan-Ayrs. Colleague and Partner Denise Morgan-Ayrs is also registered under the same category with the CNHC, and is also subject to statutory SSSC registration as a childcare practitioner. She is currently not seeing face to face clients. 

Please note: It is recognised that Clinical Hypnotherapists use the therapy tools of counselling, psychotherapy, behavioural change and sometimes analysis & coaching as essential methods in the provision of their service. NLP is largely an off shoot of hypnosis and is also a commonly used tool by hypnotherapists. Therefore fully qualified and registered hypnotherapists are trained and qualified in the use of these methods as part of their professional roles.

Child protection regulation also means Stuart is PVG Registered as working with vulnerable adults and young people in his role at Scotlandtherapy. Denise is PVG Registered in her child practitioner role, she is not currently registered in regard to Scotlandtherapy since she is not client facing at present.

Data Protection regulation: Scotlandtherapy Partners are ICO (information Commissioners Office) registered

Tax Regulation /  Registration: Scotlandtherapy Partners is a HMRC registered Sole Trader Partnership

Insurance: Fully insured for all therapies provided, named or confirmed as part of topic cover (e.g. psychotherapy covers all psychotherapies). Certificates displayed in clinic.