Trauma-Informed Lawyer Certification Course
Join this CPD training online at the specified time
20 hours verifiable CPD, plus private study materials
Trauma-awareness and trauma-informed practice are increasingly at the heart of a fair justice system*
This course is designed for all solicitors working with people, no matter their practice area, whether working in criminal law, family and child law, personal injury, succession and estate planning or conveyancing and beyond, and is suitable for all levels of expertise.
In becoming trauma-informed, you will learn to recognise the impact of trauma in those you work for and with, and to be able to practice in a way that does no further harm, supports recovery and is most effective and efficient for people affected by trauma. Just as importantly, you will understand the ways that you can adapt your approach to legal practice and communication skills to take account of the impact of trauma in order to work effectively with colleagues and clients, including minimising the risks of re-traumatisation while also preserving your own wellbeing against vicarious trauma.
If you are interested in training on autism, please look at these courses run by Scottish Autism.
*Becoming a trauma-informed lawyer is an increasingly essential competency that sits at the heart of a fair justice system. This is more important than ever at a time when growing emphasis is placed towards the development of a trauma-informed justice workforce that needs to be able to both improve the experiences of victims and witnesses, and to ensure a fair justice system for the accused.
With this in mind, we created this course at a lower rate than our other certification courses to reflect our ambition to increase awareness among our members about the importance of trauma awareness in all areas of law, while also to provide any solicitors working with people with the tools to elevate their client care skills.
What does the certification course involve?
- Sign up for the certified course.
- Complete introductory pre-materials (trauma skilled e-module and coercive control) for 3 hours verifiable CPD.
- Attend five live online webinars.
- Certification as Trauma-Informed Lawyer awarded with use of our marque.
Trauma Skilled e-modules
These modules, from NHS Education for Scotland, take around 1.5-3 hours to complete. They are designed to increase your understanding of what psychological trauma is and how it can affect us, how to support recovery and develop trauma informed relationships that incorporate trust, safety, choice and collaboration, and control and empowerment, and how to recognise when a person may benefit from a trauma specialist intervention. These will be released prior to the first session of the course.
3 hours verifiable CPD
Coercive Control and the Law - A Trauma Informed Approach module
Complete this module, we collaborated with Scottish Government and other stakeholders to develop trauma informed training for solicitors. Trauma informed knowledge is essential to elevate your client care skills within many practice areas including Family law, Criminal law, Child law and Personal Injury.
1 hour verifiable CPD
Tuesday 14 January, 1pm to 3pm
Seminar One: Understanding the Impact
Ahead of this seminar, you should complete the following training:
1. Trauma Skilled e-module (3 hours verifiable CPD)
2. Coercive Control and the Law - A Trauma Informed Approach module (1 hour verifiable CPD)
• Recap and discussion of key points from skilled module integrated into legal practice
Tuesday 21 January, 1pm to 3pm
Seminar Two: The Foundations of a Trauma-Informed Lawyer
• Introduction to the trauma-informed principles
• Understanding the core conditions of a trauma-informed lawyer
• Attachment theory and introduction to ACES
• The Window of Tolerance
Tuesday 28 January, 1pm to 3pm
Seminar Three: Lived Experience Workshop
• ‘The Good Lawyer’ with James Docherty
• Compassion from the Bench
Tuesday 4 February, 1pm - 3pm
Seminar Four: Trauma Informed Communication – working with victims, witnesses and accused
• Identifying trauma and vulnerability
• Creating boundaried empathy
• Enhancing your client engagement and communication skills: adapt your initial engagement and litigation approach to minimize re-traumatisation
• Recognising and applying legal ethics when working with traumatised clients
• Improving assertive communication skills
• Trauma-informed questioning
Tuesday 11 February, 1pm to 3pm
Seminar Five: Resilience and Trauma-Informed Leadership
• Vicarious trauma – supporting and protecting your own wellbeing
• Tools for reflective practice
• Vicarious resilience
• Introduction to trauma-informed leadership
• Creating psychologically safe workplaces
Specific programme details are subject to change.
Details of the final assignment will be released during the course.
Testimonials
This was an important course which I was very keen to attend. From the report, "Improving the Management of Sexual Offence Cases" (2021), it is clear that trauma informed training may soon be required in some areas. All practitioners should be aware of the potential impacts of trauma on those who seek our help. Many more will be suffering than is immediately apparent. We should be aware also of the potential impact of trauma on ourselves and our colleagues. This course helps to develop the necessary awareness, as well as making practical suggestions for how to cope and deal with the issue - avoid making assumptions about anyone; listen empathetically; display sensitivity, curiosity and compassion.
This is one of the most important things I have ever done since qualifying as a solicitor. Knowledge and understanding of trauma is key to solicitors in almost all areas of practice being able to represent clients effectively. This was a fascinating course with superb speakers and trainers that was extremely thought provoking. I have taken a huge amount away from it and I hope that what I have learned will make me better at my job. I would recommend this course to any practising solicitor.
It was a pleasure to be involved in the trauma-informed certification course. The content was excellent and the speakers offered such varied insights from different perspectives. It was eye-opening and has provided me with a different perspective in terms of approaching my practice in a more empathetic and trauma-informed way. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to organise this course. I would encourage other solicitors to consider taking the course as it is worthwhile to gain a different perspective, irrespective of area of practice.
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative course which goes into far more depth than I ever anticipated. The content was varied covering so many different aspects of trauma, the science, the biology, the psychology and the practice in law. Course highly recommended to all.
I was grateful to spend several very early mornings (in my time zone) with an inspiring group of speakers, teachers, and fellow learners. The commitment of the instructional team to making meaningful and sustained change in practice was inspiring.
The Trauma Informed Lawyer Certification Course has been the most beneficial CPD I have done in my 12 years as a solicitor. The course is thought provoking, informative and will undoubtedly change my practice as a lawyer.
Trauma affecting how you behave is not a new concept. It has long been known by practitioners all over and indeed in Criminal Defence that traumatic things that have happened to you will influence your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It has however been eye opening to me to understand just how re-traumatising the Court experience can be. I've realised that the justice system needs to be more alive to trauma and its impacts. We should all be trained and understand how to work in the best interests of our clients and for many of us, that includes how to be alive to the trauma they have faced and the lasting impact it may have. Until we learn to treat people and work in a way that strives to heal trauma, the justice system could continue to be yet another traumatising experience for may people. The course is insightful and educational. The training is invaluable to court practitioners.
The Law Society CPD Team created a great course, highlighting the need for all lawyers to understand the terrible impact of trauma on their clients. It is also vital to understand trauma in the workplace and to ensure self care. The Guest Speakers were all excellent and varied. I think the basics should be a mandatory part of the LLB or CPD.
The Trauma Informed Lawyer Certification Course run by The Law Society of Scotland provided a quality learning experience with high quality trainers .... this should be mandatory training for all solicitors as it enhances the service we provide and also addresses the pressures faced by us all.
As a criminal lawyer, my main reason for undertaking the trauma-informed training was to adapt my practice to ensure that the way I was communicating with people who have experienced trauma was not re-traumatising them. I have gained invaluable insight in this regard, however I have achieved so much more. The course has given me a different perspective on how I view the majority of people who walk through the doors of the court and has given me a strong desire to be more compassionate, understanding and curious.
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