Trauma Counselling Skills

Every day in South African hospitals, people arrive carrying more than physical injury. They have survived violent crime, sexual assault, the sudden loss of a loved one, the long weight of poverty and illness. They need someone who can sit with them — not to fix, not to preach, but to be present and to understand what is happening in their body, their mind, and their spirit.

This course equips you to be that person.

Over 18 hours of learning, Trauma Counselling Skills takes you from the foundations of good counselling through to the realities of bedside ministry in a public hospital. You will learn how trauma changes the brain and body, how to listen and respond with genuine empathy, and how to offer spiritual and pastoral support to people in crisis. The course holds Western trauma frameworks and African Indigenous Knowledge Systems side by side, because care in South Africa has to make room for both.

What you will learn

• The essential qualities of a trauma-informed caregiver, and the difference between caring for someone and carrying them
• Person-centred counselling skills drawn from Carl Rogers: active listening, attending, and empathy
• How trauma affects the nervous system, the brain, and behaviour
• How to define and understand crisis, PTSD, complex trauma, and continuous traumatic stress
• The SAMHSA trauma-informed care framework and its six principles
• The South African trauma landscape, including intergenerational trauma, gender-based violence, and continuous traumatic stress
• Spiritual and pastoral support, including lament, soul injury, and engaging with religion as both resource and risk
• Defusing, debriefing, and Psychological First Aid
• How to recognise the limits of your role and when to refer
• How to recognise compassion fatigue and burnout in yourself, and build a personal self-care plan

Who it is for Pastoral caregivers, chaplains, and HospiVision volunteers. Community health workers and social auxiliaries. Anyone whose work brings them into contact with people in crisis. 

How it works The course is delivered online through Google Classroom. Each section pairs a written manual with a video lecture, followed by a short quiz and a practical activity. You move through the material at your own pace.

Certification On completing all sections, quizzes, and the final assessment, you receive a HospiVision certificate of completion. Those who also complete the optional written essay can earn a certificate from the University of Pretoria.

A note on content Some of this material is difficult. We discuss sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, community violence, and death. A strong reaction to trauma material does not make you a bad caregiver — it makes you human. 

Course Duration

This course comprises approximately 15–20 hours of study, including nearly 4 hours of video content across 5 modules, curated further reading from peer-reviewed and academic sources, quizzes after each section, and a final essay (for the UP certificate option only).

You can work through the material at your own pace.

Online Delivery

This is a fully online short course delivered via Google Classroom. Study from the comfort of your home. Once enrolled, you'll receive a link via email (or find it in your Student Portal on our website) to join the classroom.

Course Structure

Watch each video module. Complete the reflection exercises. Pass the quizzes to progress through the course. If you selected the UP certificate option, submit a final essay.

Course Options

Option 1- R1,100: Includes the HospiVision Certificate of Attendance.

Option 2- R2,100: Includes the HospiVision Certificate AND the University of Pretoria (UP) Certificate of Attendance.

Important Certification Details

To receive the UP certificate, you must successfully complete the required essay. UP certificates are released annually- the cutoff date for the current cycle is October 2026, and certificates for this cycle will be released by March 2027.

Financial Support

Partial funding is available. Please note that the Diaconia bursary covers the R1,100 course fee, and the John Templeton Foundation covers R1000 (HospiVision Certificate). They do not cover the additional cost for the UP certificate and the John Templeton Foundation Scholarship has a R100 registration fee.

Diaconia Bursary- You qualify if you are a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, Calvin Protestant Church, or United Reformed Church.

John Templeton Foundation Scholarship- If you are not a member of the above churches, you may apply for this scholarship.

To apply, select the relevant bursary/scholarship option from the "Payment Method" dropdown at the top of this page and complete the application form via our website.

Enrollment Process

All online short courses must be purchased directly through our website.

EFT (Bank Transfer): Select "EFT" at checkout- your course access will be activated once funds have cleared.

Refund Policy

Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds for courses not attended, but we can provide a credit note valid for 12 months. You may use it for any of our short courses or transfer it to someone else.

If applying for a bursary, your enrollment will be pending approval of your application.