trauma informed somatic
psychedelic support specialist
ONLINE CPD PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE TRAINING
With Naomi Tolson
A new kind of therapeutic skillset is becoming essential.
We are proud to be one of the first UK schools to offer a quality professional CPD course centred on preparation and integration of psychedelic experience in therapeutic settings. This rich and exciting new program has been created by Naomi Tolson - an emerging UK leader in the field of psychedelic therapies and medicines - predominantly for therapeutic practitioners & healthcare and wellness professionals wanting to more safely and skilfully support and understand client psychedelic experience and altered states of consciousness within current legal parameters. This is not training in facilitating psychedelic experience, nor in teaching people how to guide or administer substances.
Because, at the heart of psychedelic therapy and healing is a simple but often overlooked truth:
the real impact of these medicines is rarely found in the moment of dosing, but in the preparation that shapes the experience and the integration that allows it to transform a life.
This course is about learning how to hold that process skilfully — maximising potential for healing while reducing the risk of harm — in a way that is responsible, relational, profoundly human, and rooted in trauma informed and somatic principle and practice.
Whether we wish to specialise in the psychedelic arena or not, the reality is that more and more of us within within the counselling, coaching, therapeutic and respective fields will have an ever increasing number of clients coming to us who are independently engaging with these medicines.
As more people turn toward psychedelic experiences — whether through microdosing or larger journeys — they are not always seeking facilitators, but they are seeking support.
This training is designed for those who feel called to understand the initiatic and powerful medicinal potential of these plants within healing processes, without needing to enter the often expensive, extensive, inaccessible, or legally complex routes of direct facilitation.
Rooted in trauma-informed and somatic principles, this course offers a clear, grounded framework for preparation, integration, and safeguarding — helping you support clients within the spaces you already hold.
While open to anyone with a genuine interest, it is not a stand alone certification and is particularly suited to therapists, counsellors, coaches, healthcare professionals and wellness practitioners who are increasingly encountering clients independently engaging with psychedelics who want to respond with confidence, clarity, and care.
With part of the syllabus offering a unique focus on microdosing — an area often neglected during training and where many practitioners feel under-equipped — the training addresses how to meaningfully support these subtle yet impactful processes.
ISOHH as always prioritises a balanced and truly holistic approach offering a curriculum as rooted in the ground-breaking science of psychedelic therapies as it is in the spiritual and indigenous traditions of these powerful processes making this training suitable for those working within clinical and non-clinical paradigms.
Led by Naomi Tolson — a certified counsellor specialising in trauma and somatics, Microdosing Institute Certified Coach, and recently featured in James Fadiman’s bestselling book for her pioneering psychedelic research — this training bridges emerging and indigenous psychedelic awareness with deeply grounded therapeutic practice.
Naomi is also currently completing the highly prestigious Exeter University MSc in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine & Culture, and represents part of the first wave of professionals moving toward formal, legal pathways in psychedelic therapy.
Disclaimer: This course does not encourage the use of illegal substances but simply acknowledges that many people are independently utilising psychedelic substances for therapeutic means, and as such, endeavours to support harm reduction through education and the safe psychological integration of such experiences within therapeutic settings. This course is predominantly designed for those already working within the therapeutic and respective fields.
Learn More About Becoming a Psychadelic Support Specialist
Foundations of the Training
• A trauma informed and somatically aware approach
• A relational, person centred way of working
• A recognition of the complexity of this work, and a willingness to approach it with openness and humility
• Awareness of the Western context we are working within, and the lack of a clear cultural container
• A willingness to question both the medical model and the replication of traditional or indigenous approaches, without dismissing or idealising either
• An emphasis on ethical responsibility, boundaries, and ongoing reflection
• An openness to exploring healing not only at the level of the individual, but also within relationship, community, and wider cultural context
Somatic Orientation of the Training
Throughout the training, there is an ongoing emphasis on:
• nervous system awareness and regulation
• pacing rather than pushing
• supporting capacity before intensity
• tracking activation, overwhelm, settling, and withdrawal
• recognising the body as part of how experience is processed and integrated
• relational safety and co regulation
• staying with process rather than overriding it
• working in ways that are non pathologising and responsive rather than corrective
What You Will Be Able to Offer
By the end of this training, you will be able to:
• Support conversations with clients before and after psychedelic experiences in ways that are grounded, realistic and responsive to their individual context
• Recognise and track nervous system activation, overwhelm, or instability, and respond in ways that are attuned and appropriate to the moment
• Hold space for the integration of psychedelic experiences without rushing to interpret or resolve what has happened
• Stay present with uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity without moving too quickly into explanation or advice
• Support clients in making sense of their experiences in ways that are led by them rather than imposed
• Respond confidently and ethically to conversations about microdosing within your existing professional role.
• Recognise when a client’s needs fall outside your scope of practice and respond appropriately through consultation, referral or collaboration
• Navigate conversations about psychedelic use ethically and responsibly within current legal and professional frameworks
• Work in ways informed by somatic awareness, relational presence, and contextual understanding rather than relying solely on cognitive or instructional approaches
• Bring greater depth, sensitivity, and reflection into your existing work, rather than simply adding techniques or interventions
• Develop the capacity to stay with intensity, ambiguity, and complexity without needing to fix, interpret, or resolve
. Practice within appropriate ethical, legal and professional boundaries while making use of supervision, consultation and ongoing reflective practice
summary of our online 60 hour professional
"psychedelic support specialist" cpd certificate training syllabus
Phase 1: Foundations of Psychedelic Support
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Explore the history, research, and current landscape of psychedelic work
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Understand key Western scientific perspectives alongside somatic, relational, and lived experience approaches
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Consider the cultural context of psychedelics, including clinical, traditional, and emerging frameworks
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Develop trauma-informed foundations, including nervous system awareness, pacing, consent, and safety
Phase 2: Understanding Microdosing in Practice
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Explore current research, approaches, and conversations around microdosing
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Understand why people may engage with microdosing and how experiences can differ over time
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Support reflective conversations around expectations, benefits, challenges, and uncertainty
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Recognise the role of nervous system awareness, personal context, and practitioner boundaries
Phase 3: Preparation & Intention
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Understand the emotional, relational, and practical aspects of preparing for psychedelic experiences
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Explore readiness, motivation, expectations, and support systems through open conversation
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Develop somatic approaches to preparation, including grounding, capacity, and regulation
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Work with intention, surrender, and uncertainty in a non-directive and supportive way
Phase 4: Understanding Psychedelic Experiences
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Explore common themes, patterns, and challenges that may arise within psychedelic experiences
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Understand psychological, somatic, relational, spiritual, and cultural perspectives on altered states
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Develop the ability to meet experiences without rushing to interpret, explain, or pathologise
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Support meaning-making through curiosity, openness, and respect for the individual’s own framework
Phase 5: Integration in Practice
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Understand integration as an ongoing process of meaning-making and embodied change
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Explore ACT-informed, somatic, creative, and relational integration practices
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Support clients in translating insights into relationships, behaviour, and everyday life
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Recognise the wider contexts that shape integration
Phase 6: Ways of Holding & The Role of the Practitioner
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Explore clinical, relational, and traditional perspectives
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Develop presence, attunement, listening, and nervous system awareness
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Support without directing, interpreting, or leading the process
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Work with uncertainty, intensity, and complexity within professional scope
Phase 7: Ethics, Context & Future Directions
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Understand ethical, legal, and professional responsibilities
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Explore boundaries, scope of practice, supervision, and referral
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Consider cultural humility, lineage, and respectful engagement with traditions
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Reflect on the evolving future of psychedelic research, practice, accessibility, and collective healing
Evaluations
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Reach out for details
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PSYCHEDELIC SUPPORT SPECIALIST?
Please note that we are already receiving a high volume of interest for this course and have a waitlist.
The 60 hour CPD professional certificate program will run live with Naomi from the start of next year over two 12 week runs (March, April, May & Sep, Oct, Nov) on Tuesdays evening from 18.00-20.30 (catch up recordings available) at just £1695 (split payment and early bird booking discount available)
Placement priority will be given to those already trained with the school through our Trauma Informed Somatic Counselling Course, but applications will be considered from those with alternative training in respective or related fields and those with sincere general interest.
Onboarding will begin in September. If you would like the chance to learn live with Naomi, have any questions or would like to request to apply, please reach out below.