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Polyvagal Theory Training for Therapists - with Dr Paul White
15 IACP CPD points
Fully online
Cherry Blossom Therapy is delighted to offer a 5 week online Polyvagal Theory training for therapists and mental health practitioners, facilitated by Dr Paul White.
This programme is designed to support therapists in developing a deeper, embodied and clinically grounded understanding of Polyvagal Theory and how it can be meaningfully integrated into everyday therapeutic practice. It goes beyond intellectual learning, inviting participants to experience how the nervous system shapes safety, connection, regulation and therapeutic process.
This training supports therapists to recognise autonomic states in themselves and their clients, and to develop greater confidence in working with activation, shutdown and nervous system dysregulation in the therapy room.
Course format
The training is delivered fully online over five live evening sessions. Each session lasts 3 hours and follows a structured format:
- The Hearth for theory and conceptual learning
- The Laboratory for live demonstrations and embodied practice
- The Sanctuary for integration, reflection and settling
This structure ensures learning is both intellectually clear and experientially grounded.
Course content
The programme moves through the nervous system in a progressive arc:
Week 1: The Landscape of Safety
Exploring neuroception and the ventral vagal state. How safety is experienced in the body rather than just cognitively understood.
Week 2: The Rhythm of Regulation
Exploring the Social Engagement System and how voice, presence and connection act as biological regulators.
Week 3: Navigating the Storm
Understanding sympathetic activation, fight and flight, and how anxiety can be reframed as energy seeking containment.
Week 4: Honouring the Silence
Exploring dorsal shutdown, collapse and dissociation. Learning how to sit with stillness and protective withdrawal without forcing change.
Week 5: The New Story
Integrating Polyvagal Theory into case formulation, clinical decision-making and therapeutic narratives.
Participants will receive suggested reading material including articles and book recommendations throughout the programme.
Course details
Format: Fully online via live Zoom sessions
Dates:
23rd February
25th of February
4th of March
11th of march
18th of March
25th of March
Time: 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Total hours: 15
CPD: 15 IACP CPD points
Fee: €425
Group size: Limited to 15 participants
A deposit of €150 is required to secure a place.
The remaining balance of €275 is payable two weeks before the course begins.
Who this training is for
This training is suitable for psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers and other mental health practitioners working with trauma and nervous system dysregulation.
Some familiarity with trauma-informed practice is helpful, but advanced prior knowledge of Polyvagal Theory is not essential.
Facilitator
Dr Paul White is a licensed integrative psychotherapist and clinical trainer based in Washington D.C. He holds a PhD in Mind–Body Medicine and has advanced training in systemic therapy, somatic psychology, poetry therapy and clinical hypnosis. He is a specialist in Polyvagal-informed care and supports therapists to translate complex neuroscience into embodied, clinically applicable practice.
Registration
To apply for a place, please complete the application form below:
https://forms.gle/9etbaXeF8qDdooBNA
For enquiries, please contact:
courses@cherryblossomtherapy.ie
Spaces are limited to maintain a safe, contained and high quality learning environment.
