Diploma – Working Therapeutically with Adults Impacted by Adoption

Level 5 CPCAB – Approval Pending

Specialist training for qualified therapists

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Why adoption-informed Therapy matters

Adoption can shape a person’s experience of identity, belonging, loss and relationships. Adults impacted by adoption may carry complex or conflicting feelings, influenced by their own histories and the relationships that matter to them.


An adoption-informed approach means listening carefully to each person’s experience without making assumptions. It gives you space to consider what adoption may mean in their life, while keeping the individual—not a label—at the centre of your work.

Who is this course for?

This post-qualifying diploma is for qualified counsellors and psychotherapists who want to develop their understanding and practice.

You may already be working with adults impacted by adoption and want to feel better equipped for the work. Or you may want to develop a specialism that helps you respond thoughtfully to adoption-related experiences in the therapy room.

The course considers the wider adoption constellation, including adult adoptees, birth and first parents, adoptive parents, partners, siblings and adult descendants.

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31 weeks online live classes
Term Time September-June
Course cost or deposit + 10 Interest-Free Monthly payments
Check Dates and Times

Course Content

1. Adoption, Attachment & the System

Explore adoption in its historical, social and care-system contexts. Consider attachment as a relationship-based framework, alongside questions of records, rights, identity and caregiving continuity.

2. The Inner World of the Adult Adoptee

Explore separation, protective strategies, loss, shame, identity and belonging. Consider the different meanings adoption may hold for each person.

3. Clinical Presentation, Trauma & Formulation

Develop adoption-informed formulations that distinguish what is known, what the client understands and what remains a clinical hypothesis. Keep developmental, neurodevelopmental, biological and social explanations in view.

4. Adoption Across Adult Relationships & the Lifespan

Consider intimacy, couple relationships, parenthood, searching, reunion, bereavement and later-life transitions—and how the meaning of adoption may change over time.

5. The Whole Adoption Constellation

Explore the experiences of birth and first parents, adoptive parents, siblings, partners and wider family members, holding different perspectives with care.

6. Attachment-Informed Therapeutic Practice

Bring the learning into the therapeutic relationship. Explore safety, boundaries, rupture and repair, endings, therapist self-awareness, supervision and ethical practice.

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Bringing your learning into the therapy room

This diploma helps you connect adoption-informed understanding with the work you do with clients. You’ll have space to consider how adoption, care experience, loss and identity may shape a person’s relationships and expectations, while staying curious about what is true for that individual.

Through reflection and practice-based learning, you’ll explore how to:

  • develop collaborative, thoughtful formulations
  • understand protective strategies as adaptations
  • work sensitively with uncertainty and missing histories
  • notice what is happening between you and your client, including moments of rupture and repair
  • reflect on your own responses and use supervision to support your practice

“Learn to hear what adoption may mean
without deciding in advance what it means.”

The Attachment Training Clarity Guarantee

We guarantee this course will help integrate attachment into who you are as a therapist and transform the way you understand yourself, your clients and the therapeutic relationship.

You leave with greater clinical confidence, deeper self-awareness and a clearer attachment-informed professional identity.

Optima Training Clarity Guarantee

Interest free payment plan

We know professional training is a meaningful investment, so we offer an interest-free payment plan to help you spread the cost or choose to pay in full.

Secure your place with a £600 + VAT deposit.  The course cost is £2487.50 plus VAT (£2985.00), inclusive of registration fees.  The remaining fee can be paid in full, or we offer an interest-free payment plan of 10 monthly payments of £226.50 (inc VAT).

Deposit

£600

£720 (inc VAT)

Repayments

10 Monthly Instalments

£226.50 (inc VAT)

Total Payable

£2487.50

£2985 (inc VAT)

Please note: Your deposit secures your place. Monthly payments must be made on the agreed dates. Full payment terms will be shared before your enrolment is confirmed.

Reserve My Place with a Deposit

Course Prerequisites

  • Prior completion of a recognised Level 4 Counselling Diploma course or higher
  • Currently in clinical practice, either placement or private practice
  • Full completion of the course application form (available on request)
  • Write a pre-course essay on your clinical experience and your motivation for applying for this course. (approx. 1000 words)
  • You will be invited to attend a pre-course interview

Difference, diversity, identity and belonging

Adoption is experienced differently by each person. Culture, ethnicity, family relationships, care experience and social context may all shape how someone understands their identity and sense of belonging.

Throughout the diploma, you’ll be encouraged to stay curious about difference, recognise the influence of power and systems, and respect the language each person uses for their experience. This helps keep your therapeutic work attentive to the individual, rather than relying on assumptions about adoption.

Progression

Onto our CPCAB Level 6 Qualification – click here for more information

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What our students say!  

  • Sarah M – Attachment Diploma

    Throughout the Attachment Diploma, diversity, identity, and inclusive practice are thoughtfully woven into teaching, case material, skills development, and reflective learning. The programme is culturally attuned, neurodiversity-informed, and aligned with the BACP Ethical Framework, creating learning spaces that are respectful, curious, and ethically grounded. Attention is given to difference, culture, power, and social context as…

  • “Thank you, Jo. The skills I am learning are informing my practice and making me an all-round better therapist”.

  • This course is mind-blowingly Excellent”!

  • “Excellent! It has been a great mix of theory and its practical application of it. The tutor, Jo has been brilliant in the way she has put the course together, her skills as a tutor and her interactions with me have been the best I have experienced, and I have done loads of courses”!

  • “I am pleased that the theory links to clinical practice and there is a lot of discussion about how to relate it to client work. Packed full of useful applicable theories”.

  • “It’s been amazing to use this knowledge in my practice, and to hear from the other therapists how they are applying the theory in their own practice and the benefits this has had for clients. I’m loving how the knowledge and discussion are developing me both professionally and personally.
    Viewing relationships through an attachment lens has been so insightful for my client work and life-changing in my personal life.

  • I’ve learnt so much and it compliments much of what I had already learnt with more structure and rationale which has helped my confidence, especially as a private practitioner. The reflective questions are always so good.
    One note has been easy to use.

  • “Incredibly insightful, information and theories that resonate absolutely. Lots of theoretical knowledge is shared through lectures and reinforced with lots of additional reading (if you choose to read it, it’s not an expectation). Lots of chances to connect with peers and explore learning in breakout sessions, which is an incredible learning experience.

  • “This course is complemented by the insight of how attachment theory is used in therapy with real-life examples, beautifully explained and explored.”

  • “The amount of personal growth this course has given me is immense”!

  • “I am genuinely loving this course, it’s pushing me out of my comfort zone both professionally and personally, and it’s clarifying so many things that never sat right but couldn’t pinpoint. “

  • Thank you Jo 💫
    Everyone should do this course – what a different world it would be♥️

  • “I have thoroughly enjoyed this course and it has helped me both personally and in my therapeutic work far more than I anticipated. I have felt both supported and challenged in my studies alongside my work and would highly recommend this course to any colleague who has an interest in attachment psychotherapy.”

  • I thoroughly enjoyed this course and believe it to be the best I have undertaken so far – and I have completed many over the years! The learning was challenging and in-depth, offering valuable insights that significantly deepened my understanding of attachment in the therapy room.

  • Integrating Attachment-Based Psychotherapy into Clinical Practice has been life-changing. I have gained an understanding of my attachment styles, my attachment needs and defences. When working with clients it has enabled a deeper understanding of their attachment wounds and how this has impacted their future relationships. The course is well structured, and I have felt supported throughout. I recommend it to any professional seeking to deepen their understanding of attachment and its application within the therapeutic alliance.

  • I’m on this level 5 attachment and loss course with Jo and it’s one of the best courses I’ve ever had the pleasure of being on, for so many reasons. Firstly the topic is incredibly detailed and fascinating, but it also builds self-awareness to another level, testing your own attachment style and how it plays out with others. It’s changed the way I see all relationships and how I present with all my clients and how I help clients manage their grief and loss.
    On top of that, Jo and my tutor Joanne, are brilliant, caring, efficient and well organised. I feel secure and safe and have a wonderful group of students alongside me. I’ll be honestly sad to end this course. I can not recommend this enough! It should be a prerequisite for every single therapist and coach!
    Thank you Jo! You are amazing! 😊

  • I highly recommend Jo’s Level 5 Attachment-Based Psychotherapy course at Optima Health Services. The first term of theory was challenging yet incredibly rewarding, offering me invaluable insights and knowledge to enhance my clinical practice. Case studies and self-reflective work integrate and consolidate the theory, connecting it to practice.
    Jo is a brilliant tutor. She is knowledgeable, experienced, and truly passionate about the subject. Her enthusiasm and expertise shine through in every session, making complex concepts accessible and engaging. She fosters a learning environment that encourages self-awareness, which has been pivotal in my personal and professional growth.
    This course is profoundly influencing my practice. By integrating theory into clinical applications, I have refined my approach and developed greater self-awareness, which I believe enhances the therapeutic experience for clients in my clinical practice.
    If you are aiming to deepen your understanding of attachment-based psychotherapy and enhance your clinical practice, I wholeheartedly recommend this course and Jo as a tutor. It has been a transformative experience!

  • I had the privilege of training under Jo as my Level 5 Counselling Tutor, and her guidance has been truly transformative. Her ability to simplify complex concepts, combined with her warmth and genuine care, made learning a deeply enriching experience.
    Jo not only helped me learn about the Attachment Based Psychotherapeutic model but in the process supported me in launching my private practice. Her encouragement and mentorship sparked my passion for teaching, and I’m now proud to be a qualified CPCAB tutor myself.
    Her expertise, dedication, and unwavering belief in her students make her an outstanding tutor and mentor. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough to anyone looking to grow both professionally and personally.

  • Amazing and challenging course both at the same time! The content packs a punch and is so content-rich and super organised! One of the best online courses I’ve ever been on. I can’t recommend this enough. It has changed me personally, transformed my clinical practice, and binds so many theories together. It also provides cutting-edge evidence that helps practitioners offer some psychoeducation that is invaluable to clients from an evidence-based perspective. I had a wonderful group of cohorts, too! Thanks, Jo and Joanne. Very supportive and genuinely caring and helpful in every way. I’ll miss my group and my tutor.

  • This course has been such a blessing and it has really helped me progress as a therapist. I feel like the work I do now with existing clients is so much deeper than what I could offer before. I believe that this is because I can offer so much more of myself now to my clients as I am slowly learning how to become more secure in myself. I did not realise how much I had to work on my attachment wounds before this course and how much this has been affecting me in my client work either. I still have a long way to go but I am really proud of myself for pushing through this and feel extremely humbled for the opportunity to be a part of the training and learn so much more about myself and my history. I feel like I have been able to develop more compassion for who I am too, rather than see my insecurities as weaknesses. It has helped me to slowly drop part of that critical voice inside my head saying I am not good enough and learn how to parent and nurture myself in a way. I think the saying is true that you can only take your clients as far as you have taken yourself and this training is proof of that. It is without a doubt the best course I have ever done for both personal and professional growth, so I am truly grateful. I will be recommending it for years to come. I believe that every therapist should do this course.

  • The Attachment course run by Jo is incredible! Jo has so much knowledge to share, and she supports her student’s journey throughout. I highly recommend Jo as a tutor and the course, especially if you want to learn more about yourself and help your clients.

  • I am very grateful to Jo for delivering this course and feel that it is just what I needed to tie the threads of all of my studies over the years to become an integrated therapist. I truly can feel the saying, ‘trust the process’

  • The course is well facilitated. Jo is warm, helpful, extremely knowledgeable and goes out of her way to sort out issues should they arise. She also goes above and beyond to dig out research and information for those who want to do background reading. We have time during the weekly sessions to work with and get to know our peers and there is time to discuss client work and receive guidance and insight.

  • Hi Jo,
    I just wanted to reach out and say thank you so very much for this course, and your way of being in it.
    The content is resonating with me on a very deep level. What is more important for me is that you have restored my faith in the profession – my last educational experience was horrific and, in some ways, quite traumatising so I just wanted to say thank you for the time, effort and energy you have put into this course.

  • This course has been the most impactful learning I have ever undertaken both personally and professionally. I have found a theory that I understand and relate to and provides a clear map for interventions.

  • The experience of the course and delivery was therapeutic in itself. I found the sessions incredibly interesting, with an amazing cohort of people. Jo and all the other students bought a rich wealth of knowledge and experience which has been invaluable to my development. Each session was insightful and interesting with room for everyone to contribute, keeping the sessions fresh and engaging. Even the session on ethics was really interesting!

  • Jo did a brilliant job of keeping the sessions emotionally safe and contained, holding space for each student and ensuring they felt valued. I felt privileged to hear each student’s attachment journey and share mine in such a safe, supportive environment.

  • The workload has been difficult to manage at times and more than I expected it to be. I found completing the journals, learning reviews difficult to manage alongside writing assignments. For someone who had never done a CPCAB course before, this came as quite a shock. I also found mapping criteria difficult at first.
    During breakout rooms, I never once made it to the last question, although I suspect this was because I was often too engaged in rich discussions.
    II would wholeheartedly recommend this course to anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of theory and of self. I can honestly say the course has transformed the relationships in my life, not only with my loved ones, but with my clients and most importantly myself.