The South African Institute for Traumatic Stress (SAITS) has been operating since the 18th of May 2000, offering ongoing research-based training and development to mental health practitioners in the field.

Certificate in Trauma Support & Early Intervention
(6 months - 4 blocks of 3 days each - Cost: R 2000)
The purpose of the training course is:

• Build knowledge in basic trauma theory and treatment.
• Develop skills in order to provide early trauma intervention and assessment.
• Enable trainees to assist clients with posttraumatic stress response and contain and refer clients who need further intervention.

Intended Participants:
Non-registered counsellors working within organisations, frontline workers and victim support workers.

Certificate in Treatment of Trauma Survivors - Advanced Level 1
(6 months - 4 blocks of 3 days each - Cost R 4000)

The purpose of the training course is:

• Increase professional knowledge on trauma, post-traumatic stress and associated topics.
• Increase clinical skills for treating survivors of trauma.
• Offer self-care skills to learners in their ongoing trauma work.
• Provide case/clinical supervision.
• Provide practical exposure and supervision in a diversity of therapeutic techniques.

Intended Participants:
Mental health workers, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers who provide treatment to trauma survivors.

Previously approved for 17 CPD points and 3 ethics points.

Certificate in Treatment of Trauma Survivors - Advanced Level 2
(6 months - 4 blocks of 3 days each - Cost R 4000)

The purpose of the training course is:

• Supervision and processing of difficult trauma cases.
• A critical look at how cases presented in the course link with approaches, models and interventions in the trauma field.
• A critical exploration of alternative models of intervention and clinical skills to use with complex trauma cases.

Intended Participants:
Advanced clinicians doing trauma work, who have attended Advanced Level 1 Training, and who want to increase their clinical construction and skills in dealing with difficult and complex traumatic stress cases. Clinicians must have extensive experience and in-depth theoretical knowledge in the trauma field.

Certificate in Trauma Education and Training
(1 block of 5 days - Cost R 3000)

The purpose of the training course is:

• Build knowledge through providing specialised information in post-traumatic stress and associated topics.
• Build skills in training techniques in traumatic stress studies.
• Increase overall teaching and training capacity.

Intended Participants:
Professional mental health workers who are in training and educating positions within the traumatic stress sector. Including, university lecturers, trainers in NGO's and Government etc. Previously approved for 17 CPD points and 3 ethics points.

Certificate in Working with Perpetrators
(1 block of 3 days - Cost R 1500)

The purpose of the training course is:

• Increase the capacity of professionals in the treatment of perpetrators of violence.
• Increase skills in working with perpetrators.
• Explore methods of intervention in working with perpetrators.

Intended Participants:
Mental health workers already working with perpetrators of violence.

You will benefit from the monthly support, supervision & journal club If you:

• are currently dealing with complex and difficult trauma cases.
• could benefit from the input of other professionals on how to deal with these cases.
• are wanting to hone your trauma skills.
• are suffering from burnout due to a lack of support.

You will benefit from the monthly support and supervision sessions if you:

• are currently dealing with defusing and containing traumatised clients.
• could benefit from the supervision of professional trauma specialists in dealing with difficult cases.
• are suffering from burnout due to a lack of support.

Short Workshops specialising in the trauma of e.g. HIV/AIDS, Suicide, Children, Rape, Domestic Violence

Courses over and above the SAITS scheduled training programme can be presented on request, subject to the availability of trainers

Capacity building and training courses can be tailored to organisational and individual needs