Free CPD-Accredited Course Helps Support Professionals Recognise Trauma and Respond With Confidence, Not Guesswork
Alison has launched a new CPD-accredited course: Trauma-Informed Care for Support Professionals. This free online course teaches support professionals how to recognise the signs of trauma, communicate with sensitivity, and make informed decisions about the support someone needs — turning uncertain, high-stakes conversations into a structured, respectful process. Reviewed by counselling psychologist and CBT-certified practitioner Kashmaila Gulzar, the course requires no prior experience and is designed for anyone who has ever hesitated in a support conversation, worried about saying the wrong thing or missing an important sign.
The course walks learners through trauma-informed practice from the ground up: how trauma affects people differently across life stages, how culture shapes trauma experiences and responses, how to carry out supportive assessments and conversations safely and respectfully, and how to document findings clearly enough to inform a care plan. By the end, learners will be able to recognise trauma-related signs, communicate more effectively with the people they support, and contribute to care decisions with greater confidence, sensitivity, and professional judgement.
The Hidden Scale of Trauma in Everyday Support Work
Trauma is far more common among the people support professionals encounter than most training accounts for. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three in four high school students report experiencing at least one adverse childhood experience, and one in five report four or more — exposures linked to a lifetime of physical and mental health consequences. The CDC estimates that the resulting health conditions cost the United States $14.1 trillion annually in direct medical spending and lost healthy-life years. For the professionals meeting these individuals in classrooms, clinics, shelters, and case files, the stakes of getting an interaction right — or wrong — are high, yet formal training in how to recognise and respond to trauma remains far from universal.
Why Trauma-Informed Practice Changes Outcomes
Trauma-informed care asks professionals to change how they see the person in front of them — shifting the question from "what is wrong with you" to "what happened to you." That shift is associated with better engagement, reduced risk of re-traumatisation, and safer, more accurate assessments. But the gap between good intentions and trauma-informed practice is significant: without training, well-meaning professionals can miss signs, ask questions in ways that cause harm, or document experiences in language that shapes how a person is treated by every service they encounter afterward.
Mike Feerick, Founder and CEO of Alison, stated: "Recognising trauma and responding to it with care is one of the most consequential skills a support professional can have — it can be the difference between someone feeling safe enough to open up and someone shutting down completely. This is practical, immediately usable training, and we believe every support professional should have access to it, free of charge."
This launch expands Alison's portfolio of health and social care courses, continuing its mission to make high-quality, job-ready training available to learners everywhere, regardless of their background or budget.
To learn more or enrol in the course, visit: alison.com/course/trauma-informed-care-for-support-professionals
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About Alison
Alison is a global leader in free online learning and skills development. With over 50 million registered learners across 193 countries (as of October 2025), Alison empowers individuals, communities, and organisations to upskill quickly and effectively – at zero cost.
The Alison platform provides immediate access to over 6,000 free, CPD-accredited courses, covering essential areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Digital Marketing, Project Management, Business Operations, Healthcare and Sustainability. Courses are created by a mix of independent experts and global leaders, including IBM, Stanford and Microsoft.
For organisations, Alison offers a Free Learning Management System (LMS) that enables unlimited learners to access thousands of courses with no upfront cost. A premium version with advanced analytics and customisation is also available. Alison's offering includes a full suite of assessments and psychometric tools, including a Workplace Personality Assessment, Mental Health & Wellbeing Assessment, English Language Proficiency Test, as well as Numerical, Verbal, and Abstract Reasoning tests.
To further support career development, learners also gain access to a Career Guide, a Resumé Builder, and the ability to study offline through the Alison App. The platform is also expanding its reach with multilingual versions, starting with complete Spanish, French, and Hindi offerings — reaffirming its mission to make education accessible to anyone, anywhere.
Founded in 2007, Alison pioneered the concept of free, large-scale online learning and is recognised as the world’s first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform. Today, its mission continues: to break down barriers to learning, helping people gain skills, build confidence, and improve their lives — no matter where they live or what they earn.
