Integration Psychotherapy
Diploma Course
Level 5 Diploma
Integration Psychotherapy® (IP) is a Pilamaya Centre offering, embodying a new wave of consciousness that melds ancient wisdom with a modern therapeutic approach. Pilamaya, which means “thank you” in the language of the Lakota First Nation People, signifies our gratitude and reverence. We bear a prayer to cultivate a more connected humanity and advocate for stewardship of our planet.
As a revolutionary offering, IP recognises that the body exists in the present, serving as a gateway for the psycho-emotional-spiritual system to become conscious and engage with each moment with increasing coherence across all aspects of the Self. This innovative psychotherapeutic approach positions itself as a process-driven training that draws upon wisdom from various sciences, including numerous psychological disciplines, mind-body philosophies, and therapeutic and ceremonial traditions. Our unique blend of didactic and experiential learning creates an adaptable environment that nurtures the intellect, heart, and soul. Thus, the philosophy underlying our work is shaped by our diverse learning across traditions and personal experiences on the journey to individuation.
Our Level 5 accredited Integration Psychotherapy Diploma Course encompasses content that has been taught in various professional settings since 2013. More recently, it has been consolidated and expanded to form a specific curriculum unfolding over two years. This journey is delivered through in-person and online teaching sessions, supplemented by course materials, required readings, somatic practices, and additional exercises for independent or group study. The program also facilitates second-year therapy placements with teaching support and live supervision.
2025-27 Course Dates and Teaching Venue in Eyam
The course unfolds over 24 months, guiding participants through the seasons. The curriculum is delivered through eight immersive six-day in-person training intensives, each complemented by a series of online workshops aligned with the lunar cycle. This structure is designed to provide a deeply embodied connection to the rhythms of nature, integrating the wisdom of the four seasons and the moon’s cycles into the learning experience.
Six-day Modules
Teaching times 9:30am – 5:30pm
2026
23-28th March
22-27th June
14-19th September
14 -19th December
2027
15-20th March
21-26th June
20-25th September
15-20th November
Venue: The Space, Eyam S32 5QW
Online Workshops
Online Workshops on Zoom 6-8pm
2026
3rd January
1st February
3rd March
17th April
16th May
29th July
28th August
26th October
24th November
2027
7th January
6th Feb
8th March
20th April
20th May
4th July
2nd August
15th September
15th October
14th November
27th December
Diploma Course Approach & Requirements
Learning Environment
The Pilamaya container unfolds into a multidimensional learning arena that welcomes students who truly wish to understand themselves through the process. Challenges, therefore, are opportunities to delve deeper into the patterns that stand between us and the field of unity.
The process of honing self-awareness and observational skills is, in part, developed through group integrations and dynamics. By embarking on a training journey with us, students acknowledge that the programme evolves with each unique cohort and over time. There is an acceptance that consciousness evolves, new techniques emerge, and past concepts become obsolete. Students must be aware that we are concerned with what is most useful for these changing times. Therefore, participants are invited to commence this course with an active willingness to engage in and learn from their immediate learning community and faculty as they prepare to assume the role of therapist.
Through their unique experience of exploring the course material, journeying through somatic practices, meditations, and dynamics within the group, students will become proficient in the philosophy of Integration Psychotherapy.
Course Outcomes
The IP is offered as a Level 5 Professional Diploma (undergraduate equivalent), signifying that successful graduates possess practical, theoretical, technical, and experiential knowledge of Integration Psychotherapy. Furthermore, graduates are equipped with the skills required to safely and ethically carry out the work of an Integration Psychotherapist. They are capable of assessing, adapting, and applying appropriate therapeutic methods, practices, and techniques to access the healing potential in the present moment. Graduates understand the nature and scope of psychotherapeutic work and can analyse, interpret, and evaluate concepts and ideas relevant to Integration Psychotherapy in their clinical practice.
As an Integration Psychotherapist, you will embody the highest standards for practice and be able to contextualise different therapeutic perspectives, approaches, and the theoretical orientations underpinning relevant schools of thought.
The Level 5 training qualifies candidates to join the NCIP and refer to themselves as student or graduate Integration Psychotherapists.
Course Standards
In our view, the therapeutic relationship exemplifies the co-creative dance that can occur between individuals when there is relational contact across the layers of Self. Pilamaya emphasises the journey to self-awareness and aims to train diligent therapists committed to honourable practice, upholding scrupulous values that align with an unwavering dedication to truth as an evolving constant. Such therapists are equipped to facilitate therapeutic spaces that traverse the many dimensions of Self without harming vulnerable people or themselves. Students must demonstrate promise in this area to graduate from the course.
The faculty are here to support each cohort in discovering themselves anew time and time again through their exploration of the course material, in student groups, and through their therapeutic journey and personal processes. We guide students on a path of awareness leading to the growth of Self, which ultimately builds the skills and presence needed for developing therapeutic relationships and walking with clients on the life path of their choice.
Therapy Requirements
Students are required to participate in at least 30 hours of individual therapy per year while they are training with us and in some cases we may request they undergo weekly therapy for the duration of the course. Through our Integration Psychotherapy Services (IPS) initiative, we are able to provide Integration Psychotherapy to students at a subsidised cost, making it affordable and bringing the therapy to life for students.
The minimum requirement of 30 therapy hours is self-certified and completed with IPS or another accredited psychotherapist. This minimum of fortnightly sessions helps students gain accredited membership to other professional bodies in the field of psychotherapy, such as AHPP and UKCP.
Please note that personal therapy is not included in this course, and course tutors are not able to offer therapeutic space to students.
Course Structure & Content
The Development of Self
Our work specifically catalyses effects related to the development of a robust sense of self. Many psychological models discuss how internal and external environments affect a person’s sense of themselves and overall state of wellbeing. The ability to navigate life’s changing conditions correlates directly with how the early environment affects each individual.
The work we do supports people through processes that help them fully form a robust sense of self, gain confidence in who they are as a person, given all that they have learnt through the process of life, and go through the stages that make individuation possible. This enables the person to form their own ideas of what life is for them, engage in the aspects of the outside world – family, society and culture – and make decisions about their lives that lead to a sense of purpose and fulfilment that is not governed by their histories or what society deems to be important for its subjects. This is not to say that we teach people to disconnect from the structures that govern us, only that we have choice in what we believe or engage in.
Theory
Foundational Developmental Frameworks
- Attachment Theory
- Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages
- Winnicott’s Theory of Play & Imagination
- The Jungian Mind & Archetypes
Neurobiological & Systemic Understanding
- Mirror Neuron Theory & Regulation
- Neural Regulation in The Therapeutic Relationship
- Impact of Chronic Stress & Stress Sensitivity
- Brain Waves in Hypnogogic States – Shifts to Healing
- Impact of Mindfulness & Meditation in Vulnerable Populations
Relational & Therapeutic Frameworks
- Principles of Gestalt Therapy
- Contact Boundaries in The Therapeutic Relationship
- Transference and Counter-Transference from the Gestalt Perspective
- The Trauma-Informed Approach
- Kaufmann’s Drama Triangle
Advanced Therapeutic Approaches
- Principles of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
- ProcessWork
- Introduction to Generational Trauma
- Anxiety & Depressive Disorders
Transpersonal & Consciousness Studies
- Transpersonal Theory
- The Dissociative Spectrum & The Transpersonal Realm
- Field Theory & Basics of Atomic Entanglement
- Simple Quantum Theory of The Observer Effect
Specialised Applications
- Effects of Psychedelics for Treatment-Resistant Conditions
- Differences in Pacing for Psychotherapy and PAIP
The Nine Dimensions of Self Model
Pilamaya’s Nine Dimensions of Self (9D) is the model through which we teach the entire course. This comprehensive framework recognises that human development and therapeutic healing occur across multiple interconnected dimensions of experience.
The Nine Dimensions are:
- The Body – Physical embodiment, nervous system regulation, and somatic awareness
- Environment – Our relationship with space, place, and external context
- Conscious Mind – Thoughts, beliefs, and conscious mental processes
- Subconscious – Habitual patterns, conditioning, and automatic responses
- Unconscious – The structure of the mind, archetypal programmes and ancestral influences
- Energy – Subtle energetic experiences and life force dynamics
- Innate Wisdom – Inner knowing and intuitive intelligence
- Beingness – Essential self and spiritual identity
- Unity – Integration and wholeness of all dimensions
This model provides a practical map to support both therapists and clients as they navigate their path back to wholeness, moving from fragmentation toward integration across all dimensions of human experience.
The Body (D1)
- Basics of Embryology, Cell Biology & The Nervous System
- The Role of Fascia in Movement, Somatics & Trauma
- Complex Movement in Early Years
- Homeostasis & The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
- The Neurobiology of Stress & The Stress Response
- Role of Movement in Neuroplastic Change & Psychological Holding
- The Cerebellum in Movement, Emotional Regulation & Stress
- The Neurobiology of Rewards & Happiness
- Fostering Coherence between Systems
- Introduction to The Cardiovascular System
- Basics of the Pulmonary System
- The Science of Breath
- The Neurobiology of Interoception & Exteroception
- The Pain Matrix & Pain Perception
- Introduction to Mirror Neurons
- The Neurological Effects of Mindfulness & Meditation
- Neural and Limbic Attunement
- The Role of The Body in Trauma & Autobiographical Memory
Key Area of Study and Skills
The Self
- What is The Self?
- What is individuation?
- Hindrances to full development of self: Trauma, Dissociation, Spiritual practice
- Understanding Configurations of Self through The Nine Dimensions
- Using Nine Dimensions Model to support trajectory of self from development to individuation
Therapeutic Skills
Foundational Developmental Frameworks
- The Therapeutic Relationship
- Introduction to Attachment Theory
- Attunement & The Role of Therapist
Neurobiological & Systemic Understanding
- Breath & Movement to Support the Parasympathetic System & Improve Vagal Tone
- The Role of Breath in Nervous System Regulation & Resilience
- Neuroplasticity for Interoception through Meditation & Movement
- Interrupting Habitual Movement Patterns Affecting Soma & Psyche
- Meditation & Movement for Anxiety & Depression
Relational & Therapeutic Frameworks
- The Gestalt Cycle of Experience
- Working with the Contact Boundary
- Use of Gestalt’s Chair Work in Therapy
- Understanding Transference & Counter-Transference
- The Five Stages of Listening
Advanced Therapeutic Approaches
- Integration of ProcessWork Techniques
- Artistry & The Dream Body
- Shadow Work & Integration of Self
- Introduction to Constellation Therapies
- Group Constellations
Transpersonal & Consciousness Studies
- Applying Transpersonal Practices to Promote Integration
- Introduction to Spiritual Counselling
- Use of Initiation in Psychotherapy
- The Use of Ritual in Therapy and Group Work
- Creating Ritual with Clients
Specialised Applications
- The Nine Dimensions of Self for Psychedelic Integration
- Ceremony & Integration in PAIP & Clinical Protocols
Additional Therapeutic Methods
- Use of Yoga Nidra
- Working with Storytelling in Therapy
- The Use of Journeying in Therapy
- Introduction to Working with Dreams
- Working with Sound for Individuals & Groups
- Use of Mirrored Movement in Therapy
- Principles of Art Therapy
- The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Sequence for Stress Reduction
- Use of Reorientation Methods for Psychological Flooding
- Outdoor Psychotherapy
Clinical Practice & Safety
- Scope of Practice, Personal Care, Supervision & Malpractice
- Preparing for Therapy Placements
- The Basics of Clinical Supervision
- Harm Reduction & Managing High Risk Situations
- Sensitivity and Neurodiversity
Specialised Client Work
- Working with Loss and Grief for Individuals & Families
- Working with Clients Approaching End of Life
- Motivational Techniques for Goal-Setting & Vision Building
Process & Endings
- The Therapeutic Relationship: Preparing for Endings
Learning Outcomes
Understanding the Self
- Navigate the complex journey from fragmented self to integrated wholeness using The Nine Dimensions model
- Work skilfully with the interplay between conscious, subconscious, and unconscious material in self and others
- Facilitate individuation processes that support authentic self-expression beyond societal conditioning
- Recognise and work therapeutically with configurations of self across multiple dimensions of experience
Advanced Somatic Integration
- Demonstrate sophisticated understanding of how nervous system states influence psychological and spiritual development
- Work with the body as a living repository of memory, trauma, and wisdom
- Facilitate neuroplastic change through precise application of movement, breath, and somatic practices
- Integrate multiple body systems (cardiovascular, nervous, lymphatic) in therapeutic interventions
Therapeutic Mastery
- Hold therapeutic space for profound transformation whilst maintaining precise boundaries and safety
- Work with transference and counter-transference as doorways to healing rather than obstacles
- Navigate complex trauma presentations with skill in both activation and integration
- Facilitate completion of interrupted developmental processes across the lifespan
- Work therapeutically with altered states, spiritual emergence, and transpersonal experiences
Field Dynamics and Relational Depth
- Recognise and work with field phenomena, collective patterns, and systemic influences
- Maintain therapeutic presence during intense emotional and somatic processes
- Support clients in accessing their own innate healing intelligence
- Work with the therapeutic relationship as a co-creative field for transformation
Professional Integration
- Synthesise multiple therapeutic modalities into a coherent personal approach
- Maintain ongoing supervision and personal development at a level commensurate with the depth of work
- Work ethically with the power and responsibility that comes with advanced therapeutic skills
- Support other practitioners in developing their own depth and capacity
Suitability & Entry Requirements
The Integration Psychotherapy diploma course is suitable for applicants who have firsthand experience with the therapeutic relationship and are actively pursuing training to become psychotherapists.
We do not require previous training in mental health, psychology, counselling, or mind or somatic therapies, provided applicants have the professional training or accredited prior learning (APL) experience necessary to undertake Level 5 training. We can offer a pathway through our Level 4 certificate in Transpersonal Yoga (TY), either through on-demand or group study.
We expect those who join our courses to demonstrate self-competency as learners in further education, as well as self-reflective skills, self-responsibility, and capacity for self-awareness. Additionally, students should come to this course prepared to learn in a group environment, where they will be expected to work with what arises and further the therapeutic processes. Students must also be prepared to increase therapy hours if they encounter emotional difficulties along the way.
Applicants will need to reflect on their prior learning and be willing to ask previous Course Directors or tutors for references in the application process.
Application
We recommend arranging a pre-application telephone consultation with the Course Director (Shaura Hall) before commencing the application process.
In addition to the official application form that can be found here.
The intake for this course requires students to reflect on a set of questions that mark the beginning of their journey with us. Generally, the (non-graded) essay should be in a written format of no more than 3000 words. We will accept a recorded version of the essay if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the applicant and adheres to our reasonable adjustment policy.
Portfolio
- We gain an understanding of whether this training journey is suitable by asking you to respond to six questions.
- We require two references from individuals who have known you for at least 2 years in either a professional or academic capacity. We prefer that one of the references comes from a previous tutor if the applicant has undergone any recent training.
Our online form ensures a secure process.
Applications and portfolios must be submitted online with a £30 (non-refundable) application fee. If an application is not successful, constructive guidance will be provided for those who wish to re-apply for the next intake year.
If you are offered a place on the course, the £30 admin fee is deducted from an initial (non-refundable) holding deposit of £500, which is due within 15 working days from the date your Letter of Acceptance is issued.
Application Deadline 2026-27
The official deadline for applications is 31st January 2026. Please contact us before applying after this date.
Course Fees
The full investment for this training is a total course fee of £8,800 (£4,400 per year) which includes the holding deposit of £500.
The holding deposit will only be taken once the student has been accepted onto the course, and a signed student contract has been submitted, at which point the student will be issued a receipt of deposit and become liable for the course fees.
Payment plans may be arranged to cover any remaining balance, provided eligibility has been met and and a contractual agreement between the student and the Pilamaya Centre has been made. Where a payment plan is agreed by both parties, the student must confirm that they understand they are liable for the full course fees before signing and returning the contract outlining the details of their payment plan.
We have made every effort to make this course financially accessible both in our pricing and payment structure. We operate with fairness and 100% transparency, this means that all payment plans are supported by legal contracts signed by the Pilamaya Centre and students, who remain liable for their full course fees.
Student Liability
Please exercise due diligence and take the time to fully digest this material as well as the course requirements below when deciding whether to pursue an application.
Attendance Requirements
The attendance requirement is set at a minimum of 85% to receive the diploma award. Those who fall below this threshold can undertake extra tutorials, reading, or written assignments to reach the required level to attain the diploma at the discretion of the Course Director. Any adjustments or graduation pathways offered will incur extra costs, which the student must also pay to graduate.
The effectiveness of the course environment depends on the commitment of all members; therefore, students are expected to treat the time boundaries of the course as a practical exercise in reliability and commitment to the therapeutic relationship and overall profession.
Application Form
Course Tutors
- Shaura Hall
- Jennifer Smallwood
- Colleen Steiner Westling
- Valeria Ricotti
- Susan Clark
- Emma Lingley-Clark
- Muna Mcadie
Shaura is the founder and director of the PCIP as well as a Neurosomatic Psychotherapist (NCIP), Yoga Therapist (IYAT), Supervisor (certificate with CTSD) and Interfaith Minister. Her personal journey began in 2004 with the First Nation People of North America. Her connections to these people and ceremonial ways of life have greatly influenced her worldview and work. Shaura’s training includes over 1000 hours of yoga therapy, yoga teacher training, and further training in the Health Sciences and Psychotherapy. She is currently working toward an Advanced Diploma in Neurosomatic Psychotherapy.
Shaura lectures for The Minded Institute on their Yoga Therapy and Integrated Yoga Psychotherapy courses, is Course Director of their Professional Supervision training, and has been a lead supervisor for a number of years. She is the Course Director of pioneering courses such as Yoga Therapy for Addictions, the Transpersonal Yoga Program, and Meditation and Facilitation for Mental Health. In her private work, Shaura supports individuals and groups in the process of healing and individuation through a rich plethora of methods that form Integration Psychotherapy.
Jennifer Smallwood is a BACP Senior Accredited Gestalt Psychotherapist, Integrative Therapist and Clinical Supervisor. Jennifer is also an EMDR UK & Europe registered and accredited EMDR Consultant with a successful private practice based in Sheffield. She holds a BA Honours Degree in Pure Philosophy, a master’s degree in Gestalt Psychotherapy and is currently undertaking a vocational training in Meditation as Facilitation for Mental Health which she hopes to use alongside her EMDR and Gestalt practices to further her trauma work in private practice.
Jennifer has worked in private practice for the past 19 years as well as volunteering for The Samaritans, working for the NHS in Derby City Centre PCT, and eight years working for FREED BEECHES Eating Disorder charity in Nottinghamshire as Senior Psychotherapist and Deputy Clinical Manager. Before her retraining in Psychotherapy, Jennifer worked as a Business Consultant helping businesses improve the efficacy of their Systems and Processes. She is a guest speaker at SPACE Academy and also delivers workshops locally in Trauma.
Colleen Shraddha Steiner Westling works in private practice as an MA Art & Environmental Psychotherapist/Supervisor. She is also a 800+hrs IAYT Yoga & Meditation Therapist/Supervisor specialising in physical & mental wellbeing. By combining her multiple modalities of study, Colleen addresses the bespoke needs of clients with such conditions as; Physical injury, pain and dis-ease, Grief, Anxiety, Depression, Personality Disorders, Learning Differences, PTSD & Developmental Trauma.
Art and Yoga Nature combines the embodied practice of movement with art material manipulation to creatively express unprocessed feelings in a nonverbal way. The creative experience and the art works created can be felt as connecting to a sense of inner witness with projections of negative, positive and/or mixed emotions validated to strengthen the inner resources of self — awareness, compassion, and esteem.
Valeria Ricotti, born in Abruzzo, Italy, now lives in London. She is co-founder of a gene therapy company and conducts research in the health applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in collaboration with Imperial College London.
She graduated in Medicine in Ireland and specialised in Paediatrics. She holds a Clinical PhD from University College London on neuromuscular disorders. She has always been interested in eastern philosophies and exploring consciousness with scientific tools. She is passionate about the use of psychedelics in the context of mental health and spirituality. Valeria is a Reiki Master and a fiction writer.
Susan teaches the art of storytelling as a therapeutic skill, showing how stories, symbols, and images can reveal what words alone cannot. Her teaching helps students first to listen for narrative patterns in the therapy room, and then to meet them with creativity, curiosity, and respect. Drawing on her background in writing, myth, poetry and Integrative Psychotherapy, she guides trainees to develop their own authentic voice as practitioners who can hold, witness, and re-story the human experience with a deeply rooted creative presence.
Susan is a Pilamaya graduate and a published author whose new Nature series of books reveals the everyday wonders and teachings of the natural world found right on our own doorsteps.
Muna is a 2016 graduate of the Pilamaya Centre, a member of the Transpersonal Yoga faculty, Integration Psychotherapist and an independent entrepreneur with a background in Human Communications (BSc). She has a passion for education, community, self- expression and living in a harmonious and meaningful way. In addition to Transpersonal and Hatha yoga, Muna is certified to teach hot yoga, embodied yin, and yoga for stress and burnout. She is also a sacred sound practitioner and uses sound and vibration to nourish the nervous system and to communicate with and therapeutically support the body’s energetic structures.
Muna’s work creates a container that supports listening to the body’s intelligence and the use of feedback to engage in self-care, deep learning, as well as cultivating trust in the process and instilling the courage to do the work.
