​Trauma and trauma-related disorders as well as substance abuse and substance use disorders have become problems faced by an increasing number of health workers. The link between trauma and substance abuse has been scientifically studied and is important to highlight to provide appropriate medical, psychological and social services.

While psychological trauma is defined by disruptions in a person's feeling of control, addiction can be considered as a control disorder, or an inability to control. Loss of control is less conscious, often unrecognised by the addict until life becomes unmanageable. The difficulty of maintaining control increases when a person who has experienced trauma develops an addiction or when an addict experiences trauma.

There is now widespread consensus that the most effective approach to treating addiction and co-occurring medical conditions is to do it simultaneously during the early stages of recovery, with a multidisciplinary team that can meet the client's total needs.

This BIP is the result of an effort to advance an integrated approach to the treatment of psychological trauma and addiction by bringing together best practices, supportive resources, and current thinking.

The purpose of this BIP is to give social science and health students current knowledge regarding the link between trauma and addictive behaviours.

This Blended Intensive Program (BIP) will combine lectures (taking place virtual synchronously between 1 November 2024 - 20 December 2024) and in-person (between 3 March – 7 March 2025) by experts in the field. Two interactive workshops on Psychological Interventions for Children with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Adults with PTSD, including Extended Exposure Therapy Protocol will be organised in March 2025. Besides the cultural visits to Bran Castle and Peles Castle, participants will have the opportunity to visit the Predeal Sanatorium for Psychiatric Disorders (https://www.nevroze-predeal.ro/) to improve their knowledge of good practices in mental health.

The entire programme will take place as follows:

• 1 November 2024 - 20 December 2024: 30 online synchronous hours with focus on theoretical topics related to trauma and addictions. This 30-hours of teaching will be held by experts from the University of Lausanne, Aix-Marseille University and Sapienza University of Rome.
• 21 December 2024 - 28 February 2025: Students will be engaged in an intermediate assessment. Students will have to do a theoretical review of the literature on specific topics related to what was taught during online hours. The literature review will be a group work of 50 hours asynchronous, but continuous learning, using innovative pedagogies (watch videos, podcasts, interviews with patients, etc). Additional, participants will be asked to comment on the materials uploaded on the e-learning platform or create a poster/picture representative for a topic – 30 hours asynchronous. 
• 3 March – 7 March 2025: One week mobility; 5 days of courses held by the teachers from University of Bucharest on psychological interventions in children and adults with PTSD and complex-PTSD/developmental trauma (total of 30 hours of in person courses).
• Final project preparation and work: 50 hours (asynchronous)
• Last week of March 2025: Final assessment - group project presentation (10 hours online synchronous).

3 March – 7 March 2025

Physical mobility will last 5 days. Lectures will take place every day, 6 hours per day. 

1. Psychological interventions in children with post-traumatic stress reactions (12 hours).
2. Cognitive-behavioural psychotherapies for adults with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): prolongedexposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy. (18 hours).

The main assumptions of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy will be covered, as well as case conceptualisation and general treatment protocol. The course will also present students with the prolonged exposure therapy, the most investigated protocol till date in dealing with traumatic memories.

Trauma-focused acceptance and commitment therapy for adults with a history of complex trauma.

The course will cover the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy, a transdiagnostic method entailing the development of psychological flexibility as a general factor favouring psychopathology. Additionally, case conceptualisation and trauma-focused procedures will be presented and exemplified with the participants.

1 November 2024 - 20 December 2024

By integrating in-person instruction with online, non-synchronous sessions, the virtual mobility program will make the most of innovative pedagogical tools including research-based lessons, and collaborative projects.

• 1 November to 20 December 2024, the module will cover the program’s first theoretical part. The virtual component will consist of seven meetings, distributed in seven weeks, 2-4 hours per week.  The total amount of teaching the first theoretical part will be 30 hours.
• 21 December 2024 to 28 February 2025, students will be engaged in a literature review that will last 50 hours asynchronous. During this time, they will deepen the topics taught by teachers and start working as a team on the given project (the literature review). Additional, participants will be asked to comment on the materials uploaded on the e-learning platform or create a poster/picture representative for a topic, that will last 30 hours asynchronous.
• 3 March to 7 March 2025, it will be an one week mobility, 5 days of courses, 30 hours of in person courses.
• 9 March to 23 March 2025 students will be involved in finalizing the project and preparing for presentation. This activity will last 50 hours (asynchronous).
• 24-31 March 2025, the final assessment will take place, group project presentation that will last 10 hours online synchronous.

Students will be able to find all necessary module information such as power point presentations, case studies, bibliography, and video presentations. Direct links to information sources will also be provided.