“Counselling is a process of discovery, not fixing.”
— Brené Brown
Applied Somatic Counselling Skills for Yoga Therapists
35 Hours (4 Days Online + Home Study)
This unique module supports self-awareness, reflection and compassionate listening while giving you practical tools to work safely and empathetically with clients. You’ll learn counselling techniques tailored to Yoga Therapy — including bottom-up approaches, invitational language and how to build a safe therapeutic relationship — to support healing on both physiological and psychological levels.
Guided by Esther van der Sande, psychotherapist and founder of Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland, you’ll also deepen your own interoceptive awareness and develop essential skills such as self-regulation to better support your clients.
Who is this course for?
This course is designed for Yoga Therapy trainees currently in training to become certified yoga therapists, as well as experienced yoga teachers who wish to deepen their understanding of Yoga Therapy principles and applications. It also welcomes healthcare professionals—including medical doctors, physiotherapists, coaches, and other therapeutic practitioners—who are interested in integrating a multidisciplinary approach into their work.
Upcoming Module Dates
Each module is held entirely online, welcoming students from all countries to study, learn, and grow together in our virtual classroom. We encourage students who have never studied with us before to complete an application form before booking a module.
Autumn 2026
Monday 21 – Thursday 24 September 2026
09:30–17:00 (CET)*
Includes a self-study day with a 1-hour live check-in on Thursday.
Book this course at Trauma Sensitive Yoga Nederland
*Module hours are approximate and may vary slightly depending on the flow and pace of each class.
PRICING
Includes live and recorded sessions
Includes all course materials
Ongoing on-demand access
Learn more about our full diploma pricing
€605* incl. VAT · €500 excl. VAT
Please note that this course is hosted externally and must be booked directly through Trauma Sensitive Yoga Nederland.
*If you have a company, you may be exempt from paying tax. Please contact us to find out more.
Meet Your Teachers
Esther van der Sande
Psychotherapist, Trainer, Consultant & RYT 500 Yoga Teacher
Esther is a senior psychotherapist, business consultant, and Trauma Sensitive Yoga trainer with over 20 years of experience dedicated to helping individuals and organizations overcome psychological challenges and embrace change with her well-known gentle, inclusive approach.
Learn more
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Frequently Asked Questions
To join this module, you must meet the following requirements:
- 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training certification from Yoga Alliance or equivalent
- One year of Yoga teaching experience
- One year of personal Yoga practice
- Fluent in English
- Minimum 18 years old
If you’re already a student at The Yoga Therapy Institute, you can join this module by booking your preferred dates directly on this page.
New students are warmly invited to contact us or submit an application form to begin the registration process.
No, this module does not offer continuing education credits because the module forms an integral part of our Yoga Therapy Diploma.
However, you can still earn continuing education credits by completing our other courses that are approved by Yoga Alliance.
The price of the module includes access to all live module lectures, unlimited access to the educational platform, including written materials, presentations, full recordings, practice videos, audio files, and assignments. You’ll also have the ability to contact the team and faculty by email for support.
The price of the module doesn’t include books from the reading list, yoga mats or props, or any other materials or equipment that may be required for the module.
We offer a variety of discounts and promotions on our Yoga Therapy training courses throughout the year. To see the current discounts and promotions, please visit our promotions page.
Somatic counselling and psychotherapy are both forms of therapy that focus on the body and mind. However, there are some key differences between the two approaches. Somatic counselling is a more bottom-up approach, which means that it focuses on helping the client to become more aware of their physical sensations. Psychotherapy is a more top-down approach, which means that it focuses on helping the client to understand their thoughts and emotions.
No, you can’t work as a counsellor after completing this module alone. This module is designed to teach you the skills of applied somatic counselling, which can be used in conjunction with Yoga Therapy. However, you’ll still need to complete further training in counselling or psychotherapy in order to be qualified to work as a counsellor.