About Us
The Institute for Trauma Informed Hypnotherapy (ITIH) is a training organization founded by Courtney Armstrong that is committed to teaching healthcare professionals clinical hypnosis interventions that are evidence-based, trauma informed, and empower clients to reclaim strength, wisdom, and resilience.
FREE: Introductory Mini-Course
Get our 4-part video series to discover how clinical hypnosis works and can be used to improve patient outcomes and enhance trauma treatment. Plus, you’ll get to experience a little hypnosis yourself!
Meet Courtney
COURTNEY ARMSTRONG, MEd. LPC, is a licensed professional counselor with 25 years experience who is certified as an approved consultant by the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis. She is the founder of the Institute for Trauma Informed Hypnotherapy and developed her Trauma Informed Hypnotherapy® approach after studying with numerous trauma experts and helping thousands of clients overcome trauma and grief.
Courtney is the author of Transforming Traumatic Grief (2011) The Therapeutic “Aha!”: 10 Strategies for Getting Your Clients Unstuck (2015) and her latest book, Rethinking Trauma Treatment: Attachment, Memory Reconsolidation, and Resilience (2019) and has also written articles for the Psychotherapy Networker, The Neuropsychotherapist, Counseling Today, and many others.
Known for her warm, engaging teaching style, Courtney has developed Clinical Hypnosis training programs for the Veterans Administration and offers both live and online training to mental health professionals worldwide in experiential, brain-based strategies that help clients access inner resources for healing.
Licensure and Certifications
- Founder and President, Institute for Trauma Informed Hypnotherapy
- Licensed Professional Counselor, TN LPC#831
- National Board Certified Fellow in Clinical Hypnotherapy
- Certified Member, American Society of Clinical Hypnosis
- Approved LPC Supervisor in Tennessee
- National Board Certified Counselor
- Certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies from the Trauma Center at JRI Boston
- Trained in EMDR with Somatic Attachment Focus
- Trained in Biofeedback and Heartmath
- M. Ed., Counselor Education, University of New Orleans
- Past President, Chattanooga Psychotherapy Association
Interviews With Courtney
Why did I create this organization?
Have you been frustrated with the limits of traditional therapy when it comes to helping clients with trauma, anxiety, pain, or substance use? I was there 15 years ago. Although my clients trusted me and were able to gain insight and understand what was causing their issues, they still struggled with feelings of worthlessness, shame, depression, and recurring patterns they couldn’t seem to shake.
I began to doubt my effectiveness and experience burnout. I tried CBT, EMDR, and other trauma approaches, but sometimes these methods alone were too overwhelming for clients, especially those with complex trauma. But when I began to supplement these methods with clinical hypnosis tools, clients were able to get relief from anxiety and pain more quickly. Moreover, my clients enjoyed hypnosis and found it enabled them to access hope, inner strength, and positive emotional states. In addition, we were able to reprocess traumatic memories in a less painful way so that clients felt empowered and uplifted.
I was surprised by the immediate effects of hypnosis myself and have spent the last ten years studying hypnotherapy and refining techniques to specifically meet the needs of trauma clients. Thus, the Institute for Trauma-Informed Hypnotherapy was born!
What makes us different from other clinical hypnosis training organizations is that:
- We teach you clinical hypnosis techniques that are safe and effective for trauma clients
- We support integrating clinical hypnosis with other evidenced-based therapies you may use
- Our techniques are informed by the latest clinical research in the areas of trauma recovery, memory reconsolidation, habit change, and pain management.
No woo-woo, fast-talking gimmicks, or guru culture here! You get creative, yet practical techniques you can use right away with explanations of why they work and how to adapt them for a variety of clients.
Whether you are new to hypnosis or have had prior training, we’ll teach you how to harness the power of clinical hypnosis in a way that is trauma-informed, evidence-based, and easy-to-learn and integrate so you can get better results for your clients right away.