Aphantasia Therapist Training Programme
Specialist Training for Counsellors and Therapists
Gain the skills, insight and confidence to work effectively with clients who live without mental imagery, inner speech, and vivid autobiographical memory.
The Doors Are Now Open. Join the First Ever Cohort!
We’re thrilled to announce that enrolment is now open for the very first group of the Aphantasia Therapist Training Programme. This is your opportunity to be part of a pioneering, research-backed training that’s transforming how therapy supports clients with aphantasia, SDAM, anendophasia, anauralia, and alexithymia.
As a member of the inaugural cohort, you’ll receive exclusive early access pricing just ÂŁ395 (instalment plan available) This is a one-time only offer for our first intake.Â
Want to make the most of this offer? Refer a colleague and receive ÂŁ50 off for every person you refer who joins the programme too.
This is the only course of its kind in the UK, and possibly the world.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of something ground-breaking. Click below to secure your place in the first round of Aphantasia Therapist trainees.
Training kicks off on 1st May 2025
This Training Is for You If:
-
You’re a qualified or trainee counsellor, psychotherapist or coach.
-
You want to understand the inner world of aphantasic clients and adapt your practice accordingly.
-
You’ve encountered clients who struggle with memory-based work, guided imagery, emotional reflection, or naming their inner experience.
-
You’re committed to inclusive, neurodiverse-aware practice.
-
You want to future-proof your skills as awareness of these conditions grows.
What Is Aphantasia And Why Does It Matter in Therapy?
Aphantasia is the inability to create mental imagery in the mind’s eye but for many clients, the experience goes far beyond the visual.
Multi-sensory aphantasia can include a lack of sound, sensation, smell, taste and inner verbal thought. Often co-occurring with conditions such as SDAM (Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory), anauralia (no internal sound), anendophasia (no internal verbal thought), and alexithymia (difficulty identifying or expressing emotions), this cognitive difference affects how a person processes memories, emotions, identity, trauma and change.
As a therapist, coach or mental health professional, recognising and adapting to these differences can transform the therapeutic relationship and unlock deeper engagement, emotional insight and long-term progress.
What You’ll Learn:
✔ What aphantasia is and isn’t, including how it differs from avoidance, trauma suppression or dissociation.
âś” How to identify signs of aphantasia, SDAM, anauralia, anendophasia and alexithymia in clinical settings.
âś” How these conditions affect emotional processing, memory, risk perception, inner dialogue and therapeutic engagement.
âś” Practical adaptations to common therapeutic models.
âś” How to build therapeutic rapport and explore identity, trauma, motivation and change with clients who process the world differently.
âś” How to ethically and sensitively introduce these concepts to clients who may be unaware of them.
âś” Your role in increasing accessibility and representation in mental health services.
What’s Included
-
Five in-depth modules of video lectures, reading material, reflective practice, quizzes and case studies
-
Real-life client case studies with reflective questions and model therapist responses
- Live Group sessions each month to support you to put your learning into practice
-
Certificate of Completion and digital badge to display on your website or profiles
-
30+ CPD hours
-
Optional listing on our Aphantasia Therapist Directory for greater visibility
-
Invitation to join our affiliate programme for graduates
Course Content
Module 1: Understanding Aphantasia and Related Conditions
Explore definitions, history, neuroscience and prevalence of aphantasia, SDAM, anauralia, anendophasia and alexithymia.
Module 2: Emotional Processing and Memory Challenges
Examine how these conditions affect emotional insight, identity, trauma and therapeutic engagement.
Module 3: Therapeutic Adaptations for Aphantasia and Related Conditions
Learn how to tailor your therapeutic approach without relying on mental imagery, emotional recall or inner dialogue.
Module 4: Risk Management and Ethical Practice
Discover best practice in safeguarding, ethical communication and inclusive care for clients with these conditions.
Module 5: Case Studies and Applied Skills
Work through real-world examples and develop your ability to assess, adapt and reflect with confidence.
Your Trainer
This course is created and led by Sarah Smith, founder of Aphantasia Academy Ltd. Sarah is an experienced coach, trainer and mental health advocate living with multi-sensory aphantasia, SDAM, anauralia, anendophasia and alexithymia.
She brings professional insight, lived experience and an unwavering commitment to helping therapists feel confident, competent and inclusive in their work with neurodivergent clients.
Sarah is a member of the Institute of Leadership and the EMCC UK, and holds qualifications in coaching, counselling, CBT and mental health.
Join the waiting list and receive your course handbook.
Sign up to be the first to know when doors open for enrolment.
