First Responders Trauma Prevention and Recovery Certificate
First responders deal with traumatic events repeatedly, on a scale unimaginable to those outside the emergency, disaster response and military services. Designed by first responders for first responders, our specialized online program explores how trauma in the workplace impacts mental health. You’ll take away practical tools and strategies to better prepare and support yourself, your peers and your organization in the face of trauma.
Why this program?
- Choose from flexibly paced online courses
- Develop a resiliency toolkit to support yourself and others
- Build a network of peers sharing similar challenges
- Develop a peer-support program for your organization
- Create an action plan for psychological safety in the workplace
- Develop leadership and community engagement skills
- Graduate with a certificate that confers SFU alumni status along with its benefits
Format
Part-time
Location
Online
Program completion
2–5 years (from start date of first course)
To graduate, complete all courses with a minimum average grade of C.
Course duration
5–10 weeks
Course work
6–10 hours/week
Schedule
Self-paced within set deadlines
Courses
Required courses (take in any order, except CRIS410, which should be completed last):
- Mental Health Fundamentals (CRIS110)
- Crisis Intervention (CRIS210)
- Trauma and Suicide (CRIS220)
- Introduction to Addictions (CRIS230)
- Personal Resilience (CRIS310)
- Communication and Helping Skills (CRIS320)
- Peer Support and Code of Ethics (CRIS330)
- Relationship Building (CRIS340)
- Organizational Structure and Stigma Reduction (CRIS350)
- First Responders Final Project (CRIS410)
Learning materials
Course materials included
Cost
$350–$650/course
$75 program application fee
Application info
No application deadline. Take individual courses and apply to the program at any time.
Application requirements
- Grade 12 or equivalent
- 2+ years’ work and/or volunteer experience in first-response agency or organization
- English Language Requirements
See Application details for more info.
Register for individual courses at any time, with the option to apply to the program later.
Enroll in the certificate program to:
- Track your progress in your student account
- Access potential tax credits
- Be eligible to graduate when you finish
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While paramedic Rachel Houlzet is focused on helping her patients, she’s also committed to supporting her own and her co-workers’ mental health on the job.
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The peer support team lead for E-Comm 9-1-1, Nicole Israel is helping ensure her organization’s emergency operators and dispatchers prioritize their mental health.
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When New Zealand firefighter Kris Kennett lost a friend and colleague to suicide, he wondered what could be done to save other first responders from suffering in silence.
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