Trauma-Informed Approaches for Service Providers
Professional Certification Series
Recipient of the 2024 APHSA Quality Program Work Award for Exceptional Leadership & Educational Contributions to Staff Development Within Human ServicesThis professional certificate program is for anyone interested in developing skills to provide quality trauma-informed services in the housing and homelessness system.
From service planning to workplace wellness service providers learn through discussion and practical real-world scenarios strategies to support people who have experienced trauma.
Develop the skills to provide quality trauma-informed services
This award-winning professional certification program explores how trauma affects individuals and communities. Each session gives you practical tools to respond with care, avoid causing further harm, and create safer, more supportive environments.
- You will learn how to recognize how trauma shows up in the people you work with, from tenants to staff.
- You will learn how to respond safely and effectively to the needs of individuals and families.
- You will learn how to craft an individualized approach to being trauma-informed for the people you care for
Upcoming Certification Program Dates
Free series learning guides
Bonus self-paced Course
Digital Badge and Certification
90-Days Access to Webinar Recordings
Starts July 15, 2025
Tuesdays and Thursdays
3:00 - 4:30pm Eastern
2:00 - 3:30pm Central
1:00 - 2:30pm Mountain
12:00 - 1:30pm Pacific
Starts October 21, 2025
Tuesdays and Thursdays
3:00 - 4:30pm Eastern
2:00 - 3:30pm Central
1:00 - 2:30pm Mountain
12:00 - 1:30pm Pacific
This Course is For:
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
Session 1: Foundations for Trauma-Informed Approaches
This course will explore the principles of trauma-informed care, how trauma shows up and how applying trauma-informed approaches provides a foundation for support to individuals and families that recognizes the impact and effect of trauma on people and how to respond safely and effectively to better meet the needs of tenants.
Session 2: Safe Spaces & Places: Promoting Physical & Emotional Safety
This course will explore how organizations can develop programs and services that help persons to be as “safe” as possible. Understanding that systems and programs in themselves may not feel “safe” participants will take a critical eye to their physical settings and how services are provided to understand where there is an opportunity to create brave space, promote safety and minimize re-traumatization.
Session 3: Meaningful & Collaborative Service Planning
Meaningful and collaborative services planning centers on the needs and wishes of tenants. To be meaningful tenants must be actively involved and engaged in the decisions and matters that impact them. This means working collaboratively to support the people and households in your programs to identify their needs, establish goals and participate and lead in matters that impact them. In this course, participants will explore how the foundations of a trusting relationship can support individuals and families to be self-directed and engage in programs and services that can help them to meet their goals.
Session 4: Fostering Boundaries & Transparency
Establishing trusting relationships is key to becoming a trauma-informed practitioner- and boundaries and transparency are key ingredients for building trust. Trust is earned and takes work, time and intention. This course will explore strategies to help housing and service providers identify and set boundaries, coach the people they work with in setting their own boundaries, investigate opportunities for increased transparency, and develop trust and rapport with clients/tenants. Building on the concepts learned in the “Safe spaces and Places” course, this course will dive deeper by exploring scenarios and strategies for establishing trusting relationships.
Session 5: Delivering Person-Centered Services
This training provides person-centered strategies for service delivery to help service providers work with people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and belief-systems. Facilitators provide tools to help participants address the power-dynamics between service providers and the people they serve. Participants also learn strategies for addressing and repairing harm that can occur when participants in the program do not feel that the services are truly person-centered.
Session 6: Workplace Wellness: Thriving at Work
This course explores methods to enhance workplace wellness, aiming to reduce burnout and implement effective leadership and supervision practices that help employees thrive rather than merely survive at work. Participants learn about empathy fatigue and burnout—how to identify when burnout is affecting employees and strategies to mitigate it.