Florida State University offers an online curriculum for a Professional Certification in College Student Wellbeing, Trauma, and Resilience. The curriculum was developed by the Clearinghouse on Trauma & Resilience within the Institute for Family Violence Studies in the College of Social Work. This course provides a rigorous curriculum to inform college administrators, faculty, staff, and policy-makers about individual and systemic factors that impact student resilience and wellbeing.

This course provides a foundation for transforming colleges and universities into trauma-informed environments in which students, faculty, and staff can thrive. It builds participants’ knowledge and skills to apply trauma-informed principles in practical ways across the educational setting. Participants will learn crucial information and obtain resources to build a campus culture that promotes positive mental health, student retention and student success.

This self-paced curriculum includes 20 hours of course content and nine chapters of evidence-based readings, case scenarios, multi-media materials, assignments, and quizzes. Participants can access the course materials for one calendar year from the time they receive their log-in credentials.

Click the video below to learn more

This certification is designed for:

  • Higher Education Administrators
  • Student Affairs Administrators
  • Student Success Professionals
  • Education Policy Professionals
  • Higher Education Faculty and Staff
  • Higher Education Counseling Center Physicians, Nurses, Counselors, Psychologists and Staff
  • Human Resources Staff
  • Title IX Professionals and Victim Advocates
  • Medical Professionals: Physicians, & Nurses
  • Stakeholders, Policymakers, and Advocates

The benefits of this certification include:

  • Enhancing your professional knowledge, skills, and advancing your career potential.
  • Gaining a transformative understanding of how trauma can affect the developing brain, interfere with learning, and impact student success.
  • Relating the role of early adversity to adult physical, psychological and behavioral problems.
  • Learning powerful new principles of trauma-informed approaches applied to the higher education setting.
  • Recognizing the important opportunity colleges have to positively influence resilience and late adolescent brain development.
  • Understanding the components of resilience and how campuses can play a role in building more resilient students.
  • Appreciating how systemic issues such as racism, homophobia, xenophobia, transphobia, and misogyny can impact campus culture and student success.
  • Learning how a culturally sensitive and responsive approach is integral to campus resilience efforts.
  • Acquiring tools to avoid secondary traumatization.

Why Earn The Professional Certification in College Student Wellbeing, Trauma, & Resilience?

The Professional Certification in College Student Wellbeing, Trauma, & Resilience through Florida State University’s Center for Professional Development enables professionals to develop knowledge and skills to improve service delivery in a wide variety of human services.

The Professional certification offers the following:

  • Validation to your institution that you have received professional training from a prominent university
  • A thorough understanding of the core concepts of both a trauma-informed approach and the building blocks of student resilience
  • Confidence to lead your institution to incorporate knowledge of trauma and resilience into a higher education setting
  • A strong foundation for policy and advocacy efforts for institutions of higher education.

Advisory Team

The research team at the Institute for Family Violence Studies appreciates
the expertise of our Advisory Team:

James Clark, Ph.D., LCSW
Provost
Florida State University

Amber N. Douglas, Ph.D.
Dean of Studies & Director, Office of Student Success &
Advising Associate Professor of Psychology
Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts

Laura Johnson, Ph.D.
Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Advising
Boston University, Massachusetts

Margaret Mbindyo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor/Advising Center Coordinator
Millersville University, Pennsylvania

Linda Scuiletti, Ph.D.
Vice President of Assessment, Planning & Research
Central Carolina Community College, North Carolina

Dr. Craig Stanley III, Ph.D.
Associate Dean
FSU College of Social Work

Judit Török, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
Pratt Institute, New York

This Professional Certification was created by the Institute for Family Violence Studies

Karen Oehme, J.D., Director
Ann Perko, J.D., Director of Research Dissemination
Lyndi Bradley, MSW, Program Manager,
Johnna Gracik , Intern
Dana White, Intern

Continuing Education Units

Participants must report their certificate to their licensure board to receive credit. We do not report to the licensure boards.

Licensed Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Social Workers

  • Continuing Education Units (CEU) programs are set forth and approved for licensure renewal as outlined in the Florida Statutes and by Chapter 491 Licensure Board. This Professional Certification course is approved for and offers 15 contact hours for Licensed Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Social Workers.

Participants outside of Florida must submit to their own licensing board to determine credit awarded.

About Our Program

1. Cost

How much does the training cost?
The training is currently $349 per person.

Is the registration fee different for non-Florida residents?
No. Participants are charged the same course fee regardless of where they reside.

Do you offer discounts to non-profits?
The vast majority of our participants come from non-profit organizations. As such, we did everything in our power to keep the cost of the training as low as possible. So, while we do not offer discounts to non-profits specifically, we currently offer a 10% discount to the following populations:

  1. Active and inactive U.S. Military
  2. FSU Alumni
  3. FSU Students, Faculty, & Staff

How do I obtain the discount?
You need a promo code that you MUST enter during you registration process. This cannot be applied retroactively. To obtain the promo code you must supply the following information for each population (email to ccarballo@fsu.edu):

  1. Active and inactive U.S. Military
    • Send an email from your .mil account, OR
    • Scan and email your military orders, OR
    • Scan and email you military ID
  2. FSU Alumni
    • Full name as it was when you attended FSU, and
    • Date of Birth, and
    • Graduation Year
  3. FSU Students, Faculty, & Staff
    • Full name as is found in the Faculty/Staff database

Can I use my State Tuition Waiver?
State Employee Tuition Waivers are restricted to credit courses. This course is non-credit, professional development and therefore does not apply for the tuition waiver.

Do you offer group discounts?
Group discounts are available to associations, agencies, and organizations who are registering multiple participants. Please email us at resilience@capd.fsu.edu to discuss.

2. Course Format

How is the training structured?
Our training is fully online and is self-paced. It includes 20 hours of course content and nine chapters of research-based readings, case scenarios, multi-media materials, assignments, and quizzes.

How does the online course work?

  • The course is made up of 10 Chapters which you must work through by completing assignments and passing each chapter quiz with at least 80% before the next chapter is released.
  • You will be able to retake each quiz until you achieve a passing score.
  • Upon successful completion of all 10 chapters, the final exam will be released and you will need to score at least an 80% to pass it.
  • Once you have passed the Final Exam and completed a Feedback survey, the certification will be released.

How long is the training?
We estimate that it will take you 20 hours to complete the training.

Is there a time frame from me to complete the training?
After you register, the training will be open to you for one year (calendar year). Even if you complete the course in a short period of time, the course materials will remain open to you for the entire year.

3. Registration

Who can register for this training?
The training non-credit, professional development and is therefore open to the public. Participants do not need to apply to the University, rather they simply have to register and submit their payment.

Who should register for this training?
The curriculum enables professionals to develop knowledge and skills to improve service delivery in a wide variety of human services..

Education Requirements
While there are no special degree requirements to participate in this training, please note that the level of instruction is that of an upper-division college course.

How do I register for this training?

PLEASE NOTE: Access to this course is on another website. Your login information and the link to the course will be sent to you 1-2 business days after your payment is confirmed. If you submit your payment on Friday or on the weekend, your login information will be sent to you that following Monday.

4. Where do I Take the Training and When Does it Start?

When are the courses offered?
Registration for the course is rolling and the curriculum is self-paced and fully online. This means participants may begin at any time – after registration and payment has been received.

PLEASE NOTE: Access to this course is on another website. Your login information and the link to the course will be sent to you 1-2 business days after your payment is confirmed. If you submit your payment on Friday or on the weekend, your login information will be sent to you that following Monday.

Where do I access the course?
The training portal is accessed at https://courses.learningforlife.fsu.edu. This is NOT the same place participants registered. Participants will be able to access and start the training once payment has been submitted and processed and login credentials have been provided.

To obtain Discount Codes, please reach out to Catia Carballo using the contact form at the bottom of this webpage. Discount codes MUST be entered in the Promo Code field during the registration process and cannot be applied after the registration is submitted. Before submitting your registration, please verify that your total amount due reflects your discount.

We currently offer discounts to the following populations:

All active/inactive U.S. Military – 10% Must supply:

  • Send an email from your .mil account, OR
  • Scan and email your military orders, OR
  • Scan and email you military ID

FSU Alumni – 10% Must supply:

  • Full name as it was when you attended FSU, and
  • Date of Birth, and
  • Graduation Year

FSU Students – 10% Must supply:

  • Full name and
  • Date of Birth

FSU Faculty & Staff – 10% Must supply:

  • Full name as is found in the Faculty/Staff database

FSU Alumni Association Members – 15% Must supply:

  • Forward the confirmation email from FSU Alumni Association received upon joining, OR
  • Screenshot of your FSU Alumni Association account page showing your name, Membership #, and current status, OR
  • Email your membership # (please allow time for us to verify Membership status)

Group Discounts also Available

  • Reach out to Catia Carballo using the contact form at the bottom of this webpage .

*Discounts are not cumulative. Only one discount can be used per student.

Minimum Hardware Requirements
A functional laptop or desktop computer, tablet or smartphone with a reliable high-speed Internet connection.

Minimum Skills Requirements
Basic computer literacy including the ability to connect to the Internet and navigate the web using URLs, Web search engines and links.

Minimum Time Requirements
The estimated time to complete this certification is 20 hours.

Please note that there are NO REFUNDS. So, be sure that you can take the course before inputting your payment information.
 

For More Information:

Course Content Support:
Lyndi Bradley, FSU COSW Institute for Family Violence Studies
lbradley2@fsu.edu
(850) 644-1715

Registration Assistance:
Catia Carballo, Center for Academic & Professional Development
Please use the contact form below.

For Questions about the Professional Certification in College Student Wellbeing, Trauma, & Resilience

Price:

$349

Group Rates Available

For more information, please use contact form at the bottom of the page.

Please Note:
Access to the course is not immediate upon payment and is in a different location than where you registered. Course access information and log in credentials will be emailed to you.
“This is a wonderful course and should be recommended to all staff/faculty on campus. I learned so much about what students, staff and faculty have gone through and continue to go through on a daily basis. I work with high concern students and since COVID I have seen a big increase in mental health issues with my students. It has also shed some light on what I have been going through and how Covid has affected myself in addition to my students. This training has provided me with additional tools not only to help my students but myself as well.”
- Angela Byrns

Success Coach, California State University East Bay, Hayward, CA

“This course gave me the language to use when encountering challenges on my campus. Overall this all just made sense with what we are seeing on campus– I want everyone to take this course—it is so relevant and helpful to continue navigating our roles as best we can.”
- Melissa Huekels, M.A.E.

Program Director, TRIO-Student Support Services , University of Dubuque, Iowa

“This course is helpful for thinking about trauma, before and since the pandemic and provides real tools to help students gain resilience skills. It also highlights actions practitioners can take to care for their own wellbeing to continue being effective while working with students who may be in distress.”
- Paula Wilmot

Assistant Dean of Students, University of Connecticut

“I feel more confident building programs, workshops, and materials to support the academic advising staff on my campus now. We see the burn-out and compassion fatigue among staff, and now I have many tools and knowledge to help those who help students succeed.”
- Hayley Blackburn, PhD

Student Academic Success Strategist, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO

“I really appreciate the array of images used for each chapter, that aligned with the topics covered. I found myself saving different resources (pdfs, images) of elements discussed throughout the course. I’ve saved the items to a folder and printed the images on my office door. The relevancy of the materials, along with the citations really helped to ensure I was learning timely information. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the different scenarios presented with the diversity of racial demographics. Overall, I learned a great deal and have begun using what I learned in my role.”
- José Rubio-Zepeda

Assistant Director for Retention, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. WI

“I found the third and sixth chapters to be particularly helpful. The research provided was excellent and the content was presented in a format that was easy to read and absorb. I specifically appreciated the numerous supplemental resources provided throughout the course. It will be great to have these resources to reference as needed in the future. I strongly believe that faculty and staff members working in Higher Education, especially those less familiar with these topics, would find value in this course.”
- Kyle McCoil

Assistant Dean of Sophomores, Washington & Lee University, VA

“As a college health professional, the information was relevant to conversations and topics currently discussed by ACHA, AUCCCD and among my Ohio Five/ GLCA/ACM peers.”
- Christopher E. Smith, MPH

Director, Cox Health & Counseling Center, Kenyon College, OH

“Great opportunity for professional development and continuing education in higher education. It will help you in so many ways! 100% recommend”
- Randii Harrald, MS, CHES

Assistant Director of Wellness Services, Tulsa Community College, OK

“I think this is a great course. It brought student demographics and the common challenges they face to the forefront and provided a broad scope of information about trauma and resilience. Additionally, I wish I’d learned about compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma much, much earlier in my career. These areas must be adequately addressed in undergraduate programs or we will lose good people in the helping professions.”
- Jana Whitney

Associate Director – Residential Office of Disability Accommodation Support, Liberty University, Virginia

“I found learning about the various resiliency strategies and skills that I can teach to my students very helpful. I shared my positive experiences regarding the course with my colleagues and they would like to complete it as well.”
- Tony Faber PhD, LMFT, CFLE

Professor of Family Studies, Dept. Child and Family Studies, Southeast Missouri State University

“Overall, I got the best bang for my buck with this certification. Many of the trauma and resilience lessons were refreshers that many of us get removed from after years in higher education. I would recommend this to all higher ed professionals.”
- Tyler Shephard

Director of Student Support and Engagement, Benedictine College, KS

“Excellent course. I worked through the material quickly so I can support my staff as they work their way through one chapter a week. I will enjoy repeating the content with them over the next several weeks and discussing how we can implement these tools on our campuses.”
- Cate Igo, LCSW

Director, First Year Experience, Polk State College, FL

“This was a good use of money and time. The training will have a direct, positive impact on how I work with students, improving my ability to help them directly and support other employees as they work with students.”
- Kyle Slaughter

Sr. Consultant: Assessment, Evaluation, and Research , Brigham Young University, Provo, UT