Needing to provide Trauma Informed Empowered Resilience (TIER) services as a First Responder?
Empower Your Leadership through the Center for Organization Resilience TIER certificate programs. This fully online, eight-week Professional certificate in Trauma-Informed, Resilient Leadership strategies equips law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical services, hospitals, and mental health professionals with the knowledge and tools to better support their peers and the people they serve.
Through six weeks of interactive online learning modules and a two-week guided creation of a strategic plan, participants will have the tools to:
- Improve communication with peers, community, and organization
- Know the signs and symptoms of a mental health crisis
- Practice trauma-informed de-escalation strategies
- Increase awareness of how trauma influences first responders
The program goes beyond theory and creates action. With guidance from faculty experts and a structured planning template, participants will complete a personalized strategic plan to implement resilient practices within their organizations.
Organizational issues contribute to employee stress and retention. (Papazaglou, 2023)
Modality & Benefits
Our 100% online learning opportunities are top-ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Advance your career with a certificate designed to fit your busy life.
Start Dates:
January 26, 2026 – March 8, 2026
- Designed to be Completed in 8 Weeks
- 10-Hour Weekly Commitment (varies)
- Weekly Synchronous Meetings (Evening)
- Designed for those on the Front Lines
Trauma-Informed Empowered Resilience Curriculum
The Certificate in Trauma-Informed Empowered Resilience includes six sequential, self-paced modules, enabling first responders to apply trauma-informed strategies to their specific area of responsibility. The modules will be offered in a master class format, with automated assessments and short written submissions. Each module will include six (6) hours of high-value and relevant content, including but not limited to reasonable written and other multimedia, as well as interviews with experts.
As a final project in the 6th module, you will create a strategic plan for empowering trauma-informed resilience in your workspace. This capstone experience will include mentoring and guidance from the certificate facilitator, who has more than 25 years of experience in strategic planning for organizational resilience.
Because of COR’s interdisciplinary approach, the modules will include ways that faculty and participants can work together to model a trauma-informed, empowered, resilient learning space by offering choice and flexibility, prioritizing transparency in communication, providing clear instructions, respecting boundaries, and integrating each participant’s professional expertise into the final project.
Trauma Informed Empowered Resilience Modules
- Module 1 – Basic Foundation: Trauma 101
- Module 2 – Recognizing Trauma and its Influence on the First Responder Profession
- Module 3 – Prioritizing Safety for All
- Module 4 – Build Resilience through Collaboration and Peer Support
- Module 5 – The Power of Empowerment, Voice, and Choice
- Module 6 – Applying TIER Strategies to Your Organization
Next Steps for Your Career in TIER
Develop Your Resilience as a Leader and Make a Broad Impact
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP, 2024) developed a plan to improve recruitment and retention in law enforcement agencies. LEO leaders need to:
- Emphasize a healthy organizational culture
- Prioritize employee health and wellness
- Invest in the professional growth and development of their employees.
Promote Resilience In High-Pressure Situations
- Police officers and detectives
- Social work teams
- Firefighters
- EMTs and paramedics
- Dispatchers and 911 operators
- Search and rescue teams
- Emergency management professionals
- Disaster response teams
1-Year Master's in Trauma-Informed Education
Pursue a graduate degree in a growing field and cultivate your leadership potential with this online master's degree. Learn how you can transform the culture of spaces you work in with Trauma-Informed Education.
Next Steps for Your Career in TIER
- Impact
- Career Paths
- Graduate School