The Trauma Recovery Certification Program was created by Emma M. Churchman, MDiv — nationally certified trauma chaplain, 3x bestselling author, President and CEO of The Chrysalis Alliance, and PhD candidate in Conscious Business Ethics. Emma has spent 25+ years in crisis response and trauma recovery, working with executives, frontline teams, and disaster recovery organizations across the country.

She brings real-world field experience into every aspect of this curriculum. She often leads the live training sessions personally, and the methodology taught here is the same one she has used in crisis response, corporate leadership and disaster recovery programs, and her own practice.

This program is built for frontline workers in disaster recovery: disaster recovery staff and volunteers, as well as claims adjusters, call center teams, and customer service teams who want to add a structured, evidence-based trauma recovery methodology to the work they're already doing.

If you work with people navigating change, crisis, grief, burnout, or disruption, this gives you the tools to go deeper and deliver more consistent results.

No. The Trauma Recovery Certification Program teaches a trauma-informed recovery methodology. It is not therapy, counseling, or clinical treatment, and it does not certify participants to provide clinical services. The tools and frameworks taught here are designed to complement existing professional practice.

If you are a licensed therapist or clinical professional, this training adds trauma-specific tools to your existing scope of work. If you are a coach or consultant, it gives you a structured, research-informed approach to supporting clients through recovery — without crossing into clinical territory. If you are a frontline worker, this gives you the language and tools to address your own trauma, and help survivors to recover their trauma in real time.

There are three ways to complete the program, so you can choose what fits your schedule and learning style:

• 16-Week Virtual — Sixteen weekly 60-minute live Zoom sessions, held at a consistent time each week. This format allows you to go deep over time, building skills and integrating them week by week.
• Two-Day Intensive — Two consecutive full days (8 hours each) of immersive, hands-on training. This is ideal if you prefer to learn in a concentrated block and you're ready to commit fully for two days.
• Hybrid — One full 8-hour intensive day combined with online curriculum you complete at your own pace (approximately 30 minutes per week). This format can be completed in 90 days or less and works well if you want the energy of a live intensive alongside the flexibility of self-paced learning.

All three formats cover the same curriculum, lead to the same certification, and include the same post-certification support.

Your enrollment covers four things:

Curriculum Access — Full access to the online member site, including video teachings, handouts, and practical exercises. You have lifetime access to all curriculum materials, so you can revisit and reference them as your practice grows.

Live Training — The live sessions for your chosen format, led by our TRCP trainers. These are not pre-recorded webinars — they are live, interactive, and designed to give you direct experience with the methodology.

Certification System — A structured path to certification that includes quizzes or knowledge checks, skills demonstrations, and a capstone project (two written case studies drawn from your own practice). Upon completion, you receive your certificate and a certification logo to use professionally, as well as the opportunity to be listed in our TRCP Practitioner Directory.

12 Months of Post-Certification Support — Access to the Certified Trauma Recovery Practitioner® community, monthly resources and curriculum updates, priority access to advanced training opportunities, and a Community Forum. Your learning doesn't stop when you complete the program. This additional support helps prevent training fade.

The program teaches a four-phase methodology: Rescue, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Evolution. This framework mirrors the actual arc of trauma recovery and gives you a clear, repeatable structure to use with clients, customers, and survivors.

Within that framework, you'll develop hands-on experience with tools including the EMDR Flash Technique, Energy Management Grid, 90-Second Reset, Intuitive Response Protocol, Adaptive Transformation Grid, Neural Pathway Integration, and more. Each tool is grounded in the work of leading trauma researchers — including Bessel van der Kolk, Peter Levine, and Janina Fisher — and field-tested in disasters nationwide.

Certification is earned, not just attended. To receive your certificate, you'll complete:

• Quizzes or knowledge checks throughout the curriculum to demonstrate content knowledge
• Skills demonstrations to show you can apply the tools in practice
• A capstone project consisting of two written case studies from your own client work

Once you've met all requirements, you'll receive your official certificate and a certification logo you can use on your website, in your marketing, and in your professional materials.

Certification is the beginning, not the end. For twelve months after you complete the program, you have access to:

• The Certified Trauma Recovery Practitioner® community, where you can connect with other certified practitioners
• Monthly resources and curriculum updates so your tools stay current
• Priority access to advanced training as it becomes available
• A Community Forum

The goal is to make sure you feel confident using what you've learned — and that you have a community around you as your practice evolves.

Please reach out to us directly to get the most current information on continuing education units, as availability may vary depending on your professional licensing body. Contact us at support@traumarecoverycertification.org and we'll get you the details you need.

Most trauma trainings teach awareness and theory — you leave knowing more about trauma, but you may not leave with a clear methodology for working through it with clients. The Trauma Recovery Certification Program is built around a four-phase framework (Rescue, Recovery, Reconstruction, Evolution) that gives you a structured, repeatable approach you can use immediately in your practice.

It's also grounded in real-world disaster response experience, not just clinical or academic contexts. This methodology was developed on the ground — in disaster zones, with executive teams under crisis, with frontline employees, and with individuals facing loss and disruption. That's the difference between understanding trauma conceptually and knowing how to move someone through it.

Our program also addresses the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of trauma recovery. Many programs out there only address the mental, or the emotional, or the spiritual recovery — but not all three.

If you are an organization seeking to certify your team, click the "Apply" button on this page or reach out directly at support@traumarecoverycertification.org. Our team responds within 48 hours during business hours, and we're happy to answer questions, help you decide which format is the right fit, and walk you through the enrollment process.