Trauma-Informed Certificate Programs
As a social worker or human services professional, you will serve people who have been exposed to trauma. Gain the knowledge and skills needed to effectively support trauma survivors through one of our certificate programs.
Trauma-informed care is an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that acknowledges the role trauma has played in their lives. Understanding this approach is one of the most significant steps you can take to improve your skills and positively impact your clients' well-being.
Our trauma-informed certificate programs are available in an online, self-study format that allows you to learn when it's most convenient for you.
Learn to provide varying levels of trauma-informed care:
Practitioners must comply with their professional code of ethics as they represent the skills and knowledge they acquire through continuing education programs.
- A certificate program is a series of training hours on a topic area or treatment method, designed to advance your skills and knowledge. If you meet all requirements, you will receive a certificate of completion and any applicable CEUs. However, completion does not represent that you have a "certification" or are "certified."
- A certification should only be offered by programs that sufficiently assess participants on both knowledge acquired and competent implementation of the skills taught. Ongoing clinical supervision may be required to complete a certification.
Note: Some UB School of Social Work courses fulfill the foundation or elective course requirements for the Clinical Foundation and Care and Counseling programs, if taken within the past three years. Review the full list of courses for details.
In a trauma-informed system of care, organizations provide services that allow clients to feel safe, accepted and understood — without judgment and exchanges that could be retraumatizing or triggering. Created by the UB School of Social Work's Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care, this program will help your organization and staff understand:
- How a trauma-informed approach seeks to ensure an agency is informed about and sensitive to trauma-related issues of both clients and staff
- The five principles of trauma-informed practice
- How these principles guide interactions among staff and with clients
- How a trauma-informed culture can be applied at all levels of an organization
We are updating the foundation courses for this certificate program and have paused sales for now. In the meantime, we have many Trauma-Informed Clinical Foundation electives available you can count toward the certificate program in the future. For questions, contact sw-ce@buffalo.edu.
Develop skills, knowledge and awareness of the healing and recovery process needed to effectively work with trauma survivors. Through this program, you will:
- Recognize how psychological trauma contributes to the development of many disorders and mental health issues
- Understand the three-phase model of trauma treatment
- Recognize the relationship between trauma and addiction, and the role of shame
- Understand the models of trauma, the neurobiological basis of trauma, symptom criteria for Acute and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and evidence-based treatment methods
You can also apply your coursework (about 42 hours) to our Trauma-Informed Care and Counseling Certificate Program for a more in-depth education.
We are updating the foundation courses for this certificate program and have paused purchasing until those courses are available. In the meantime, we have many Care and Counseling electives available you can count toward the certificate program in the future. For questions, contact sw-ce@buffalo.edu.
Develop a comprehensive knowledge base about trauma and the needs of trauma survivors from both an individual and systems perspective. There is a focus on providing client treatment through psychoeducation and stabilizations skills. The program consists of approximately 96 hours of educational content to advance your trauma treatment skills.
You will learn:
- How psychological trauma contributes to the development of many disorders and mental health issues
- The three-phase model of trauma treatment
- The models of trauma, the neurobiological basis of trauma, symptom criteria for Acute and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and evidence-based treatments
- How to integrate intervention methods into your work with individuals with co-occurring trauma/mental health and substance use disorders
- Skills in working with individuals with repeated life events resulting in complex trauma or PTSD
- Other trauma services for youth, adults and specific populations based on the electives you choose
Additional Trauma Resources
From the UB School of Social Work
- Explore our Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care (ITTIC), which provides research, training and coaching to help organizations facilitate trauma-informed culture change
- Request a copy of ITTIC's free Trauma-Informed Organizational Change Manual
- Catch up on inSocialWork podcasts related to trauma and trauma-informed care
- Learn more: What are trauma-informed and human rights perspectives?
- Continue your education with a Master of Social Work, Doctor of Social Work or PhD in Social Welfare
From SAMHSA