The CFA Resilience Academy
Pick your level. We deliver.
Community First Aid's Resilience Academy is the certification pathway that turns nervous system skills into organizational infrastructure. Every level builds on the one before it, so your organization can start where you are and grow into full psychological safety at the pace your budget and readiness allow.
Organizations enter at Level 1 and move up as trust builds. Nothing here is a one-and-done training. Every tier is a year-long commitment to a community of practice, not a single afternoon workshop.
Just need the training series?
The core HEFA 3-part series, on its own.
If your team isn't ready for a full certification level, start here: Activators & the Nervous System, Burnout & Recovery, and Aftercare & Sustainable Resilience. No ongoing commitment required.
$2,500 · One-time
How it works
Levels 1 through 3 build in sequence, each including everything from the level before it.
Peer Support Team Certification (Gold) is a separate, optional module — add it if your operations call for a formally certified internal response team. Skip it if they don't, and go straight to a full wellness culture at Platinum.
Level 1
Foundations
Entry point · Upstream
Your whole team gets the shared language first. Three Resilience Circles held throughout the year, plus Leadership Orientation for the people who will champion this work from the top down.
- HEFA regulation toolkit for every participant
- Stress signal recognition
- Cycle of Growth & Repair framework
- HRV basics
This is where trust gets built from the ground up. Nobody moves to Level 2 without this foundation in place.
$3,500 – $5,000 / year
Scaled to team size · 3 Resilience Circles + Leadership Orientation
Ask about FoundationsLevel 2
Most chosenSilver
Community Connector · Midstream
Everything in Level 1, plus the full HEFA 3-part training series, expanded Leadership Training, and Community Connector Training.
- QPR suicide prevention training
- Caring Contacts follow-through
- Resource & referral mapping
- A distributed early-warning network across shifts and departments
Connectors are not a formal incident-response team — they recognize distress, hold a supportive conversation, and make a warm handoff.
$8,000 – $15,000 / year
Everything in Level 1, plus the full EFA series and Connector Training
Ask about SilverLevel 3
Platinum
Living Culture of Care · Sustained
Not a completion badge. A sustained commitment, renewed year over year — everything in Levels 1 and 2, plus crisis response infrastructure built into how your organization runs.
- Postvention & debriefing protocols
- Crisis referral pathways
- Clinical rounding during high-stress seasons and after critical incidents
- Circles for all staff and an active connector network
A full organizational wellness structure on its own — a certified peer support team is not required to reach this level.
$35,000 – $65,000+ / year
Full Level 1–2 pathway plus crisis response infrastructure, renewed annually
Ask about PlatinumOptional add-on · Gold certification
Peer Support Team Certification
For organizations ready to stand up a formally certified internal peer support team — structured around the same 40 hours most agencies already budget for peer team certification elsewhere. Best suited to departments whose operations already carry incident-response and liability structures built for it: law enforcement, fire, and EMS.
- 16 hours Foundational Peer Support Certification Training
- 16 hours Quarterly Peer Team Trainings across the year
- 8 hours HEFA Skills Training
Chaplains and crisis intervention team members can enter through this module alongside your peer team, adding nervous system and peer support skills on top of the credentialing they already carry.
+$18,000 – $30,000 / year
Added to Level 2 or Platinum · 40 hours of structured team training, scaled to team size
Ask about GoldPricing above reflects virtual delivery, available anywhere. Live, in-person delivery is available at the same program rate plus travel expenses (flights, lodging, mileage).
Add-on · Any level
HEFA for Families
A short video series and resource guide built for the people at home — what their responder's job actually does to a nervous system, how to recognize the signs, and how to support without absorbing.
$500 – $1,000 / year, covering unlimited families at your department.
Individuals whose department hasn't enrolled yet can access it directly through the membership portal for $99 – $149 / year.
Enterprise & multi-site
300+ staff or multiple locations
Resorts, hospital systems, and large organizations receive custom-scoped pricing based on workforce size, number of locations, and deployment timeline.
Request a tailored proposalFunded through a grant?
Built for wellness, officer safety, and peer support grant funding.
An evidence-informed curriculum, measurable outcomes, and a multi-year structure that shows reviewers this isn't a one-time training that disappears when the grant year ends.
The numbers grant reviewers ask for
- More than 2,000 people trained across 5 states
- Built on 20+ years of clinical leadership
- Police department pilot with 30 officers: 21% said they managed stress better, 81% wanted the program to keep going, and 87% were still using the tools months later
- Independent community study of 21 trained responders found three core themes: people regulated their nervous system before trying to solve the problem, they turned self-awareness into action, and the body-based tools actually stuck
- Used by luxury hospitality leadership, ski patrol, and search and rescue teams — with 98% of one leadership group and 100% of ski patrol and SAR participants saying they would recommend it
“The best presentation on trauma I have ever had. Techniques to use in the field and direct examples from our organization that helped me understand how to immediately apply the techniques.”
“A calm and soothed body cannot support a panicky mind.”
Reach out and we'll provide a grant narrative template, program description, and letter of support for your application.
Request grant support materialsGood to know
Delivery
All levels are delivered virtually as standard, with no geographic limits. Live delivery is available at the same rate plus travel costs, billed separately.
Customization
Every engagement begins with a consultation to tailor content, language, and examples to your team — law enforcement, fire, resort hospitality, search & rescue, or healthcare.
Payment
50% deposit to secure dates, balance due upon completion. Payment plans available for multi-level programs.
Accessibility
Community organizations with limited budgets are welcome to inquire about adjusted rates. This work should be accessible.
Ready to start?
Tell us where your organization is today.
We'll help you find the right level to begin.
Start the conversationCommunity First Aid · A program of Holistic Emotional First Aid
“The strongest nervous system in the room wins.”
Steady · Resourced · Connected