How It Works

WHAT IS H.O.P.E. CERTIFICATION?

Similar to what LEED Certification does for promoting environmental health in organizations, H.O.P.E. Certification provides a path to psychological health and safety at work.

By participating in H.O.P.E. Certification, you clearly demonstrate your commitment to worker well-being to your current and prospective workers.

H.O.P.E Certification Program

H.O.P.E. Certification is a 12-month culture-changing program with quarterly training and ongoing coaching on how to implement 9 evidence-based, best practices developed from research literature and lived experience:

  1. Engage Leadership: Cultivate a caring culture focused on community well-being and leadership role modeling

  2. Reduce Psychosocial Hazards: Assess and address job strain and toxic work contributors

  3. Build a Culture-Shifting Communication Strategy: Increase awareness and understanding of mental health, addictive behaviors, and suicide while reducing fear and bias

  4. Foster Self-Care Orientation: Encourage self-screening, stress inoculation planning, and self-care

  5. Establish a Skill-Development Training: Build a stratified skill-building approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention across the organization and career of the workforce

  6. Develop Workplace Peer Supporters and Well-Being Ambassadors: Establish informal and formal initiatives for peer allies to offer support and be a bridge to resources

  7. Audit and Promote Mental Health and Crisis Resources: Evaluate the effectiveness and accessibility of resources and engage the workforce utilization

  8. Mitigate Risk: Increase lethal means safety, engage in harm reduction, and understand legal issues

  9. Institute a Crisis Response Plan: Support, accommodate, reintegrate, and offer postvention after mental health emergencies

Timeline for 12-Month H.O.P.E. Certification Initiative

After a full-day orientation Summit, organizations are invited to apply to be a part of a cohort that will experience four, 6-hour workshops, conduct a Needs and Strengths Assessment, and complete multiple deliverables around each practice as they earn Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum status.

STEP 1:
Teams of 3-10 people from multiple organizations attend a full-day “Workplace Well-being Summit”

STEP 2:
Interested organizations apply to be a part of the H.O.P.E. Certification cohort and complete the readiness assessment

STEP 3:
Up to 10 organizations enroll in the 12-month H.O.P.E. Certification cohort in teams of 5 to 10 people each

STEP 4:
Teams complete four (quarterly), 6-hour modules over 12 months and submit deliverables

Module 1: Needs and Strengths Assessment | Practices 1 & 2

Module 2: Practices 3-5

Module 3: Practices 6-8

Module 4: Practice 9 and final impact actions

STEP 5:
Successful organizations receive designated certification awards and attend graduation celebration