The TIWL Certification Program is designed for:  

• Personal Trainers 
• Fitness Coaches
• Weight Lifting Coaches
• Physical Therapists
• Health Educators
• Occupational Therapists
• Mental Health Clinicians and other health providers
• Body Workers and Movement Practitioners
• People actively working with individuals and communities that have experienced trauma 

To be eligible for the Certification Program, applicants must be either: 

A certified trainer (ACE, NASM, NSCA, ISSA, Crossfit, etc.) 

Best suited candidates are fitness professionals with a vibrant intellectual curiosity about trauma theory and a solid level of experience engaging in and coaching weight lifting, strength, or resistance training. This will provide critical subjective and intuitive insight into the place of weight lifting in the healing process. These candidates will learn to bring TIWL into their weight lifting scope of practice. 

A licensed mental health care provider (e.g. in the United States, LMHC, RN, MSW, OT, PhD, LMFT, MD, etc.)    

Best suited candidates who are mental health professionals will be grounded in trauma theory and have experience in their work setting with trauma-impacted individuals. These clinicians will have the opportunity to make TIWL an active part of their clinical or direct care practice while honoring their clinical scope of practice. 

Have an advanced degree in a clinical field or be a care-giver, healer, or practitioner working to address the presence of trauma in individuals and communities

Best suited candidates are engaged with individuals or communities that have experienced trauma, who will bring their skills and understanding and desire to expand their knowledge about trauma theory. It is best for candidates to have a current application for TIWL in the community, to develop ways to include TIWL in their work and environment. 

At the discretion of the Certification Coordinator, consideration will be given to candidates with advanced degrees in a clinical field, or to care-givers currently working to address the presence of trauma with individuals and within communities, e.g. elders and traditional healers in indigenous communities. International standards vary and we will accept any mental health care provider working within a scope of practice in a given country. 

No prior TIWL training is required, but the Foundations Course is recommended. Applicants who have completed the Foundations training course will receive a partial credit towards the Certification Program cost. 

Applications may be submitted prior to the completion of the Foundations Course training but they will be held in review until the Foundations Course is successfully complete.

We created this program to be 100% web-based to increase accessibility to participants an any geographical location. 

If your application is approved, we will email details for participants to access the course before the first live session.

Yes, we offer a limited number of full and partial scholarships as part of our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. The purpose of scholarships is to expand the reach of the TIWL program and to address health disparities by engaging professionals who will commit to providing TIWL services to a range of historically marginalized communities, including those contemporarily impacted by oppression-related traumatic stress.  

As a program, we respect the data that shows individuals seeking care tend to be best served by providers who come from the same or similar communities, or cultural milieu, especially when considering marginalization or people who have experienced system discrimination. We take this into consideration in our decision-making process for these scholarships.  

Click here to learn more about our Scholarships.

The cost of this Certification Program is $2,000 (U.S.). You have the option of paying in full or in two (2) $1,000 installments: one to begin, the second to be automatically charged one month after the first payment. 

The cost of Early Registration Access is $1,750; again, with the option of paying in full or in two (2) $875 installments, as noted above. Early Registrations are only eligible to those who register for an info session, where you will receive a coupon code for this amount. 

If you have attended and completed the TIWL Foundations Course, the cost for the Certification Program is $1,500. You have the option of paying in full or in two (2) $750 installments: one to begin, the second to be automatically charged one month after the first payment. 

The process for scholarship-based payments is different, please click here to learn more about Scholarships (link to Application). 

Applications are now open for the next available session (click here for next available session). We have a limited number of spots available because this is a cohort-based training – which means that we want to ensure that participants are able to connect to one another and build a community during the Program. Once you have completed either the regular application or scholarship application (no need to do both), hit Submit and you’re all set. 

We review regular applications on a weekly basis and, if you’re accepted, you will be emailed instructions for completing your payment and finalizing your registration.  

If you are not accepted, you will be emailed. But don’t be discouraged! There are many more opportunities to engage. 

We will review scholarship applications throughout the month but won’t make final selections until 30 days before training starts. 

This Certification Program takes place over an 8 week period. Participants are required to participant in ALL synchronous sessions. 

Here is an overview of the 60-hour time commitment and program schedule (subject to change based on time zones of participants): 

• Live 2.5 hr. sessions during weeks 1 – 6: 15 hours total
• 1 hr. live peer group sessions during the last 4 weeks: 5 hours
• These sessions will take place during the 2.5 hour scheduled weekly sessions
• Leadership consultations: 4 hours total
• Self-paced study: 35 hours total

• Final project – varying hours 

No. You only need to complete the Scholarship application.

We will reach out to you before registration officially closes with our scholarship award letters. 

Yes, our training will be listed as soon as they are available. Please follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/traumainformedweightlifting/) or subscribe to our newsletter (link) to stay informed of training dates and other opportunities. 

It is extremely important that you are able to attend ALL synchronous (live) sessions in order to complete the Certificate. We understand that emergencies can happen and if something comes up and you are unable to attend a live session, let us know so that we can collaborate on a plan. These are rare and we appreciate communicating with us if it happens. 

We do record all live sessions so you are able to review the material afterwards. 

We recommend the following, to learn more about trauma and recovery: 

• The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk
• Trauma and Recovery, Judith Herman
• Direct and Indirect Effects of Exercise on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Longitudinal Study, James Whitworth et al. 
• Feasibility of Resistance Exercise for Posttraumatic Stress and Anxiety Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study, James Whitworth et al.