National Standards and Accreditation for Trauma-Exposed Workforces

FRBH accreditation affirms that an organization has established durable, system-activated behavioral health protection aligned with occupational safety and enterprise risk-management principles. Accreditation evaluates governance maturity, system design, and accountability—not programs, vendors, or individual help-seeking.

Accreditation through the American Board of First Responder Behavioral Healthcare (FRBH) is a governance and risk-management determination, not a programmatic designation.

FRBH accreditation is informed by a coordinated set of governance, standards, readiness, and evidence guidance documents, which are intended to be understood together.

For Organizational Leadership and Governing Bodies

Before reviewing standards or pursuing accreditation, organizational leaders should understand why accreditation exists and what responsibility it fulfills.

This overview is designed for organizational leaders evaluating accreditation as a duty-of-care and enterprise risk decision.

→ Understanding Accreditation as a Governance and Risk Decision (PDF)

Board-ready document for executive leadership and legal counsel.

For clarity on where FRBH accreditation applies, this overview should be read in conjunction with the document below.

→ How FRBH Standards Apply Across Disciplines (PDF)

Explains the applicability of FRBH standards across trauma-exposed workforces.

How FRBH Accreditation Works

FRBH operates as a standards-setting and independent verification body.

FRBH defines what effective behavioral health safety systems must do and independently verifies that those systems function as intended. Organizations retain full authority over design, staffing, vendors, and operations.

Accreditation determinations are made independently of any implementation, consulting, or service-delivery activities.

FRBH does not build, operate, or manage behavioral health systems.

The FRBH Accreditation Framework

The following documents together describe how FRBH accreditation functions.

→ Standards, Not Systems: How FRBH Defines Behavioral Health Safety Architecture (PDF)

Clarifies FRBH’s role in defining system requirements while preserving organizational control over implementation.

→ Accreditation Readiness Pathway (PDF)

Outlines how organizations prepare internally for accreditation through governance alignment, system mapping, and evidence preparation. This pathway is non-prescriptive and does not include implementation guidance or informal approval.

→ Evidence & Documentation Expectations (PDF)

Explains how conformity with FRBH standards is demonstrated during accreditation review, including what evidence is considered—and what is not. FRBH does not review clinical records or personal health information.

What Accreditation Confirms

FRBH accreditation confirms that an organization has demonstrated:

• Exposure-based activation of behavioral health protection

• Embedded response pathways integrated into governance and operations

• Clear assignment of accountability and oversight

• Documentation showing systems function reliably under occupational stress

Accreditation does not certify clinical quality, individual outcomes, or service utilization.

What Accreditation Is—and Is Not

Accreditation is:

• A governance and risk-management decision

• A verification of organizational duty-of-care systems

• A national benchmark for behavioral health safety architecture

• A mechanism for durability across leadership and vendor changes

Accreditation is not:

• A wellness initiative

• A morale or culture program

• A vendor selection process

• A clinical or treatment endorsement

Accreditation defines how organizations govern systems, not how clinicians deliver care.

Foundational Framework

FRBH standards are grounded in established occupational safety science.

→ Applying Occupational Safety Principles to Behavioral Health Systems (PDF)

Provides conceptual grounding for FRBH’s approach to system-activated behavioral health protection. This framework informs the standards but is not itself an accreditation requirement.

Voluntary, Independent, National

FRBH accreditation is voluntary and organization-initiated.

It provides an independent, national benchmark for behavioral health safety systems—designed to endure operational stress, leadership transition, and evolving workforce demands.

In Plain Terms

Accreditation ensures that behavioral health systems for trauma-exposed workers function consistently—even when individuals cannot ask for help.