FRBH CERTIFICATION
Setting the National Standard for Practitioners Who Serve First Responders.
The American Board of First Responder Behavioral Healthcare (FRBH) is the nation's first independent credentialing body dedicated to verifying the competence, cultural awareness, and professional readiness of those who serve our public safety community.
Through FRBH Certification, we are establishing the first national standard of excellence for behavioral health professionals who support our public safety workforce.
Certification by FRBH represents more than training—it signifies verified competence, cultural understanding, and a shared commitment to improving the mental health outcomes of those who protect and serve.
All FRBH-certified practitioners agree to uphold the FRBH Code of Ethics and Confidentiality Standards and are evaluated on the same foundational pillars used in FRBH organizational accreditation.
The Founding Cohort:
FRBH is now forming its Founding Cohort of Certified Practitioners—a select group of professionals who will pioneer the nation’s first certification dedicated exclusively to first responder behavioral health.
Members of the Founding Cohort will:
• Be among the first to earn the FRBH credential.
• Receive lifetime “Founding Member” recognition on the FRBH National Registry.
• Contribute to shaping the national framework for responder behavioral health standards.
• Gain early access to credentialing resources, professional visibility, and leadership opportunities within the FRBH network.
The Founding Cohort represents a historic step toward advancing behavioral health equity, competence, and care for America’s first responders
Eligibility Requirements—Founding Cohort:
To be considered for the Founding Cohort of Certified Practitioners, applicants must meet the following baseline qualifications
• Licensure: Active, unencumbered behavioral health license in good standing.
• Experience: Minimum of three years of clinical or support work with first responders or other high-risk populations.
• Education: Completion of the FRBH Core Curriculum (or FRBH-approved continuing-education equivalent).
• Ethics: Formal agreement to uphold the FRBH Code of Ethics and Confidentiality Standards.
Core Curriculum Domains:
The FRBH Core Curriculum mirrors the national accreditation framework, ensuring that certified practitioners are trained in the same cultural, ethical, and operational principles that accredited organizations are required to uphold.
I. Foundations of Culture and Care
• First Responder Culture and Occupational Realities
• Trauma, Moral Injury, and Cumulative Stress
• Operational Stress, Resilience, and Performance Psychology
• Equity and Stigma Reduction in Public Safety
II. Clinical Practice and Crisis Response
• Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention
• Substance Use, Sleep, and Family Systems
• Peer Support and CISM Integration
• Neurodiversity, Disabilities, and Special Populations in Public Safety Response
III. Systems, Ethics, and Innovation
• Confidentiality, Ethics, and Legal Considerations
• Navigating Systems: EAP, OWCP, Return-to-Duty, and Leadership Interfaces
• Program Development, Data, and Outcomes Evaluation
• Crisis Leadership and Organizational Culture
• Technology, Telehealth, and AI in First Responder Behavioral Health
FRBH Certification and Accreditation are fully integrated, establishing a unified national framework where individual competence and organizational excellence reinforce one another.
