Trauma-Informed Care Certification Now Available to Most Employees

Governor Green and the Office of Wellness and Resilience (OWR) Director Tia L. Roberts Hartsock joined state leaders, community partners and graduates at the State Capitol Rotunda in May to recognize the first cohort of state employees to earn the state of Hawaiʻi Certification in Trauma-Informed Care.

The graduates completed the Certification in Trauma-Informed Care course, an eight-module hybrid program developed by OWR that pairs in-person workshops with asynchronous video trainings hosted online by the Department of Human Resources Development (DHRD). It is the state's first trauma-informed care certification and is a cornerstone of Governor Green's 2024 executive order committing Hawaiʻi to becoming a trauma-informed state.

The online training modules are available now via DHRD's training website. Once logged in, search for "Certification in Trauma-Informed Care" to enroll.

Coursework covers the science of trauma and resilience, the principles of trauma-informed care and the application of those principles in the workplace. The coursework was shaped by Hawaiʻi's culture, a strong sense of place and the realities of historical and intergenerational trauma experienced by Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.

The cohort includes employees from across state departments and partner agencies, with about 200 workers enrolled in the program's first phase. The certification is now open to nearly all state Executive Branch employees, with plans to eventually extend it to our other branches of government, county workers and community-based organizations.

The certification training has become a signature initiative of OWR and marks an important implementation milestone of the State of Well-Being Report, the state's first comprehensive look at the mental health and well-being of Hawaiʻi's essential workforce, including educators, healthcare providers and first responders, as well as the systems that serve them. Drawing on statewide data and community perspectives, the report documents where Hawaiʻi stands, identifies areas of need related to wellness supports and outlines a path forward grounded in trauma-informed, hope-centered principles. One of the key recommendations of the report is targeted training programs as a universal support and intervention for all state employees.

To learn more about the Office of Wellness and Resilience State of Well-Being Report and the Learning and Leadership Collaborative, visit https://www.owr.hawaii.gov/.