The

Be Sensitive, Be Brave

(BSBB)

Trainer Academy

Get certified as a trainer for BSBB for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health, or Substance Use

About the BSBB Trainer Academy

Become a BSBB Trainer! The BSBB Trainer Academy is your gateway to certification or re-certification as a trainer for BSBB for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health, and/or Substance Use. The Academy workshops can be completed from home, and consist of a combination of live didactics online (self-paced online options coming soon!) and self-study of the workshop materials and videos.

The

BSBB for SP Trainer

Academy Learning

Experience

More

With a cultural and diversity lens, trainers learn:

  • Trainer skills to engage participants in both in-person and online trainings
  • A breadth and depth of knowledge related to suicide prevention
  • An understanding of the impact of suicide, and the fundamentals of the community helper approach as a way to prevent suicide
  • Suicide-related disparities between cultural groups
  • Skills of detecting suicide warning signs and asking about suicidal thoughts
  • The fundamentals of the Be Sensitive Be Brave approach to help individuals in suicidal distress
  • Key knowledge in community resource connection and help-seeking
  • Identify how culture affects the way suicide is experienced or expressed, and different ways to engage diverse communities with high stigma

The

BSBB for MH Trainer

Academy Learning

Experience

More

With a cultural and diversity lens, trainers learn:

  • A breadth and depth of knowledge related to mental health and the most common mental health conditions
  • An understanding of the impact of mental health conditions
  • Mental health-related disparities between cultural groups
  • Skills of detecting mental health warning signs and determining when someone may need professional help
  • The fundamentals of the Be Sensitive Be Brave approach to help individuals in psychological distress
  • Key knowledge in community resource connection and help-seeking
  • Identify how culture affects the mental health symptoms and different ways to engage diverse communities with high stigma
  • Core components of self-care, mental wellness, prevention, and recovery
  • Trainer skills to engage participants in both in-person and online trainings

The

BSBB for SUD Trainer

Academy Learning

Experience

More

With a lens for their own unique communities, trainers learn:

  • Trainer skills to engage participants in both in-person and online trainings
  • A breadth and depth of knowledge related to substance use and its connections to suicide risk
  • An understanding of the impact of substance use, and the fundamentals of the community helper approach as a way to address it
  • Cultural differences in recovery
  • Skills of recognizing warning signs of substance use and stages of change
  • An understanding of readiness to change, and how to connect people to support that matches where they are
  • The fundamentals of the Be Sensitive Be Brave approach to help individuals experiencing problems with substance use or suicidal distress
  • Key knowledge in community resource connection and help-seeking
  • Identify how culture affects the way substance use is experienced, expressed, and engaged with across diverse communities with high stigma

We look forward to working closely with you to enhance your BSBB trainer skills and content knowledge! The BSBB Trainer Academy includes:

  • 12-16 hours of live training on Zoom for each SP, MH, or SUD certification
  • ~2 hours of watching demonstration videos for each BSBB training type
  • Independent study of training manuals and materials
  • Certification test and demonstration
BSBB
Trainer
Academy
Details

Request Additional Information

Interested in the BSBB Trainer Academy and want to discuss further?
Contact us at training@communityconnections.net

Upcoming Dates for the BSBB Trainer Academy

Trainer Academy Type
Date / Times
Location
Enroll
Dual certification in BSBB for
SP and BSBB for MH
Trainers should attend all sessions listed below*
August 24th, 2026 (Monday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
August 25th, 2026 (Tuesday) 9:00am-1:00pm PST
August 25th, 2026 (Tuesday) 2:00pm-6:00pm PST
August 26th, 2026 (Wednesday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST

Testout Certification day
August 27th, 2026 (Thursday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
*You will be scheduled to testout for a 1 hour block during this time
Zoom
Register Here
Single certification
in BSBB for SP
Trainers should attend all sessions listed below*
August 24th, 2026 (Monday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
August 25th, 2026 (Tuesday) 9:00am-1:00pm PST
August 25th, 2026 (Tuesday) 2:00pm-6:00pm PST

Testout Certification day
August 27th, 2026 (Thursday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
*You will be scheduled to testout for a 1 hour block during this time
Zoom
Register Here
Single certification
in BSBB for MH
Trainers should attend all sessions listed below*
August 24th, 2026 (Monday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
August 25th, 2026 (Tuesday) 9:00am-1:00pm PST
August 26th, 2026 (Wednesday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST

Testout Certification day
August 27th, 2026 (Thursday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
*You will be scheduled to testout for a 1 hour block during this time
Zoom
Register Here
Single certification
in BSBB for Substance
Use & Suicide Prevention (SUD)
Trainers should attend all sessions listed below*
October 23rd, 2026 (Friday) 9:00am-1:00pm PST
This first session is optional for trainers already certified in BSBB for SP or MH
October 27th, 2026 (Tuesday) 9:00am-1:00pm PST
October 28th, 2026 (Wednesday) 9:00am-1:00pm PST
Testout Certification day
October 30th, 2026 (Friday) 9:00am-1:00pm PST
*You will be scheduled to testout for a 1 hour block during this time
Zoom
Register Here
Dual certification in BSBB
for SP and BSBB for MH
Trainers should attend all sessions listed below*
December 7th, 2026 (Monday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
December 8th, 2026 (Tuesday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
December 9th, 2026 (Wednesday) 11:00am3:00pm PST
December 10th, 2026 (Thursday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST

Testout Certification day
December 11th, 2026 (Friday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
*You will be scheduled to testout for a 1 hour block during this time
Zoom
Register Here
Single certification
in BSBB for SP
Trainers should attend all sessions listed below*
December 7th, 2026 (Monday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
December 8th, 2026 (Tuesday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
December 9th, 2026 (Wednesday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST

Testout Certification day
December 11th, 2026 (Friday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
*You will be scheduled to testout for a 1 hour block during this time
Zoom
Register Here
Single certification
in BSBB for MH
Trainers should attend all sessions listed below*
December 7th, 2026 (Monday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
December 8th, 2026 (Tuesday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
December 10th, 2026 (Thursday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST

Testout Certification day
December 11th, 2026 (Friday) 11:00am-3:00pm PST
*You will be scheduled to testout for a 1 hour block during this time
Zoom
Register Here
Note: Alternative arrangements via watching video recordings available if trainers are unable to make all of the sessions in their Academy
None of the listed dates work?
Contact us about enrolling in alternative Training Academy dates at training@communityconnections.net

Academy Pricing

$1800 to be certified in any one BSBB training (Suicide Prevention or Mental Health) — 3-year certification
$2500 to be certified for both Suicide Prevention and Mental Health — 3-year certification
$1800 to be certified in BSBB for Substance Use & Suicide Prevention — 3-year certification. SUD is a separate certification and is not part of the dual-certification option.
No additional costs to deliver trainings such as fees for workbooks, training materials, or participant per-seat charges
If you or someone you know is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, please reach out for 24/7 crisis support: call or text 988

Acknowledgements & Partners