One of our favorite programs, the full Certified Mental Health Advocate© course is designed for staff and professionals in advocacy work roles.

The program is made up of 3 levels -- Ally, Guide and Advocate. Completing all 3 levels and passing the certification exam earns you the designation of "Certified Mental Health Advocate," and enables you to use the CMHA credentials, as long as you remain in active status.

You may stop the program after the Ally level content, if you are someone who wants to learn how to be supportive to others with compassion and knowledge. Continuing on through the Guide part of the program teaches you how to be supportive through connecting with long-term helpful resources - counselors, facilities, community organizations, etc.  Continuing on through the program provides the full Advocate training content, and extends into areas like legislation, lobbying, public awareness, research fundraising, and community outreach. Participants will be empowered to drive systemic change and elevate mental health advocacy efforts within their communities.

To become certified you will need to pass the Certification Exam. Annual renewal with continuing education is required to maintain certification.

You will learn about basic mental health challenges & obstacles, causes, prevention, and treatment resources, as well as crisis/suicide prevention & intervention information. You will learn ways to advocate, including legislative advocacy, awareness campaigns and initiatives, fundraising for research, and more. The full agenda is below.

1. Complete the Certified Mental Health Advocate© training course within a 120-day period.

2. Take and pass the CMHA© certification examination with at least a 90% score.

3. Every year renew the certification to keep it active.

4. Every year take 1 hour of CE (continuing education) classes provided by Center of Training in order to qualify for certification renewal. 

When you enroll in the Certified Mental Health Advocate© training course:

1. Access to the training course for 120 days. The course is 100% online, on a gradual release schedule over a 50-day period, and then once all the content is available, you may review it at your own pace within the timeframe.

2. Support & assistance with any questions or clarification needed throughout the training course.

3. PDF downloadable workbook which is designed to become your long-term reference manual so you always have the training content and information at your fingertips. You may also order a printed & bound workbook as an option.

After passing the Certified Mental Health Advocate© certification exam:

You will have earned the CMHA© designation!.. you can add "CMHA©" as credentials after your name and proudly claim the title Certified Mental Health Advocate© as long as you remain active with Center of Training.

NOTE: This certification does not license you, nor prepare you, nor entitle you to conduct counseling sessions, provide treatment, or otherwise administer professional help to someone in need. Licensed professionals typically have Master's or Doctorate level degrees, have gone through years of practicum and supervised experience, and maintain a professional licensure.   The CMHA© certification allows you to claim knowledge about mental health foundations and to provide initial support to those who you interact with, but this training then also teaches you how and when to refer someone to a licensed and specialty-trained professional for ongoing treatment.

The CMHA examination:

1. Complete the full training program - we require every session be viewed to 100% completion.

2. Enroll in the examination or request access if you pre-enrolled.

3. The examination is 100 multiple choice questions, and you must pass with at least a 90% score.

After passing the Certified Mental Health Advocate© certification exam:

You will have earned the CMHA© designation!.. you can add "CMHA©" as credentials after your name and proudly claim the title Certified Mental Health Advocate© as long as you remain active with Center of Training.

NOTE: This certification does not license you, nor prepare you, nor entitle you to conduct counseling sessions, provide treatment, or otherwise administer professional help to someone in need. Licensed professionals typically have Master's or Doctorate level degrees, have gone through years of practicum and supervised experience, and maintain a professional licensure.   The CMHA© certification allows you to claim knowledge about mental health foundations and to provide initial support to those who you interact with, but this training then also teaches you how and when to refer someone to a licensed and specialty-trained professional for ongoing treatment.

The CMHA© program is a certification rather than a license, and so it is recognized everywhere. Different types of training documentation and privileges are defined here:

1. Certificate of training -- this is a certificate/document provided when someone completes a training class which simply shows the training was attended or completed.  You can earn a certificate of training by completing the Ally, Guide and Advocate levels, with or without taking the exam. This does not enable you to use the credentials or claim yourself as a CMHA©.

2. Certification -- credentials and designation which is earned by completing a training program and passing a proficiency and knowledge examination. The provider/host of a certification program must be a subject matter expert who is qualified to teach and test the training content provided. Center of Training qualifies as a provider of certification in mental health and wellness programs. 

3. License -- a government-issued (typically) right to provide professional services within a particular location (state, etc.). The CMHA© is not a license, and does not train anyone to provide professional services like counseling, etc.

Costs & fees below are per person.

We offer group discounts for 5 or more enrollees from the same organization. Email us at [email protected] for more information.

Course/Exam:

- Training Course (Certified Mental Health Advocate©) enrollment tuition:  $295/person
- CMHA© Certification Exam: $100/person
- Training Course & Certification Exam Bundle: $350/person

Renewal/Continuing Education (CE):

- Annual CMHA© Certification Renewal:  $100
- Annual 1 CE Course:  $50

Once you pass the exam and graduate from the CMHA© program you may use the CMHA© designation credentials as long as you remain active. The following are required to retain active status as a CMHA©:

1. Annual renewal on your graduation anniversary date.

2. One (1) hour of CE (continuing education) training provided by Center of Training each year.  Every CMHA© will take the same CE classes for the purpose of standardization and cumulative learning - we want the CMHA© certification to be held at a very high standard so that anyone seeing you have earned this CMHA© designation knows that you have gained extensive knowledge and are continuing to learn and stay current on wellness program topics.

Please note that the CMHA© certification belongs to the individual and not to any employing organization.

View the CMHA© renewal & CE page here.