The Life-Saving Skill That’s in High Demand: CPI Certification

If you are looking for CPI Certification the two best programs are:

Crisis Consultant Group certification — $139

Crisis Prevention Institute certification — $1,849

When you imagine what it’s like working in fields like healthcare, mental health services, or law enforcement, “crisis situations” likely come to mind. These high-stress jobs inevitably involve dealing with aggressive or violent behavior from patients, inmates, or members of the public. Crisis prevention intervention (CPI) training equips professionals with the skills to safely diffuse tense situations before they escalate to violence through evidence-based, trauma-informed techniques.

With violence in hospitals and care facilities on the rise, CPI certification is becoming an essential credential for healthcare workers and first responders seeking to progress their careers while keeping their workplaces safe. This blog covers everything you need to know about getting CPI certified, from eligibility criteria to recertification requirements and the costs involved. Read on to gain insight into how crisis prevention training could be a valuable investment in your professional development and open doors to exciting new career opportunities.

What is CPI Certification?

CPI certification formally validates your ability to employ verbal de-escalation methods and nonviolent physical intervention techniques to prevent crises from arising or minimize their severity. It involves comprehensive training on topics like:

• Assessing risk levels in confrontational situations
• Implementing personal safety measures
• Recognizing the phases of an assault cycle
• Using interpersonal communication to calm distressed individuals
• Employing approved restraint methods as an absolute last resort

The certification aims to limit reliance on high-risk interventions like seclusion or chemical/mechanical restraints. Instead, the focus is on nonviolent techniques as the primary method for preventing harm.

CPI training helps professionals in healthcare, mental health services, social services, law enforcement, and related fields to:

• Improve personal safety and confidence in managing aggressive behavior
• Reduce workplace violence incidents through early intervention
• Limit emotional distress for staff and service users
• Build knowledge and skills related to crisis response

Who Offers CPI Certification?

While crisis intervention skills are invaluable across many industries, the leading provider of accredited CPI training and certification is the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI).

CPI has spent over 40 years refining a practical, evidence-based crisis prevention curriculum that melds best practices in areas like:

• Behavioral and mental health sciences
• Verbal de-escalation
• Self defense
• Risk assessment
• Trauma-informed care

After undergoing training with a certified CPI instructor, participants can gain credentials by passing an evaluation demonstrating their grasp of the techniques involved.

The Crisis Prevention Institute itself began as a training department within healthcare giant MAB. However, since 1980, Milwaukee-based CPI has extended its reach globally across healthcare, education, community services, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and other at-risk settings as an independent organiation.

Over 15,000 facilitators now deliver CPI programming across the world. Moreover, CPI’s blended training options including online courses make certification easily accessible for busy working professionals.

Why Get Your CPI Certification?

CPI credentials on your resume indicate to employers that you have an accredited level of expertise in evidence-based, nonviolent crisis intervention strategies.

For healthcare workers, CPI skills add protection against known hazards in your workplace while limiting reliance on high-risk responses to aggression like seclusion or restraint. This knowledge can boost confidence in coping with tense situations involving distressed, manic, delirious or aggressive patients — reducing stress and potential injuries.

Meanwhile, for professions like correctional officers, security guards, law enforcement officers and emergency responders, certification verifies your ability to safely handle crisis events in the community. CPI training teaches you to balance care for distressed individuals with protection of public safety.

Beyond personal protections, research by CPI indicates that 95% of nurses feel crisis prevention skills reduce workplace violence. Meanwhile, 80% of senior healthcare leaders say CPI methodologies provide staff with the confidence to handle aggressive behavior better.

This data suggests that investing in CPI skills for your team can dramatically improve organizational safety. What’s more, limiting the frequency and severity of violent incidents has quantifiable impacts in terms of:

• Reduced staff turnover — Cutting down on ED visits or workers’ compensation claims
• Increased patient satisfaction metrics around safety/quality of care
• Better ratings on regulatory assessments related to crisis management

For individuals focused on career development, CPI certification stands out on resumes as a premium credential employers want in at-risk work settings. It shows your dedication to professional education while signaling your ability to protect yourself and others when behavior escalates severely.

Who Needs CPI Certification?

While useful across many industries, CPI credentials are especially relevant for professionals in healthcare services, mental health, counselling, social services, K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, corrections facilities, law enforcement agencies, security firms and aged care providers.

More specifically, career roles that benefit most from CPI crisis intervention training include:

Healthcare Services:

• Nurses
• Personal support workers
• Medical technicians
• Paramedics
• Hospital security staff

Mental Health and Social Services:

• Psychologists
• Psychiatric nurses
• Counsellors
• Social workers
• Residential care aides

Educational Institutions:

• Teachers
• Teacher’s assistants
• Campus security officers

Criminal Justice and Public Safety:

• Correctional facility staff
• Probation officers
• Law enforcement officers
• Emergency responders
• Security guards

Additionally, while less common, CPI principles can be valuable across corporate environments in areas like retail, hospitality, manufacturing, etc. For customer-facing roles where irritated clients can become verbally or physically aggressive, CPI offers protection and conflict resolution techniques.

What’s Covered in CPI Training?

CPI’s evidence-based crisis intervention curriculum consists of several core areas designed to give you complete confidence in managing escalations. Training components include:

Verbal De-Escalation Strategies Learn how to calmly engage someone in distress and apply psychological techniques that reduce the likelihood of further escalation.

Assessing Risks Be able to size up risk factors for aggression and match your approach to the level of danger present.

Warning Signs Recognize the escalation cycle and early physical cues, so you can intervene immediately when problems arise.

Personal Safety Techniques Ensure you don’t become a victim if you’re attacked suddenly, buying time to deploy other strategies.

Nonviolent Physical Intervention Methods Where aggression becomes physical, use approved restraint procedures as a last resort to control behavior without excessive force.

Post-Crisis Support Follow crisis protocols that promote healing, prevent trauma, restore therapeutic relationships and minimize legal risks.

These core modules aim to supply frontline staff with a complete framework for preventing crises and intervening safely when tensions inevitably boil over in vulnerable environments.

What’s Involved in Getting Your Initial CPI Certification?

While course components vary slightly across industries, initial CPI certification typically involves three phases:

1. Online Training Most programs kick off with eLearning modules covering foundational principles virtually over 8–12 hours. This self-paced content forms the basis for further skill-building.
2. In-Person Workshops Next, in-person classroom sessions with a certified CPI trainer introduce key techniques over 1–3 days. Teaching methods span discussion, demonstrations, role plays and physical simulations that cement learnings.
3. Skills Assessment Finally, an in-person skills check evaluates your grasp of taught methodologies after training ends. You may demonstrate verbal de-escalation via role plays or physical restraint holds on test subjects.

Proof of completing all components allows formal credentialing through a CPI certificate listing your qualifications. This documentation proves you meet standards as an authorized practitioner of CPI methodologies.

How Much Does CPI Training & Certification Cost?

As a premium offering, CPI certification requires professional investment on par with other advanced credentials like ACLS, PALS or TNCC.

Expect to pay between $1,500-$2,500+ for initial certification including all online coursework, in-person training and testing fees. Organizations with many staff seeking credentials may negotiate lower group rates. Know also that prices rise each year so factor this into budgeting.

Despite the upfront outlay, CPI skills deliver immense value whether improving safety in your workplace or boosting your employability. Moreover, because certificates require renewal every 1–3 years, learning builds across your career ensuring you stay current with evolving best practices.

How Long Does the CPI Certification Process Take?

Including all virtual, classroom and testing requirements, expect full CPI certification to take:

• 12–16 weeks for healthcare specialists
• 8–12 weeks within corporate/community settings

Online and workshop elements require 16 contact hours at minimum across healthcare and education sectors. For roles like law enforcement, security, emergency services and corrections officers, a more condensed 8-hour course focusing exclusively on physical techniques may apply in some states.

In all cases, curriculums balance flexibility for working professionals via online content with intensive tactile learning workshops to ingrain physical memory and muscle memory around key concepts.

What Happens After Getting CPI Certified?

Once you pass all program requirements and gain credentials, expect to use techniques actively in your workplace while validating your skills through periodic renewal.

Active Usage As a certified practitioner following an incident, you will likely need to demonstrate applied competence reporting on the specifics around a crisis event you responded to using CPI techniques. Within healthcare for example, completing detailed documentation around episodes involving elevated aggression is standard.

Recertification Needs
Given the need to stay current with evolving science and legal standards in behavioral interventions, CPI renews certifications every:

• 1 year across healthcare regions
• 2 years in education and community services
• Up to 3 years for roles like law enforcement or adult corrections.

During these periods, you must complete short refresher courses often delivered online. Expect to answer test questions that assess understanding of core concepts. You may also demonstrate physical holds again in-person if protocols have been updated.

The shorter renewal cycles across medical and mental health settings recognize rapidly advancing insights related to issues like trauma-informed care. Meanwhile, extended retraining periods for emergency responders mirror the slower rate of change around use-of-force and restraint laws impacting their work.

Can You Earn CEUs for CPI Certification?

As a premium credential delivered by one of the foremost authorities in crisis prevention, CPI courses qualify for continuing education unit (CEU) credits with many professional associations and occupational licensing bodies.

For example, initial certification and recertification workshops often count for CEUs if you hold licensure as a:

• Registered nurse
• Clinical social worker
• Licensed mental health counselor
• Emergency medical services professional
• State correctional officer

By submitting proof of completing CPI training hours, personnel in these fields earn points towards mandatory CEU quotas they must meet to maintain licensing during periodic renewals. This means officers, clinicians and first responders can advance their careers while satisfying recertification credits required to continue practicing legally.

Check with your occupational licensing department or professional organization to learn specifically what CEUs are available for CPI workshops valid in your locale and specialty.

Where Can You Take CPI Training Courses?

With over 15,000 authorized instructors globally, CPI offers crisis intervention workshops in all 50 US states as well as over 30 additional countries. Training centres exist across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Latin America and more.

In major metro areas, you often have the luxury of choosing between several highly rated facilitators with specialized expertise related to discreet industries like mental health, corrections, healthcare, education and more.

However, even rural regions typically have local instructors or workshops available within a reasonable drive. And online courses ensure accessibility for remote learning if in-person events prove challenging to attend abroad.

CPI’s site makes finding available classes easy through its zip code based “Find Training” locator highlighting options for your address.Simply enter your desired mileage radius, select facility type (healthcare, education etc), then browse classes conveniently sorted by date.

You also have the option of setting up dedicated private group sessions at your workplace for bulk employee training.

Key Takeaways on CPI Certification and Training

With risks like patient-related workplace violence in healthcare expected to spike by 25% over the next decade and attacks against first responders already on the rise, CPI expertise promises increasing importance for at-risk professions.

While requiring meaningful professional investment, CPI certification imparts life-saving crisis intervention techniques applicable across healthcare services, mental health, education, law enforcement and related fields. Backed by over 40 years’ curriculum development and data quantifying its impacts for improved safety, CPI credentialing boosts both personal protections and career prospects.

So for clinicians, teachers, officers and frontline staff routinely facing severely aggressive or violent behavior, priority should lie in securing these premium capabilities sooner rather than later. The difference could protect your life or save the life of someone in your care.