Healing-Centered Learning

The Healing-Centered Learning curriculum combines a trauma-informed care approach with a popular education model that centers trainees and their lived experience as key to their professional development.

HCL works to prepare young people in Philadelphia to address some of the biggest challenges facing their communities, i.e., poverty, community violence, trauma, and access to culturally relevant behavioral health services.

This approach is done via two key programs: the 9-week Community Health Worker Peer Training Academy (Training Academy) and the 9-week Experiential Learning Program (ELP). Both programs are offered at no cost to participants.

Community Health Worker Peer Training Academy

The Community Health Worker Peer Training Academy, or Training Academy, is a 9-week, no-cost classroom training program where participants work towards two certifications: one as Community Health Workers (CHW), facilitated internally by CNSJ staff, and one as Certified Peer Specialists (CPS), facilitated by organizational partner Mental Health Partnerships (one of only three organizations in PA credentialed to facilitate this training).

The purpose of the Training Academy is to expand career pathways for Philadelphia young people who have been excluded from such opportunities, and to increase health services to young children, adolescents, and young adults who are most at-risk for behavioral health disorders due to high exposure to violence and trauma.

We proudly celebrate each new cohort of Community Health Worker Peer (CHWP) Training Academy graduates. Over the course of the program, participants built skills in trauma-informed care, community advocacy, and healing-centered engagement. We are always so excited to see how these dedicated Community Health Workers use their new tools to make an impact in their communities.

Check our Instagram page for updates on the next application window or email HCL_Training@drexel.edu for information.

For more details about the program requirements and curriculum, please review the frequently asked questions.

Experiential Learning Program

The Experiential Learning Program, or ELP, is an optional 9-week internship that immediately follows the Training Academy. Participants are assigned to a site where they work directly with community members.

Participants spend one day per week working with CNSJ staff, and two days per week on the site. This experience helps participants apply their classroom learning and certifications immediately in community-based settings, which is a known strategy for ensuring learners truly understand, know how to apply, and will be able to retain their classroom learning.

While this phase of the program is optional to those who complete the Training Academy, an average of 77% of participants take advantage of this opportunity.

One 2025 cohort led a teach-back session where graduates demonstrated the knowledge and skills they developed over the program. From sharing lessons learned to reflecting on their growth, the presentations highlighted both their commitment and creativity. We are grateful for their contributions and look forward to watching them thrive in their next steps. 

To hear one graduate of the ELP program in their own words, watch the video below: