BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TECHNICIAN TRAINING

Training for the people who keep behavioral health units safe

Self-paced online courses for behavioral health techs and the staff who work beside them. Built on real inpatient practice, written to stay inside a tech’s scope, and clinically reviewed by a licensed counselor.

For hospital educators and unit leaders: see department packs
Clinical content reviewed by
Latrina Ray Raddler, M.Ed., LPC-S
A behavioral health technician listening to a patient in a calm unit day room
EVERY LESSON ENDS WITH Do. Report. Tell.
6 HOURS
SELF-PACED, ONLINE
10 LESSONS
PLUS A FULL PRACTICE SHIFT
4 JOB AIDS
TO TAKE TO YOUR UNIT
CERTIFICATE
OF COMPLETION
WHO IT IS FOR

The staff patients see most

Techs spend more time with patients than anyone else on the unit. These courses give them the words, the habits and the limits that keep everyone safe, from the first shift on.

Behavioral health techsMental health techsPsych unit aides and associatesSitters and patient safety attendantsED and medical floor staff caring for patients with behavioral health needsNew hires and job seekers
WHY THIS BRANCH

Built for the unit, not the classroom

Inpatient-specific

Observation and rounds, suicide safety, de-escalation, restraint rules, medications to watch, the safe milieu and patient rights. The skills a tech uses every shift.

Scope-safe by design

Techs observe, act within their role and report. Restraint content is knowledge only. No lesson teaches a tech to assess, diagnose or handle medication.

Clinically reviewed

Clinical content is reviewed by a licensed professional counselor and supervisor with more than 20 years in addiction, mental health and family systems. Medication lessons are limited to what techs observe and report.

Compliance-awareCovers the CMS restraint and seclusion rules (42 CFR 482.13) and Joint Commission suicide-risk expectations at the tech level: what techs need to know, watch for and report.
THE ITC METHOD

Do. Report. Tell.

Every topic ends with the same three questions a tech asks on every shift. Here is how the course answers them when a patient says she plans to hurt herself tonight.

From Lesson 4, Suicide and Self-Harm Safety
01DOStay with her. Do not promise to keep it secret. Keep her in sight while help comes, per your unit’s policy.
02REPORTHer exact words and what you saw, in plain facts, not your opinion of what it means.
03TELLThe nurse, right away, face to face. Then chart what happened, when you saw it.
SEE INSIDE

Learn it the way it happens on the unit

Short captioned animations turn the hardest moments into something you can see, pause and replay on your phone.

The escalation curveLesson 6. Four stages, the move at each one, and the second peak.
The one-to-one handoffLesson 5. A face-to-face handoff at the patient, done right.
Who does what in a restraintLesson 7. Alternatives first, who orders, and what the observer reports.
CURRICULUM

Ten lessons, one practice shift, one final

About 6 hours in all. Topic quizzes after each lesson.
START HERE
  • 00Welcome and how the course works
PART 1: THE ROLE AND THE PERSON
  • 01The role, the care team and scope
  • 02Mental health conditions: what you see and what to report
  • 03Therapeutic communication, boundaries and trauma-informed care
PART 2: SAFETY
  • 04Suicide and self-harm safety
  • 05Rounds, observation levels and documentation
  • 06Preventing aggression and verbal de-escalation
  • 07Restraint and seclusion: rules, rights and monitoring
PART 3: DAILY CARE AND RIGHTS
  • 08Medications: what techs observe and report
  • 09The safe milieu and daily care
  • 10Patient rights, law and ethics
PART 4: PRACTICE AND FINAL
  • LABPractice lab: one evening shift
  • EXAMFinal exam: 30 questions, 80 percent to pass
TAKE IT TO YOUR UNIT

Four job aids, ready to print

Pocket cards for the moments that matter, and a checklist new hires fill in with a preceptor on their own unit.

Observation and Rounds Card preview
Observation and Rounds Card
Warning Signs to Report Card preview
Warning Signs to Report Card
De-escalation Card with ENTER preview
De-escalation Card with ENTER
Unit Orientation Checklist preview
Unit Orientation Checklist
HOW IT WORKS

From enrollment to certificate

  1. 1EnrollBuy the course or a department pack. Access starts right away and does not expire.
  2. 2Learn at your paceLessons, animations and scenarios on any device, about 30 minutes each.
  3. 3Practice a full shiftTen scenarios from one evening on the unit, with strong responses explained.
  4. 4Earn your certificatePass the final at 80 percent and download your certificate of completion.
Sample certificate of completion for the Behavioral Health Technician course
Your certificate of completionDownload it as soon as you pass the final. It shows the course, the hours and the edition, so an employer can see exactly what you trained on.
FOR DEPARTMENTS

Training a whole unit?

Buy a department pack, send us your roster, and we enroll your team. Need to swap someone out later? Send the name to remove and the name to add.

Need more than 25 seats? Talk to us.
UP TO 10 SEATS
$1,399
About $140 per learner. Save 30%
Buy the 10-seat pack
UP TO 25 SEATS
$2,999
About $120 per learner. Save 40%
Buy the 25-seat pack
FROM THE TEAM BEHIND THE CHT CREDENTIAL

Built by people who know hospital support teams

Impact Training Company builds credentials and training for hospital support services teams, including the Certified Healthcare Transporter (CHT) credential. Every course is written for the frontline staff who keep patients safe and moving.

CHT, CHTI and CPTMP
ITC’s patient transport credentials
When Beds Don’t Move
Amazon #1 Best Seller in Hospital Administration and Care, published by ITC
Latrina Ray Raddler, M.Ed., LPC-S
MEET YOUR CLINICAL ADVISOR AND INSTRUCTOR

Latrina Ray Raddler

M.ED. LPC-S (LOUISIANA) 20+ YEARS

Latrina is a licensed professional counselor and supervisor in Louisiana and a licensed professional counselor in Washington, with more than 20 years of experience in clinical practice, research, teaching and clinical supervision. Her work spans addiction, mental health and family systems, with a strong focus on culturally responsive, trauma-informed care.

She directs an addiction studies and mental health certificate program, teaches as a university adjunct, and develops curriculum for counseling and healthcare programs. At Impact Training Company, she reviews the clinical content in Behavioral Health Branch courses, and she served as expert consultant on Choices for Psychological Safety.

“Her aim: to equip future professionals with the tools and compassion they need to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others.”
QUESTIONS

Before you enroll

Is this a license or certification?

No. The course earns an ITC certificate of completion. It is not a license or certification and does not prepare you for any licensing exam.

Will it qualify me to use restraints or give medication?

No. Restraint and seclusion content is knowledge only: the rules, rights and monitoring. Hands-on restraint, crisis intervention and BLS training come from your employer or an authorized provider.

How long does it take?

About 6 hours, self-paced. Most lessons take about 30 minutes, and you can stop and pick up where you left off.

How long do I have access?

Your access does not expire, so you can finish at your own pace and come back to review before your next shift.

Is there an exam fee or certification voucher?

No. There is no exam fee and no voucher upsell. The course teaches what techs need on the unit, and your employer’s training and policy are what qualify you for the role.

Does it carry continuing education credit?

Not at this time.

How do department packs work?

Buy the pack, reply to the order email with your team’s names and work emails, and we enroll them. Seats can be reassigned.

Who reviews the clinical content?

Latrina Ray Raddler, M.Ed., LPC-S, the branch’s clinical advisor and instructor, reviews the clinical content. Medication lessons are limited to what techs observe and report.

What if the course is not the right fit?

You can request a refund within 30 days of purchase under our refund policy.

Courses in the Behavioral Health Branch earn an ITC certificate of completion. They are not a license or certification, they do not qualify you to apply restraints or give medication, your facility’s training and policy govern your practice, and they do not promise a job or a raise.

These courses are education, not counseling or crisis care. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988.