Courageous Heart
The Human Behind the Badge
Resilience, Compassion and Leadership Training for Law Enforcement and Public
Safety
Serving Law Enforcement and Public Safety Communities Since 2018
Courageous Heart: The Human Behind the Badge training is designed specifically by Compassion Institute for, and in partnership with, Law Enforcement and Public Service personnel.
This unique, practical, and groundbreaking program develops the strength to be with suffering, the courage to take compassionate action, and the resilience to deal with emotional stress in the face of life’s challenges. It sets individual officer wellness and self-care in the context of the current realities of the job, and introduces upfront the science behind resilience training and the potential benefits of integrating these practices into everyday life.
Our courses offer a combination of practical training, tools, meditation, discussion in small and large groups, as well as optional out-of-classroom assignments.
Courageous Heart Training can make a difference by supporting physical health, happiness, and wellbeing, including increased self-compassion and self-care, reduced stress, anxiety, and enhanced connection with others, even in the face of conflict. It can also support deeper understanding of cultural and racial bias through specific exercises recognizing common humanity.
Existing research shows that mindfulness and compassion trainings can meaningfully reduce the symptoms of stress, burnout, and improve health and wellness outcomes.
- Burnout basics & how to avoid burnout
- Increase resilience, self-care, & self-compassion skills
- Increase self-awareness & emotion regulation skills
Courageous Heart has served more than 75 agencies and cities across the State of California to date. Our 1-Day and 3-Day courses are Certified by the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) in the State of California.
Courageous Heart Challenge Coin
Participants who complete our 3-Day Immersion course — Resilience, Compassion, and Leadership for Law Enforcement — are awarded a Courageous Heart Challenge Coin.
Challenge Coins are a tradition that began in the U.S. military and subsequently became popular among law enforcement. These coins can be awarded for a specific event or purpose and serve as a symbol of pride, fellowship, and common loyalty shared by the members of a group. Challenge Coins also honor hard work and excellence.
At Compassion Institute, we created the Courageous Heart Challenge Coin as a symbol of belonging to the CH Alumni and as a recognition of the willingness to learn about resilience, mindfulness, and compassion. We’re honored to award these coins upon law enforcement professionals who are also open to engaging in habits and practices that support personal wellness — which in turn — can positively influence their personal life, work life, and interpersonal dynamics.
In 2015, I was introduced to CCT™ (Compassion Cultivation Training) and I immediately saw the value that it could bring to our profession. From that point on, I’ve been all in!
I think that as we offer it to…our population of men and women serving our communities, it is going to help them not only regulate their own suffering and their emotions, but…be better prepared to serve our communities.
Robert Jonsen
Sheriff, Santa Clara County, California
Chief of Police, Palo Alto, California (Ret.)
Post Certified Training
The State of California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) was established by the Legislature in 1959 to set minimum selection and training standards for California law enforcement.
In 2020, Compassion Institute was the recipient of a State Innovation Grant to support officer wellness training throughout California and offers POST-certified courses to sworn officers under this grant.
Since then, Courageous Heart 1-day and 3-day courses have been POST-certified and qualified graduates receive training credits for their participation.
“In my 25 years of active service, I have never attended a course of this nature. I wish I had done so much earlier.
The program truly emphasizes self-compassion and self-care, something I think we often take for granted. I would recommend this program to any public safety professional. Job well done! At the end of the course, students had some new ‘tools’ in their tool belt to promote personal health and well-being.”
Senior Instructor,
POST Training Evaluation
Upcoming Courses
November 8th, 2024,
November 15th, 2024,
& November 22nd 2024
3-Day Immersion: Resilience, Compassion, and Leadership for Law Enforcement
November 30, 2023,
December 7, 2023,
& December 14, 2023
3-Day Immersion: Resilience, Compassion, and Leadership for Law Enforcement
Interested in upcoming Courageous Heart courses?
Portfolio of Courses
We offer training courses throughout the year to both sworn (see POST-Certified Training above), and non-sworn law enforcement and public service personnel.
1-Day Introduction to Resilience and Compassion for Law Enforcement
Sworn Officers
1-Day Introduction to Resilience and Compassion for Law Enforcement
Dispatchers and Professional Staff
1-Day Compassion on Duty: Courageous Heart at the Workplace
LE Execs, Chiefs, & Command Staff
3-Day Immersion: Resilience, Compassion and Leadership for Law Enforcement
8-Week Compassion Cultivation Training for Law Enforcement
We’re excited to be part of the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) Partner Program.
In March, we were honored to join more than 350 law enforcement executives at the CPCA Annual Training Symposium in Monterey, California.
We’re looking forward to being with everyone in Anaheim for the Women Leaders in Law Enforcement Conference (WLLE) on September 3rd-6th.
Partner With Us
Are you are a leader within a law enforcement agency, first responder organization, or other public service organization with a large number of active personnel?
Are you interested in increasing health and wellness through this training?
We would love to explore the possibility of partnering with you.
Our Team
The Courageous Heart program has been serving law enforcement and public service personnel since 2018, led by our team:
Robert Jonsen
Sheriff
Santa Clara County, CA
Chief of Police
Palo Alto, CA (Ret.)
State of California Law Enforcement Wellness Committee
Monica Hanson
Founding Faculty
Compassion Institute
Julie Learmond-Criqui
Program Director, Law Enforcement & Public Safety
Compassion Institute
Dr. Cherylynn Lee
Behavioral Sciences Manager
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
Law Enforcement & Public Safety Advisor
Courageous Heart
Dennis Emmitt
Program Associate, Law Enforcement & Public Safety
Compassion Institute
Courageous Heart: The Human Behind the Badge is a program of Compassion Institute, Inc. Compassion Institute is a nonprofit global advocate for compassion education and advocacy whose mission is to promote awareness of the importance of compassion to individual human happiness as well as societal and community well-being.
The Institute provides practical compassion-focused programs and offerings based on the latest psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative science, designed to impart the evidence-based power of compassion to support wellness and transformation at the level of the individual, organization, and society.