Choose Your Path
3-Day Becoming Method® Intensive Training
RN-Psychotherapist Program
🕒 6–8 Months
On-line + Live 3-Day Intensive
For Registered Nurses including NPs, CNSs & PSWs
Apply NowTrauma Recovery Certificate Program
🕒 6–8 Months
On-line + Live 3-Day Intensive
For Registered Nurses including NPs, CNSs & PSWs
Apply Now
Next Cohort: Jun 20-Jun 22
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The Becoming Institute was not built overnight.
It is the result of more than two decades of listening, witnessing, questioning—and above all, believing that healing must go deeper.
Fresh out of nursing school, I began working with vulnerable families in home-visiting programs. I watched as client after client—despite receiving proper medical care—continued to struggle. The symptoms weren’t the issue. Trauma was. It was clear that something vital was missing in our healthcare system: a way to help people heal not just physically or mentally, but at the level of identity, belief, and consciousness.
That early insight led me into advanced study in community health, mental health promotion, and intergenerational trauma. It led me into my own healing. And eventually, it led me to ask a bigger question: What if nurses—those on the frontlines of care—were equipped to lead a new era of trauma recovery?
What followed was the creation of The Becoming Method®—a transformational model of healing that helps individuals reclaim their true identity, restore peace consciousness, and end the trauma loop. It draws from the work of pioneers like David Hawkins, John Diamond, and Kandace Blakely, but grounds their theories in a practice that is both structured and deeply personal. It is designed to achieve healing that is quick, lasting, and rooted in spiritual truth.
In 2024, we founded The Becoming Institute to bring this model to life on a larger scale. We launched Canada’s first RN–Psychotherapist Credentialing Program, built a national initiative to end intergenerational trauma, and began training a new generation of trauma recovery specialists through our 12-Month Certificate Program.
Our philosophy is grounded in Ubuntu—”I am because we are.” We believe that healing is not a solitary act, but a collective responsibility. We are not just preparing individuals to do the work of healing—we are building systems and communities where deep healing is possible for all.
At The Becoming Institute, we are advancing a new standard for care. One that honours lived experience, centers identity, and mobilizes nurses and healers to restore the wellbeing of entire communities.
We’re here to train and support a global network of healers—trauma recovery specialists, ready to help others recover from trauma and create lasting change in their communities.
At the Becoming Institute, we employ advanced therapeutic techniques in conjunction with African and Indigenous ways of knowing—approaches that are holistic, compassionate, and grounded in the belief that we are all interconnected.
These traditions teach us that healing does not happen in isolation. It happens in relationship—with ourselves, with others, and with the world around us. Rooted in care and connection, our approach supports deep personal healing while strengthening the collective.
We believe the world needs a new kind of healer.
That’s why we focus on empowering, educating, and mobilizing the great healers of our time—especially nurses, therapists, and frontline workers who are ready to lead.
We see a future where healing isn’t just about fixing symptoms. It’s about restoring peace—inside ourselves and across entire communities. Everyone holds wisdom about what they need to heal. Our job is to help bring that wisdom forward and walk beside them on the journey.
Nurses were never meant to work downstream.
They are not here simply to manage symptoms, but to meet trauma where it lives—in the body, in the spirit, in the genetic code of families and communities—and help it transform.In every clinical setting, school, shelter, and public health unit, nurses hold the potential to reintroduce what systems have forgotten: presence, emotional regulation, balance and relational care.
We are not here to fix broken systems.
We are here to support those who carry healing into them—because when people become well, systems begin to change.At the Becoming Institute, we don’t offer tools to change who nurses are.
We offer tools that amplify who they’ve always been—a vital part of humanity’s next great movement.
A network of healers extending peace, one encounter at a time.
Dr. Joan Samuels-Dennis, PhD, is a psychotherapist, nurse, and public health expert with over 25 years of experience in trauma recovery, mental health promotion, and systems change. She is the founder of The Becoming Institute and creator of The Becoming Method®—a transformational approach to healing that integrates science, spirit, and social justice. Joan’s work bridges clinical practice with African and Indigenous ways of knowing, helping individuals and institutions move from survival to peace consciousness.
The RN–Psychotherapist Credentialing Program is a 16-week training pathway designed to equip Ontario nurses with the theoretical knowledge, clinical competencies, and supervised experience required to safely deliver psychotherapy within their scope of practice.
Grounded in The Becoming Method® and developed in alignment with the regulatory expectations of the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), the program offers a structured path into trauma-informed mental health care.
Responding to Ontario’s growing need for upstream mental health services, this program supports nurses in building therapeutic presence, clinical decision-making, and cultural responsiveness—while preparing them to lead change across care systems.
An integrated 8-month placement support pathway ensures graduates are equipped to transition into safe, ethical, and impactful practice across clinical, community, and interdisciplinary settings.
More than a credential, this is a workforce solution.
The RN–Psychotherapist Credentialing Program strengthens capacity, expands access, and supports a new generation of nurses leading trauma-informed transformation in Ontario and beyond.
The 12-Month Trauma Recovery Certificate is an advanced training program designed for professionals across health, education, and community sectors who seek to integrate deep trauma recovery work into their existing practice.
Unlike the RN–Psychotherapist Credentialing Program—which prepares Ontario nurses to safely deliver psychotherapy within regulatory frameworks—this program supports a broader range of practitioners in cultivating healing-centered practice rooted in The Becoming Method®. Participants explore trauma’s biological, psychological, generational, and spiritual roots while moving through their own healing journey as part of the learning process.
The program combines weekly hybrid instruction, reflective case-based learning, and live seminars to foster both clinical insight and inner transformation. It prepares graduates to meet the complexity of trauma with skill, presence, and cultural responsiveness—whether working in therapeutic, educational, or grassroots community settings.
The Becoming Institute works with public, private, and academic partners to design and implement trauma-informed systems that are ethical, effective, and regulator-aligned. Our consulting services support organizations in meeting workforce development goals while embedding healing-centered practices across all levels of care and instruction.
We specialize in collaborative partnerships that build on your existing strengths. Whether you’re a health authority, college, university, non-profit, or corporate wellness team, we help you identify capacity gaps and co-create sustainable solutions that align with your mission, regulatory standards, and community priorities.
Our services include:Every engagement is customized. We begin with listening, build through co-design, and implement with care—ensuring trauma-informed transformation that is culturally grounded, cost-efficient, and measurable in both impact and integrity.
The Becoming Project is a national, community-rooted initiative to end intergenerational trauma by equipping systems, institutions, and individuals to heal—together.
Rooted in public health, racial equity, and systems transformation, the Project mobilizes local leadership, professional capacity, and culturally responsive strategies to bring trauma recovery to every individual, family, and frontline provider. Our vision: every person in every community has the tools, knowledge, and support to heal.
We work across health, education, justice, housing, and community services to embed trauma-informed systems in the places people live, work, and seek care. Through strategic partnerships and replicable design, we co-create local healing ecosystems that are grounded in safety, connection, and generational transformation.
Core Components of the Becoming ProjectThe Becoming Project is currently being piloted in Ontario in partnership with community organizations and system partners. We are actively inviting additional communities across Canada to collaborate with us.
In just 12 Months, start your new career as a Certified Trauma Recovery Specialist.
At The Becoming Institute, we believe healing doesn’t belong to any one profession, discipline, or system. It’s a shared responsibility—rooted in our interconnectedness.
Whether you’re a nurse, educator, therapist, or executive leader, we begin with one simple question:
“What are you trying to accomplish?”
From there, we build with you. We bring tools, frameworks, and trauma-informed training pathways that help you reach your goals—ethically, effectively, and in alignment with your values.
For organizations, we serve as system extenders.
We don’t replace your team—we amplify it. We work alongside you to build trauma-informed programs, build staff capacity, and integrate culturally grounded healing practices that strengthen care delivery from the inside out.
For professionals, we offer practical, regulator-aligned training that expands your capacity to bring real healing into your work—whether in clinical, community, or educational settings.
We are guided by the Ubuntu philosophy: “I am because we are.”
In every program and partnership, we honour our shared humanity—and hold space for a future where healing is collaborative, not competitive.
Nursing professionals seeking to expand their scope, build therapeutic skill, and integrate trauma recovery into their everyday care.
Teams looking to embed trauma-informed, regulator-aligned curriculum into nursing and psychotherapy education.
Leaders seeking upstream, population-based approaches to mental health access, workforce renewal, and systems transformation.
Clinical organizations building internal trauma-informed capacity through training, credentialing, or consulting.
Change-makers working at the frontlines of trauma, social inequity, and community restoration.
Nations and organizations working to restore wellness through culturally grounded healing, trauma recovery, and sovereignty-affirming mental health strategies.
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Introduction to Psychotherapy
Mindful Fitness: SelfHealing Practices for Psychotherapists
Forgiveness & Holistic Trauma Recovery
Ubuntu: African & Indigenous Ways of Knowing & Being
Introduction to Psychotherapy
Mindful Fitness: SelfHealing Practices for Psychotherapists
Forgiveness & Holistic Trauma Recovery
Ubuntu: African & Indigenous Ways of Knowing & Being
Every contribution makes a difference! Your support helps provide scholarships, resources, and opportunities for students to succeed. Together, we can transform lives and create a future of healing and empowerment.
Dr. Joan Samuels-Dennis,
Dean, School of Psychotherapeutic Innovations
Becoming Institute Inc
Get the guide to explore certification pathways, part-time workshops and learning outcomes.