Psychologically Safe Leaders | College of Extended Learning | UNB

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College of Extended Learning

Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership (CPSL)

Lead with confidence, empathy and impact

Did you know that, according to Accenture, 76% of employees say that psychological safety is the most important aspect of a healthy workplace?

Our Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership (CPSL) is your passport to fostering a supportive and thriving workplace culture. Whether you're a seasoned executive or just stepping into a leadership role, CPSL is your toolkit for navigating the complex terrain of mental health in the workplace.

CPSL empowers you to cultivate an environment where mental well-being flourishes. Imagine fewer sick days, heightened productivity, and a team that feels valued and supported—that's the power of psychological safety in action.

In this certificate program, you will:

  • Master the fundamentals of psychologically safe leadership
  • Discover the secrets to crafting a workspace where mental health thrives
  • Hone your interpersonal skills and cultivate the behaviours that make a positive impact
  • Craft a personalized action plan to foster psychological safety

All courses are offered 100% online in a self-paced format.

Learn more & register

Explore the courses

Picture this: a workplace where you feel valued, heard, and supported. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it's not just a fantasy—it's a reality we can help you achieve. Through interactive learning experiences and eye-opening discussions, this course shows you how to identify the key elements that contribute to a psychologically safe workplace.

In this course, you will:

  • Identify the characteristics of a psychologically safe workplace
  • Explore the link between psychosocial factors and psychosocial hazards
  • Identify the roles of workplace culture and leaders in facilitating a
    psychologically safe workplace

Cost: $59

Learn more & register!


Step into the world of leadership development with a focus on honing your intrapersonal skills—the cornerstone of becoming a psychologically safe leader. You will unlock the secrets of becoming a psychologically safe leader during this course, and discover why leaders must prioritize their well-being and emotional resilience.

In this course, you will:

  • Explore the advantages of cultivating both trainable and inherent intrapersonal skills
  • Identify personal competencies and areas of improvement in intrapersonal skills
  • Create a personal action plan for developing intrapersonal skills

Cost: $59

Learn more & register!


Get set to embark on a transformative journey aimed at creating a workplace where every team member feels valued, supported, and empowered. This course focuses on interpersonal skills—an essential tool for fostering a psychologically safe environment where employees can thrive. 

In this course, you will:

  • Explore the benefits of key interpersonal skills
  • Assess your strengths and areas for growth pertinent to psychological safety
  • Formulate a tailored strategy for enhancing your interpersonal skills

Cost: $59

Learn more & register!



About the instructor

CEO & Founder of Howatt HR
Ph.D, Ed.D., Post Doc UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour

Dr. Bill Howatt is the founder of Howatt Human Resources Consulting and an international expert in Workplace Psychological Health and Safety.

He is a highly sought-after speaker on leadership, mental fitness, and creating inclusive, psychologically healthy and safe workplaces. A behavioural scientist, he is passionate about supporting employees and leaders to create thriving workplaces.

Dr. Bill's 30-plus years of professional experience includes providing services in clinicalmental health, teaching courses for colleges and universities, being a committee chair, and filling various senior leadership roles in Canada and the United States, including the Wall Street financial district. His firm provides HR consulting globally, focusing onemployees' psychological safety.

Dr. Bill has published over 60 books and 600 articles and regularly contributes to workplace mental health research like WSPS Moving to Action: Implementing Workplace Safety and Prevention Services' Mental Harm Prevention Roadmap, and Boston Consulting Group's recent study, The Next Frontier of Workplace Culture, viewed by over 30 million readers.

He is the founder of mental fitness IQ Inc. and creator of the University New Brunswick's Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership (CPSL). He publishes a weekly workplace mental health newsletter for leaders and workers called Exploring Workplace Mental Health.



Common questions for new students

The Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership (CPSL) is a self-paced, online three-course program that has been designed to equip leaders with the skills and insight needed to identify mental risks and reduce mental harm in the workplace.

There are no prerequisites for this program. If you are a leader or an emerging leader, with responsibility for staff, this program will equip you to provide a workplace free from fear, where your team feels safe, seen and importantly, heard.


This program consists of three courses. All courses are open-access, meaning you can register and begin at any time of the year.

You have six weeks to complete each course, which involves approximately 5.5 hours of student engagement. Because the program is self-directed, you can study full- or part-time.


You can purchase one course at a time at a cost of $59 + HST ($67.85) per course or pay for the entire program up-front for $177 + HST ($203.55). Either way, there are no additional fees or textbooks required.

The CPSL program is open-entry and asynchronous, which means you can register and start the program at any time.

Register now


Our OHS programs are not recognized by student loans as they are not considered part-time or full-time studies. However, our students have been able to obtain funding through alternative routes, including:

  • UNB Awards and Scholarships
  • Student line of credit through your bank
  • RESP's (Registered Education Savings Plan) or RRSP's - you will need to check to see if your registered plan allows for this
  • Employment Insurance

A sponsorship can take many forms. As an example you may be sponsored by your employer, a case manager through a retraining program, or through a third-party group such as WorkSafe.

In order to send a formal invoice to your sponsor, please have your sponsor complete this online Invoice Request Form or email a copy of your PO to our office at customerservice@unb.ca. The PO must have the following information:

  • Student's name
  • Course name
  • Payment amount (Payment options: $59+HST per course or $177+HST for entire program)
  • Sponsor's mailing address
  • Sponsor's contact name, phone number, and email address

If you have a sponsor for your course/program registration, and do not already have an account in our registration system, please create one at our UNB Professional Development Student Portal .  Under “I need an account”, enter your email address (this will be your login/user ID, defaults to all lower case). Once you have completed your profile, you will receive a link to create your password. This link expires within 30 minutes.

Our office will match up the PO or submitted invoice request form from your employer to your account and process your registration. Unless otherwise indicated, we will register you into your first course, which will begin immediately.


Common questions for current students

If you are ready to register and submit payment for your next course, you can use our online registration portal.

If you have prepaid for your courses or are sponsored, you can send an email request to our team at customerservice@unb.ca or call us at 1-888-259-4222, option 2.


Life happens and sometimes we just need a little more time. We have you covered! If you need extra time to complete your course, please submit an extension request.


Visit your student portal and log in using your username and password. Once you are logged in you will see options listed on the left-hand side for transcripts, receipts, and T2202 forms.

For your T2202, please ensure that you have selected the appropriate tax year then you can download or print the tax receipt.


Yes, of course you can. To reactivate an expired course, complete the Expired Course Form and our team will re-register you so that you can pick up where you left off.


Congratulations! We do need to verify some information with you prior to issuing your certificate. Please fill out the Request to Graduate Form.


We've made it easy for you to connect with your instructors. In your D2L you will find your instructor's email address on the About Your Instructor page. Copy that address then click on the "Email" tab in the top taskbar. Your instructor will respond to you in the manner you indicated in your email (i.e. email communication or a telephone call).



Contact us

customerservice@unb.ca | Toll free 1-888-259-4222