What is the Wounded Healers Program?
The Wounded Healers Program is a specialized aftercare educational partnership from City Vision University for individuals who have completed a primary recovery program for addiction, homelessness, or imprisonment. It is Certificate Program combining 3 hard skills and 3 soft/life skills courses, and the Certificate can be stacked into Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees.
Its philosophy is to empower individuals to transform their past pain into a source of healing, turning their lived experience into recognized, employable skills. The program provides a holistic framework that integrates job-focused training, life skills courses, pathways to accredited credentials in fields like Addiction Counseling, and dedicated support through ministry partners.
Why should a rescue mission use it?
Rescue missions can leverage this program as a powerful, turnkey solution for client aftercare. It provides individuals in recovery with a compelling new identity and purpose by reframing their past struggles as a unique asset for a future in helping professions. This creates a “grow your own” staff pipeline by offering a direct pathway for former clients to become credentialed staff members. The program has a reported 94% employment rate for graduates and allows a mission to offer a robust, accredited educational program without having to develop it independently.
Which organizations use it?
City Vision University was founded as the educational arm of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (now Citygate) and serves students from over 120 rescue missions. The Wounded Healers program itself has 57 ministry organization partners. City Vision also recognizes curriculum for credit from partner organizations like The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI), Thirdmill, Adult & Teen Challenge, and programs that use the Genesis Process.
How do I get started and what does it cost?
A rescue mission can begin by establishing a Scholarship Partnership, which involves enrolling two or more students per year and appointing a liaison. The program is designed to be “radically affordable.” Standard tuition is $800 per course, but a $250 scholarship for partners reduces the cost to $550. Critically, over 95% of Wounded Healer students receive a full Pell Grant, which can cover the entire cost of tuition and sometimes results in a small financial aid refund paid directly to the student.
While the Wounded Healers program is for program graduates of rescue missions, missions that want to use elements of it with clients. You can find details at https://www.cityvision.edu/woundedhealers#curriculum
Where do I get more information?
You can find more detailed information on the City Vision University website (www.cityvision.edu/woundedhealers/).