Everyone’s talking about psychological safety – few know how to build it

Psychological Safety Practitioner Program™

Become one of the first Certified Psychological Safety Practitioners.

Everyone’s talking about psychological safety, but very few people know how to actually build it.

Most organizations get stuck between awareness and action. They can run a survey, look at a dashboard, even present the data… but they don’t know how to change the system that created the problem in the first place.

That’s why we built the Psychological Safety Practitioner Program.

This certification goes beyond theory and tools. You’ll learn how to design interventions, coach leaders, and build the conditions where psychological safety and high performance can actually thrive.

This program is for you if:

  • You’re a coach or consultant who wants deeper, more transformational client impact

  • You’re an HR or OD leader responsible for culture, performance, or change

  • You’re an internal practitioner who sees the patterns others miss

  • You’re tired of surface-level “safety talk” and want real capability

If you’re ready to turn insight into action and become the practitioner leaders trust with the hard work, this is your next step.

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You'll Walk Away With...

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The ability to diagnose what’s driving or blocking safety and turn data into clear, actionable insights leaders can use.

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A toolkit of practical interventions—frameworks, language shifts, and system levers—to build lasting safety instead of one-off “feel-good” fixes.

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The skill to partner confidently with senior leaders, even in high-stakes or resistant environments, to move culture change from talk to traction.

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A tested process for designing full-scale psychological safety interventions with clear metrics and phases.

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A deep sense of practitioner identity and credibility, backed by certification and a global network of peers doing this work in real organizations.

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The Content

Module #1

Deep Foundations of Psychological Safety:

Go far beyond the basics and examine what psychological safety truly is—and isn’t.

  • Safety vs. trust vs. comfort.
  • The neuroscience of threat and learning.
  • Team-level vs. system-level safety.
  • The Safety Intelligence Framework (7 Capacities).
  • Case Study work

Module #2

Setting Out: Moving from Data to Action

Learn how to turn Fearless Organization Scan results into compelling stories that create movement.

You’ll Learn To:

  • Assess when you have enough data to proceed.
  • Triangulate quantitative and qualitative insights.
  • Identify the signal in the noise.
  • Craft a compelling, actionable narrative for leaders.

Practice through case labs, simulations, and real-world storytelling assignments.

Module #3

The Intervention Designer’s Toolkit

Learn how to build an intervention plan that actually works.

  • Skillfully use the five levers of change.
  • Using language, norms, and systems as change levers.
  • Integrating SQ capacities into every step.
  • Designing scalable interventions for different budgets and levels of leader buy-in.

You’ll use our proprietary Pattern Cards, Behavior Maps, and Agreement Mapping Tools to bring interventions to life.

Module #4

Partnering with Leaders

Safety work doesn’t stick without leadership. This module gives you tools to hold high-stakes, high-impact conversations with executives.

You’ll practice:

  • Presenting data in ways leaders can hear it.
  • Balancing candor and care.
  • Navigating defensiveness, resistance, and denial.
  • Coaching leaders to grow their own Safety Intelligence.

Module #5

Core Intervention Content

You’ll build your practitioner toolbox with ready-to-use frameworks you can deploy immediately:

  • The Rules of Agreements
  • Drama Triangle & Maturity Lens
  • Failure Mastery (The Right Kind of Wrong + our applied frameworks)
  • Polarity Thinking & Complexity Navigation
  • Feedback Models
  • Rewards & Punishments Diagnostic
  • Safety Intelligence Self-Assessment and Practice Tools

This is your starter kit — integrate our tools with your own to expand your practice.

Module #6

Practicum: Designing a Real Intervention

Your capstone. You’ll select a real or case-based organization and design a full intervention:

  • Interpretive summary of scan results.
  • Intervention design with clear phases, metrics, and leadership strategy.
  • Present your plan for feedback and certification assessment.

Module #7

Practitioner Identity & Ongoing Practice

Anchor your confidence as a practitioner.

  • Define your ethical stance and boundaries.
  • Learn to hold complexity without rescuing or fixing.
  • Build your business model or internal strategy.
  • Join our PSPP Community of Practice for ongoing learning and collaboration.

Want the full breakdown of modules, tools, and structure? This button is for you →

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Meet the Practitioner Behind the Program

Portrait of Denise McClennen

Denise McClennen,founder of Thought Design.

Veteran executive coach and thought leader, Denise McClennen, has dedicated her career to helping individuals solve their own dilemmas, create a roadmap for their own lives, and make a unique contribution to the world. Denise founded Thought Design in 2013 to give physical space to her dream of leading high-performance thinking programs for the high-level thinkers in her classes.

 

Denise’s work focuses on:

Advancing psychological safety as a driver of learning, innovation, and sustainable team growth.

Supporting organizations and practitioners worldwide through our partnership with the Fearless Organization Scan Organization.

Integrating neuroscience, vertical development, and systems thinking to guide leaders through complex change.

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Denise has made the design of powerful learning experiences her life’s work, and when that work meets people who are ready to learn how to think deeply, act courageously, and take some risks along the way… well, that’s the dream. That’s Thought Design.

Specializing in neuroscience, vertical development, and complexity, Denise has worked with organizations across the world. She holds certifications with Fearless Organization (FOS Psych Safety scan), Tilt365 Positive Influence Predictor, NeuroLeadership Institute (Certified Coach), Enneagram (Train-the-Trainer), E-Learning Instructional Design (USC Irvine), DiSC, Conscious Leadership Coach, Imposter Syndrome Institute (Associate and Certified Coach), Cynefin Foundations, The Neuroscience Academy, Growth Edge Coaching/Growth Edge Network, and Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Assessment and is a Member at The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and The NeuroLeadership Institute.

Denise leads her team at Thought Design in developing unique learning experiences to generate insight and inspire better thinking. Her passion for the success of others manifests itself in the halls of Thought Design, where high-potential people learn to do what it takes to be their best selves!

Denise and her husband split their time between their home in Rockford, Michigan, their houseboat in Douglas, Michigan, and a home in Punta Gorda, Florida, gravitating towards the best weather for each of the seasons. In addition to her professional career, she is a mother to five adults and grandmother to seven growing-so-fast kids, who also help her decide where she spends her free time.

Before you get certified, you might be wondering...

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Who is the Psychological Safety Practitioner Certification designed for?

This program is designed for coaches, consultants, HR and OD leaders, and internal change agents who want to go beyond theory and build real psychological safety in the systems where people work.

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What are the prerequisites for enrolling in this program?

There are no formal prerequisites for enrolling in the Psychological Safety Practitioner Program. However, experience in leadership, HR, coaching, or organizational development can be beneficial. The program is designed to be accessible to professionals at various levels, whether you’re new to psychological safety or looking to deepen your expertise.

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Do I need to be FOS certified to enroll?

We highly recommend completing the Fearless Organization Scan (FOS) Certification, as it’s a natural companion to this program and provides a strong foundation in psychological safety measurement. However, it’s not a prerequisite—you can participate in PSPP without being FOS certified.

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What are the benefits of becoming certified as a Psychological Safety Practitioner?

This certification gives you the tools, credibility, and confidence to design real psychological safety interventions, lead change with executives and teams, and position yourself as a trusted expert in a rapidly growing field.

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How much does it cost?

The Psychological Safety Practitioner Program costs $6,500 per participant. Your investment includes live training across all seven modules, certification, access to our proprietary tools and frameworks, and ongoing support from our team.

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How quickly can I begin using these tools with my clients or teams?

You can begin utilizing the tools with your clients and teams immediately after completing the program. You will confidently be able to interpret psychological safety data, design targeted interventions, and lead teams and leaders through real system-level change.

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What support will I receive from Thought Design as I am adding this as a part of my practice?

You won’t be doing this alone. Throughout the program, you’ll receive live guidance, feedback on your intervention design, and access to our tools and resources. After certification, you’ll stay connected through our practitioner community and ongoing support from the Thought Design team as you integrate this work into your practice.

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Psychological Safety Practitioner Program

Virtual Training | Cost – $6,500

JULY 30, 2026 START:

July 30, August 6, 13, 20, 27, and September 3, 18 from 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Because this is a live, practitioner-level certification, please make sure you can fully participate in all sessions (virtual). 

Need a different payment arrangement?

We’re flexible. Fill out the inquiry form below if you need to defer payment, split across fiscal years, or arrange a short-term plan.

Not yet FOS Certified?

Purchase the Fearless Organization Scan Certification and Psychological Safety Practitioner Program together for $7,800.

(Save when you bundle FOS + PSPP — discount applied automatically at checkout.)

LEARN ABOUT FOS

Psychological Safety Practitioner Program

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