Elite Mental Toughness® is a educational training program. This is not therapy, counseling, or clinical treatment. This program is not a substitute for professional mental health services.
Elite Mental Toughness® Virtual Training
Research-Validated Resilience Program for High-Stress Professionals
Next Cohort starts April 2026
Simon, 2019
Master Your Thoughts. Control Your Emotions. Build Unshakeable Resilience.
Elite Mental Toughness® (EMT) is an 8-lesson evidence-based training program designed for you to master mental flexibility to manage stress, prevent burnout, and enhance performance under pressure.
Military-validated research shows EMT is 36% more effective than standard resilience training.
Struggling to Manage Stress, Anxiety, or Overwhelming Thoughts?
✓ Constantly stressed; struggling to manage daily pressures
✓ Thoughts spiraling—can't shut off your mind
✓ Overwhelmed by emotions you can't control
✓ Worried about burnout or worse
✓ Tried other stress management programs that didn't work
You're not broken. You just haven't learned the right tools yet.
What is Elite Mental Toughness®?
EMT is an 8-lesson group psychoeducational training program that teaches you "Jedi-level" psychological flexibility tools to master your thoughts and emotions so you can respond to life's challenges rather than react to daily stressors.
Unlike generic stress management programs, EMT uses evidence-based educational techniques drawn from cognitive behavioral strategies, acceptance-based approaches, mindfulness practices, and neuroscience research.
Developed through rigorous doctoral research with military populations, EMT is an upstream prevention program that teaches protective skills for managing stress, enhancing resilience, and preventing burnout.
Important: EMT is psychoeducation (skills training), not mental health treatment. This program does not replace professional clinical care.
Training Program Details
⏰ Duration: 8 lessons (8.5 hours total)
📅 Timeline: Complete in 2 weeks
💻 Format: 100% virtual via Zoom
👥 Experience: Interactive small groups with breakout skill practice
📚 Includes: Educational materials, homework practice assignments, certificate of completion
Schedule
April 2026 dates: TBA soon
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6-8 PM Alaska Time (7-9 PT)
Investment:
$600
Secure online payment with Stripe.
Who Is Elite Mental Toughness® For?
This psychoeducational training program is designed for:
✅ Military service members & veterans
✅ First responders (police, fire, EMS, dispatchers)
✅ Healthcare workers facing secondary stress
✅ Athletes & high performers
✅ Business leaders & executives
✅ Mental health professionals managing work-related stress
✅ Anyone in high-stress professions
✅ Individuals seeking to build enhanced resilience and stress management skills
Important: EMT is educational training, not mental health treatment. Participants can engage in this program while receiving professional clinical care elsewhere. This program does not replace therapy or counseling.
Who can attend Elite Mental Toughness®?
EMT is an educational mental enhancement and resilience training available virtually to participants everywhere:
✅ In United States - Nationwide
✅ Worldwide - Internationally
Anyone interested in building advanced mental flexibility can attend.
Research-Validated Effectiveness
EMT Rating: 87.5% effective | Standard Training: 64% effective
Statistical Significance: p = .0096 (highly significant)
Effect Size: Cohen's d = 2.53 (very large)
Dr. Curtis's doctoral research involved senior Air Force officers who rated EMT 36% more effective than standard military resilience training for teaching stress management and suicide prevention skills.
Expert Validation
"Elite Mental Toughness moves the needle away from suicidal ideation." — Senior Military Officer, Expert Panel
"If you can save one life it is worth it, and I feel that your program will save a lot." — Senior Military Officer, Expert Panel
Note: Research demonstrates EMT's effectiveness as a psychoeducational prevention program. This is not a substitute for clinical intervention when mental health treatment is needed.
About the Developer
Dr. Yvette Curtis's doctoral research on EMT involved senior Air Force leadership who rated the program 36% more beneficial than standard military resilience training (statistically significant Cohen's d = 2.53).
Why this matters: EMT isn't generic advice—it's a systematically validated program proven to reduce suicide risk factors and enhance protective factors using evidence-based modalities.
Your Instructor:
Dr. Yvette Curtis, PsyD, LPC
Doctor of Psychology, Counseling Psychology (PsyD)
Board-certified and State-Licensed Professional Counselor
EMDRIA Approved Consultant (advanced EMDR credential)
15+ years clinical experience with trauma populations, indigenous, military, and first responders
Former mental health intern provider at Fort Wainwright
Developer of Elite Mental Toughness® curriculum
Statistical Significance: p = .0096 (highly significant)
Effect Size: Cohen's d = 2.53 (very large)
Note: Research demonstrates EMT's effectiveness as a psychoeducational prevention program. This is not a substitute for clinical intervention when mental health treatment is needed.
What You'll Learn: Eight Building Components
Lesson 1: Mental Command & Control (Your: Thought Flexibility)
Description: Master your thoughts before they master you. Learn to recognize unhelpful thought patterns and detach from them like a tactical operator separating signal from noise. Understanding thought patterns and neural pathways.
Lesson 2: Tactical Calm Under Fire (Your: Emotion Flexibility)
Description: Understand the neuroscience of fear, anger, and overwhelm—then learn to move through intense emotions without getting hijacked by them. Elite operators don't suppress emotions; they channel them. Learn about limbic system, amygdala, emotional processing.
Lesson 3: Perspective Dominance (Your: Self-Perspective Flexibility)
Description: See yourself from 30,000 feet. You are not your trauma, not your worst moment, not your darkest thought. Distance creates clarity. Clarity creates control. Metacognition, self-awareness, perspective-taking.
Lesson 4: Operator Presence (Your: Attention Flexibility)
Description: Train your mind to stay anchored in the present moment during chaos. This is the foundation of situational awareness and decision-making under pressure. Default mode network, attention regulation.
Lesson 5: Mission-Driven Mindset (Your: Direction Flexibility)
Description: Identify your core values; your personal mission. When you know what you're fighting FOR, you can withstand anything you're fighting THROUGH. Prefrontal cortex, motivation systems, meaning-making.
Lesson 6: Warrior Discipline (Your: Action Flexibility)
Description: Take committed action toward your values even when obstacles, fear, or setbacks show up. This is what separates elite performers from everyone else who quits when it gets hard. Habit formation, behavioral activation, grit.
Lesson 7: Team Dynamics & Tactical Trust (Your: Relationship Flexibility)
Description: Build stronger relationships at work and home using combat-tested communication strategies using a sports-inspired approach. Learn how past emotional injuries sabotage present connections, and how to heal them. Social brain, attachment, interpersonal neurobiology.
Lesson 8: Sustainable Excellence (Your: Community Flexibility)
Description: Create systems for long-term resilience. Elite performers don't rely on willpower; they build infrastructure for sustained performance over decades, not days. Develop personal crisis response planning. Access supportive local and national resources. Build a long-term system for mental fitness that doesn't depend on willpower alone. Social support networks, community resilience, help-seeking.
100+ Training Sessions Delivered
Successfully Implemented with:
Substance use residential treatment programs (adolescents and adults)
EAFB (active-duty personnel)
Fairbanks Native Association (indigenous populations)
Community mental health settings
Diverse populations: Ages 13-adult, diverse cultural backgrounds, high-risk populations, co-occurring challenges, military and civilian settings.
What Participants Say
"It put in perspective how distracting thoughts and feelings can be. I learned how to acknowledge thoughts but not giving them power." — Military Participant
"The activities were very helpful and now I am looking at myself from a different perspective." — Substance Treatment Participant
"The relationship analysis was super helpful for understanding all the reasons for what happens during a negative dialogue in a relationship." — Military Participant
FAQs
Is Elite Mental Toughness® therapy or counseling??
No. EMT is a psychoeducational training program, not clinical therapy or counseling. You're learning skills through group education, not receiving mental health treatment. This program does not replace professional clinical care.
Do I need to be military/first responder?
No. While EMT was developed with military populations, it's effective for anyone facing high stress or seeking enhanced resilience skills.
What is the Elite Mental Toughness® group like?
Sessions are interactive group training. You'll practice skills with others, but you're never required to share personal information.
Do you offer virtual Elite Mental Toughness® groups?
Yes, we offer a mix of in-person and virtual for optimal group connection.
Can I take Elite Mental Toughness® if I'm in therapy?
Yes. EMT is educational skills training that complements (but does not replace) professional mental health care. Consult your provider if you have questions about participation.
Can my organization sponsor multiple employees?
Yes! Contact Dr. Curtis for organizational pricing: traumarecoveryinstitute.org/contact
Who can attend Elite Mental Toughness®?
EMT is an educational resilience training and is available virtually to participants in Alaska, throughout the United States, and internationally.
Ready to Build Elite Mental Toughness®?
Space is limited to ensure interactive engagement and personalized attention.
Investment: $600
Payment: Secure online payment via credit card. Full payment required upon registration.
Questions?
Contact Form: traumarecoveryinstitute.org/contact
Email: contact@traumarecoveryinstitute.org
Note: This is a psychoeducational training program, not mental health treatment.
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