By: Donna Demerjian, PhD, LCSW, LBBP

Opening a new behavioral health facility is an exciting milestone, but having staff in place does not automatically mean they are ready for Day 1 operations. Even experienced staff must learn new workflows, technology systems, safety procedures, policies, facility layouts, and organizational expectations.

Because behavioral health environments are complex, staff must be prepared to respond to psychiatric emergencies, support trauma-informed care, maintain therapeutic spaces, meet regulatory expectations, and work across disciplines from the first patient admission. A well-designed training plan turns seasoned staff and newly hired employees into a coordinated, confident team ready to deliver safe, high-quality care.

Step 1: Begin with an Operational Readiness Assessment

Before creating the training schedule, identify what staff must know and be able to do to perform their roles successfully in the new environment, with particular attention to what is new or different as a result of the facility design. Begin by reviewing:

• Operational workflows
• Communication protocols
• Clinical programs and services
• Regulatory requirements
• Technology systems
• Safety and security processes
• Departmental responsibilities

Tabletop exercises early in the project can help organizations uncover workflow gaps and training needs. A Tabletop exercise is a facilitated, discussion-based session in which participants walk through realistic scenarios to evaluate how work will be performed in a new facility, identify operational and equipment gaps, and validate plans before Day 1 go-live. A key question for leaders is: “What knowledge, skills, and abilities must staff demonstrate before we can safely open?” The answer should guide the development of the training curriculum.

Key Deliverable: Develop a comprehensive training matrix to ensure all staff receive the appropriate education and competency verification based on their role, department, and responsibilities.

Step 2: Define Competencies and Build the Curriculum

Every position has different learning needs, so avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. Define measurable competencies by role, then organize training into a phased curriculum that includes general facility orientation, department-specific workflows, systems and equipment, safety procedures, documentation standards, and competency validation.

• Define what each role must know and be able to do before opening
• Organize training into manageable phases instead of one broad orientation
• Align content with workflows, systems, equipment, documentation, safety, and competency expectations

Key Deliverable: Develop role-specific competency checklists and a phased training curriculum aligned to departmental role, workflows, technologies, systems, equipment, and validation need.

Step 3: Coordinate Training Schedules and Logistics in the New Environment

A strong curriculum only works if staff can attend, participate, and practice without disrupting critical opening activities. Build in time for repetition, hands-on practice, additional coaching, team building, and practical application rather than compressing complex content into a single orientation week.

• Secure resources to support training sessions, such as tour guides and champions
• Coordinate training dates with hiring, onboarding, and activation milestones
• Confirm rooms, instructors, equipment, materials, and attendance tracking tools
• Plan make-up sessions and coverage so critical readiness work can continue
• Validate method that training will be tracked, whether through LMS or other mechanisms

Key Deliverable: Create a comprehensive training calendar and logistics plan that aligns required sessions, instructors, locations and equipment with the overall activation timeline.

Step 4: Test Readiness Through Dress Rehearsal

Dress Rehearsal events give staff the opportunity to test workflows in the actual environment before Day 1. A Dress Rehearsal is a scripted, simulation-based testing event conducted before Day 1 operations to validate staff readiness, workflow effectiveness, training outcomes, and facility functionality in a new healthcare environment. It allows staff to practice working in the new space using realistic scenarios before caring for actual patients. Scenarios may include:

• Admissions
• Medication administration
• Shift change reports
• Behavioral emergency responses
• Contraband searches
• Seclusion and restraint procedures

These simulations help identify workflow gaps, test communication processes, validate staffing assumptions, reinforce collaboration, and increase staff confidence. A clear issue review process ensures concerns are documented, assigned for follow-up, and resolved before opening.

• Run realistic scenarios in the actual care environment whenever possible
• Include champions and support departments that will support global change management strategy
• Observe how staff communicate, escalate concerns, and use new workflows
• Identify gaps in operations and equipment
• Track issues in real time and assign owners for resolution before opening

Key Deliverable: Develop a Dress Rehearsal plan that includes realistic scenarios, participant roles, facilitation guides, observation tools, issue tracking, and a follow-up process to resolve identified gaps before opening.

Step 5: Validate Competency and Document Training

Training completion does not equal competency. Organizations should verify understanding through knowledge assessments, return demonstrations, skills checklists, supervisor observation, mock patient encounters, and system proficiency testing. Clear documentation of completion, validation, and follow-up supports Joint Commission readiness and provides evidence during survey review. Leaders should establish minimum competency expectations before staff independently perform critical tasks.

• Use multiple validation methods to confirm staff can safely perform critical tasks
• Document completion, competency validation, and follow-up actions consistently
• Maintain organized evidence to support Joint Commission survey readiness

Key Deliverable: Create a competency validation and training documentation tracker that records completion status, validation methods, required follow-up, and evidence needed to support Joint Commission survey readiness.

Step 6: Support Staff Success Post-Day 1

Training does not end when the first patient arrives. During the first six months, leaders should stay visible and actively reinforce expectations, sustain corporate culture, and ensure staff continue applying what they learned during activation.

Post-Day 1 support may include leadership rounding, targeted coaching, competency follow-up, and lessons-learned reviews to address emerging challenges while reinforcing best practices and cultural expectations.

• Maintain leadership visibility during the first six months after opening
• Supplement staff during the first few weeks with department Champions and Super Users
• Use rounding, coaching, and lessons-learned reviews to address emerging needs
• Reinforce corporate culture, operational expectations, and staff confidence over time

Key Deliverable: Establish a six-month post-Day 1 support plan that includes leadership rounding, targeted coaching, competency follow-up, lessons-learned reviews, and mechanisms to reinforce corporate culture and operational expectations.

A successful behavioral health facility opening is dependent on more than securing staffing resources for Day 1; it requires a workforce that is prepared, confident, competent, and aligned with the organization’s culture. By investing in a structured training plan, organizations can reduce operational risk, strengthen regulatory readiness, support staff success, and create a safer, smoother experience for patients and teams. Yellow Brick partners with behavioral health organizations to build practical training plans that turn activation strategy into confident Day 1 performance – let us help you prepare your team for a successful opening.