Director of Accreditation Programs:
Joan Wright, B.Ed.

Best Practices

Thanks to the generosity of many of our crisis centers, AAS is pleased to provide documents that exemplify best practices, policies and programs currently being used. We will update this feature as materials are received and reviewed.

As an accredited AAS center, you may view these best practices and archived discussions by logging in with your unique ID and password or if you wish to share your materials, please contact Joan Wright.

Working in a Crisis Intervention setting?
Consider AAS Accreditation!

AAS accreditation bears practical rewards. Besides the humanistic value of assuring minimum standards of service for persons in crisis, there are other advantages:

• AAS accreditation validates service delivery programs that are performing according to nationally recognized standards
• AAS accreditation examiners offer consultation tailored to the needs of an individual program, its staff and board
• The increased visibility and credibility of an AAS-accredited program provide opportunities for modeling of program excellence to other agencies and professionals
• AAS accreditation provides a morale boost for staff working in the field of crisis intervention
• AAS-accredited programs have additional credibility with funding agencies and insurance companies
• Programs seeking AAS accreditation have access to criteria for systematic, ongoing self-evaluation
• People in life-threatening and other crises who obtain service from AAS-accredited programs are assured that staff has seriously examined their commitment to provide service according to recognized standards

Certification Resources:

Crisis Center Accreditation Preparation Webinar

Organization Accreditation Manual (Version 11) [PDF]

AAS Application for Organization Accreditation and Re-Accreditation [PDF]

Annual Organization Self-Survey [PDF]

List of AAS Accredited Centers [PDF]