Water safety isn't just a location —
it's behavior + context.
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification was built to show behavior analysts where water safety already lives in their practice — and give them the framework to address it.
Join the Beta Cohort — $347 No pool required. No swim certification needed. Beta cohort pricing available while enrollment is open.Sources: American Red Cross; Denny et al., 2021; Guan & Li, 2017; Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2026
Water Safety Is Already in Your Caseload
Some behavior analysts have lost a client, a friend, or a family member to drowning and carry that with them. Others carry their own fear or trauma around water. Many BCBAs have had parents ask about water safety and didn't know where to start — or weren't sure if it was even in their scope. Others have addressed elopement or water safety to the best of their knowledge but feel limited or unsure. BCBAs have also expressed a desire to add water safety as a specialty to leverage their role or start a new professional journey. And for those who already have a background in aquatics, this is a chance to formalize that connection and expand their involvement professionally.
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification
Built for behavior analysts who are ready to move beyond awareness and into their everyday practice. Each letter of BRIDGE represents a core area of water safety practice — from identifying behavior to building skills that generalize across the settings where your clients actually live.
Six core areas. One cohesive framework. Grounded in the behavioral analytic principles you already use every day.
No Pool Required
Water safety lives in your clients' bathrooms, sensory tables, kitchens, and community transitions. You're already in the room where it matters.
Built on Behavioral Analytic Principles
Every core area is grounded in the clinical tools you already use — assessment, antecedent modification, and parent training — applied to water safety.
Parent Training Focus
A framework that includes simple, attainable, and applicable steps to train your clients' parents and caregivers.
Earn the BRIDGE-WSC Credential
Complete all six core areas and earn the BRIDGE-WSC — a water safety specialty credential specific to behavior analysts.
Everything You Need.
After You Certify — Stay Connected
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification doesn't end when you earn your credential. Annual recertification keeps your BRIDGE-WSC current. The optional monthly membership supports your ongoing practice between renewal cycles — keeping you connected to new research, discussion, and a community of certified behavior analysts applying water safety across different settings.
- Monthly Q&A and discussion sessions
- Access to ongoing research and updated resources
- A community of certified behavior analysts applying water safety across different settings and populations — from home-based ABA to adaptive aquatics and everything in between
Membership is not included in certification pricing. Membership details are shared within the certification program and are available to BRIDGE-WSC credential holders upon completion.
What Becomes Possible
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification won't make water safety simple overnight. But it will give you something you don't have right now — a clinical framework to work from.
Respond to a parent's water safety questions with clinical confidence rather than uncertainty or avoidance
Identify water-related behaviors in your current caseload using a behavioral lens you already understand
Begin water safety conversations with families using language and tools grounded in behavior analysis
Recognize how elopement, environmental access, and daily routines connect to water safety risk across settings
Add water safety awareness to your existing practice — in the home, clinic, school, and community
Support families who have nowhere else to turn with a framework built specifically for the population you serve
Who the BRIDGE to Safety Certification Is Built For
✓ This IS for you if...
- A parent has asked you about water safety and you didn't know where to start
- You know water safety matters for your clients but don't know where to start or how to stay within your scope
- You have addressed elopement or water safety to the best of your knowledge but feel limited or unsure
- You want to add water safety as a meaningful specialty — to leverage your role or start a new professional journey
- You already have a background in aquatics and want to formalize that connection within your behavioral practice
- You work in home, clinic, school, or community settings with autistic individuals and their families
— This is NOT for you if...
- You're looking for a swim lesson curriculum
- You don't see water safety as part of what behavior analysts do
- You're not open to expanding how you think about safety within your existing practice
- You're expecting a quick fix — this is a framework that takes time to learn and apply
- You want a one-time training rather than an ongoing framework
Not sure yet? Start with Beyond the Pool — a free guide for behavior analysts that reframes water safety and shows you where it already lives in your everyday practice.
Get the Free GuideBuilt by a BCBA Who Has Been Where You Are
A BCBA, adaptive swim instructor and Co-Founder of Blended Aquatics who loves to nerd out about water safety. My goal is to build a community of behavior analysts who are equipped, confident, and connected around water safety.
Here's something that still surprises people: water safety was not always taught — even as part of swim lessons. The same people teaching swimming weren't necessarily teaching water safety. Odd. And genuinely problematic.
Since 2012 I've worked directly with autistic children and their families in both aquatic settings and in-home ABA. Over time I kept hearing the same concerns from families regarding water safety. I kept looking for answers, better frameworks, better tools, and better ways to connect behavior analysis to the concerns around water.
That search became the BRIDGE to Safety Framework™. Built to bridge the gap. Built to show behavior analysts where water safety already lives in their practice — and how they're already part of the solution.
MA, BCBA, LBA-MN
Co-Founder, Blended Aquatics
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification is currently offered as a beta cohort — your opportunity to get in at the lowest price.
BRIDGE to Safety: Water Safety Certification
for Behavior Analysts
- 6 training sessions — recorded and available for self-paced access after each delivery
- Parent training resources and templates to support water safety with families
- Environmental assessment tools — home, clinic, and community settings
- Case studies and application across each core area
- Direct Q&A access each session
- BRIDGE-WSC Credential — awarded upon completion of all six core areas and passing a final competency assessment. Valid for one year with annual recertification.
Beta cohort pricing available while enrollment is open. Course begins June 3rd. No pool required.
Get the Free Guide — Beyond the Pool
Common Questions
Do I need to be a swim instructor or know how to swim?
No. The BRIDGE to Safety Certification is built on behavioral analytic principles you already know. No pool, no swim certification, and no swimming ability required.
I work in a clinic, not a home. Does this apply to me?
Yes. Water safety risk exists in clinics, schools, and community settings — not just homes. The framework applies across every setting you work in.
What if I enroll after sessions have started?
All sessions are recorded and available for self-paced access after each delivery. Enrollees who join after June 3rd receive full access to all recordings as they become available.
Are CEUs available for this certification?
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification is currently offered as a beta cohort. CEUs are not included at this time. Details on future CEU availability will be shared with certified members.
How do I earn the BRIDGE-WSC credential?
Complete all six core areas and pass a final competency assessment.
How long is my credential valid?
Your BRIDGE-WSC credential is valid for one year with annual recertification. Renewal includes updated content and current research as the framework and field evolve.
Is this within my scope of practice as a BCBA?
Behavior analysts are not being asked to teach swimming or provide aquatic therapy. The BRIDGE to Safety Certification focuses on what BCBAs already do — behavioral assessment, environmental modification, caregiver training, and safety skill instruction.
What's the difference between the certification and the monthly membership?
The certification is a complete program — six core areas, sessions, recordings, resources and tools, and the BRIDGE-WSC credential. The optional monthly membership is a separate offer available to credential holders after completion. Membership details are shared within the certification program.
What is your refund policy?
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification does not offer refunds. If you are a BRIDGE-WSC credential holder participating in the optional monthly membership — you may cancel your membership at any time and will not be charged after cancellation.
More questions?
Email us at [email protected]
Water safety has always mattered. Now there's a framework — and a community — built specifically for behavior analysts who are ready to address it.
The BRIDGE to Safety Certification is open. Beta cohort pricing available while enrollment is open.
Enroll Now — $347No pool required. No swim certification needed.
American Red Cross. (n.d.). Drowning facts and prevention. https://www.redcross.org
Denny, S. A., et al. (2021). Prevention of drowning. Pediatrics, 148(2). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052227
Guan, J., & Li, G. (2017). Characteristics of unintentional drowning deaths in children with autism spectrum disorder. Injury Epidemiology, 4(32). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-017-0129-3
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2026). BACB certificant data. https://www.bacb.com/BACB-certificant-data