About Us

Where Crisis Meets Capacity

The Chrysalis Alliance Inc. was created to strengthen front line workers attending to traumatized individuals and communities using real-time, field-ready, practical tools - so teams can serve with clarity, steadiness, and care, and without re-traumatizing themselves.

MISSION

To be the national standard for trauma recovery for service providers—equipping practitioners and organizations with a clear, ethical, real-time framework that restores safety, strengthens resilience, and supports measurable, lasting transformation.

What Makes Our Program Unique

  • We shorten the gap from disaster to recovery.
  • We lead with our knowledge, understanding and alignment with the NVOAD structure.
  • Our program was designed by a nationally certified trauma chaplain and Hurricane Helene survivor who has helped over 50,000 people recover from trauma.
  • Our program has been vetted by over a dozen disaster organizations and is built on widely accepted best practice principles for trauma-informed support.
  • Our program addresses the emotional, mental, and spiritual components of trauma recovery.
  • We train front line workers to support trauma recovery in real time.
  • Participants learn to recover faster, with clearer boundaries & quicker stabilization

The Certification Gaps We Fill
in Trauma Recovery

  • There is no national standard for trauma recovery for service providers
  • We have created a national standard
  • Most training does not account for the response + recover service providers own trauma (and the impact on delivery)
  • Many programs are theory-heavy and not built for real-time application in the field
  • Most programs offer limited accountability, verification, & ongoing support after training


Founded by Emma M. Churchman LLC

Emma M. Churchman LLC developed proprietary trauma-informed leadership tools and training frameworks used by organizations in high-impact environments.

The Chrysalis Alliance is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit governed by its Board of Directors.
Any use of curriculum or trademarks is governed by formal agreements and ethical oversight.


About Emma Churchman

Emma M. Churchman, MDiv is a nationally certified trauma chaplain and trauma-resilience educator with 25+ years of experience supporting people and organizations in the aftermath of crisis. Her work sits at the intersection of trauma recovery, spiritual care, and operational leadership - helping front line teams stay steady, make clear decisions under pressure, and recover faster after disruption.

Emma serves as the President and CEO of The Chrysalis Alliance Inc. and is the founder of the Trauma Recovery Certification Program®, a practical, evidence-informed training designed for professionals serving in high-impact environments - disaster response, long-term recovery, and community-based care.

Her approach translates trauma science into field-ready tools that strengthen psychological safety, reduce burnout, and support sustainable service without losing the heart of the mission. She also integrates her personal experience of living through Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina in 2024.

She is the bestselling author of The Deep End of Hope in the Wake of Hurricane Helene (GracePoint, 2025). Her newest book, Navigating the Deep End: Resilient Leadership in a Volatile World (GracePoint, 2026), explores leadership and ethical decision-making in crisis. As a PhD candidate in Conscious Business Ethics, Emma brings both research and lived experience to the work of helping front line workers, businesses, and communities move from survival to restoration - with integrity, clarity, and courage.

Emma is the founder of the Trauma Recovery Certification program, a groundbreaking training for professionals who want to address trauma at its roots—not just manage symptoms. Her teachings blend clinical understanding with soul-deep wisdom, making her a sought-after speaker for those ready to engage in real, raw healing.

Her bestselling book, The Deep End of Hope in the Wake of Hurricane Helene (GracePoint, 2025), takes readers on an unforgettable journey of spiritual resilience during one of nature’s most recent catastrophic events.

Her forthcoming memoir, Unshattered: Surviving My Mother’s 123 Personalities and Transforming a Legacy of Abuse (GracePoint, October 2025), is a bold invitation to rewrite the stories we inherit.

Her third book, The Deep End: Resilient Leadership in a Volatile World, explores navigating leadership in crisis (GracePoint, June 2026).

Our Board of Directors

  • Emma M. Churchman, MDiv
    President
  • Deborah A. Reeves
    Secretary
  • Jeffrey P. Boudreaux
    Treasurer
  • Peggy Diggs
  • Julia Considine Pierce
    MPH, MDiv