What Is a Facilitator?
As a Freedom From Smoking® facilitator, you are responsible for conducting the Freedom From Smoking® group program for eight to 16 people who are interested in going tobacco-free! You will introduce the tools and techniques to the group participants, coordinate the activities and facilitate group interaction. You must help maintain participants' motivation and their commitment to quitting.
Who Makes a Good Facilitator
Facilitators are often people who already volunteer for similar projects and sometimes graduates of the Freedom From Smoking® program themselves. We look for facilitators who have the personality, discipline and sense of responsibility needed to take on the extra task of helping others. This should be done with enthusiasm, belief, empathy and knowledge. If you are already involved in health education or healthcare, you may be an excellent facilitator because of your experience and interest in healthy behaviors and lifestyles.
Becoming a Facilitator
Freedom From Smoking® facilitators must complete the necessary modules for the Freedom From Smoking® Facilitator Certification Training, including a Skill-Builder Workshop that is conducted by the American Lung Association and must not have used tobacco in any form 12 months or longer.
The facilitator training explains nicotine addiction, program content and implementation, and how to conduct group processes with adults. You will learn and experience:
- How to conduct sessions and group activities
- What challenges may arise
- How to handle potential roadblocks
What Folks are Saying
Below you will find some evaluation responses from our newly trained Freedom From Smoking® Facilitators about their virtual Skill Builder Workshops that were hosted by the American Lung Association Facilitator Trainers.
“I learned so much information about the dangers of using nicotine products that I hadn't previously known. I'm excited to share this information with the consumers I assist on a daily basis and look forward to the possibility of facilitating/cofacilitating a Freedom From Smoking® group”
“Thank you for giving me the ability to broaden my skills set and learn how to facilitate in a group setting.”
“The trainer was amazing, and she did a great job of making us feel comfortable. And provided great feedback.”
“Excellent training. Facilitating an exercise and review of the exercises was a wonderful activity to familiarize with activities that are included in the training.”
“It was a great presentation, and I learned a lot from the facilitator. Having other's participation was also very informative.”
“Extremely informative presentation, excited to get busy and get a group scheduled in my community.”
“Looking forward to assisting individuals who are wanting to stop smoking and feel confident with the smoking cessation I have obtained in being able to do so.”
Facilitator Training Registration
The American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking® Facilitator Training is designed for public health professionals, healthcare workers, or anyone with an interest in supporting their fellow community members in going tobacco-free. To become a trained Freedom From Smoking Facilitator, all registrants must be tobacco-free and nicotine-free (including e-cigarettes, vaping devices and non-tobacco oral nicotine products) for 12 months or longer.
The Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Training course consists of four modules/steps designed to educate individuals on the basics of tobacco use, proven-effective strategies to help people quit, mastery of the science-backed evidence-based Freedom From Smoking program curriculum and enhanced facilitation skills to host group cessation classes within their communities and beyond. The first three steps, as shown below, will be available to you after registration on Lung.Training. Once you complete those initial steps, you will then provide availability for the fourth and final step of certification, a live interactive virtual Skill Building Workshop, led by an American Lung Association Facilitator Trainer.
Facilitator certifications are valid for 3 years from the date of successful completion of the Skill Building Workshop and end-of-course evaluation.
Trained facilitators will learn to:
- Identify the different tobacco products on the market, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices
- Recognize the effects of tobacco use on the human body and brain
- Recognize types of resistance to change in conducting brief interventions
- Utilize Motivational Interviewing to resolve uncertainty
- Determine FDA-approved quit medications to help individuals break their tobacco dependency
- Use experiential learning methods to increase the effectiveness of group sessions
- Understand the structure and topics covered throughout the eight Freedom From Smoking program session series
- Utilize supplemental enhancements and resources to further support group participants
The Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Training registration fee is $400. Registered facilitators will receive:
- Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Training Course
- Tobacco Basics
- How to Help People Quit
- Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Overview Training
- Skill Building Workshop – A live interactive virtual session led by an American Lung Association Facilitator Trainer
- One copy of the Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Guide
- One copy of the Freedom From Smoking Participant Workbook
- Access to a private Freedom From Smoking Facilitator resource webpage
- Recertification opportunities to extend certification for an additional 3-years at no additional cost
To register for the Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Training and pay the registration fee of $400, visit the link below.
For questions regarding the Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Training or registration, please email FreedomFromSmoking@Lung.org.
Page last updated: April 17, 2024
