During this COVID 19 pandemic, we are all adjusting to life in its current form. Our collective response to the Coronavirus has made some aspects of life completely different and, hopefully, some things remain the same.
One of the constants through this time of challenge is being able to identify and embody the qualities and characteristics of composure and calm amidst all of the changes and unpredictabilities around us. For many years, I have been providing “De-escalation & Personal Safety” courses for an array of professionals. As our lives have changed and will continue to change as a result of the COVID 19 outbreak, the need for more de-escalation training, consultation, and support services will remain in demand.
To help professional groups identify some of the most common areas of benefit, I am highlighting five professional groups for whom De-escalation & Personal Safety Training & Consultations can be very valuable, even at this time:
De-escalation Training across health care systems
I have an abundance of experience worked with integrated care organizations for this exact purpose. I am honored to have worked with forward-thinking organizations that are seeking proactive (preventative and early-intervention focused) approaches to managing challenging behavioral situations across a number of different health care delivery environments. I’ve worked with individuals and teams that provide care in hospitals, in clinics, or via home-health services. I’ve had the good fortune to work with my multidisciplinary teams comprising direct care clinicians and all of the para-professionals and non-clinical workers that contribute to the health care delivery system. Whether the professional is at a front desk of a clinic or is providing intensive spinal cord rehabilitation in a hospital or in a person’s home, all of us want to understand how best to manage unusual behavioral situations. All of us want to have insights and tools as to how best to lead themselves and others towards a reasonable and effective outcome and how best to avoid escalating a situation. I am honored to be frequently requested by the public health sector, as this group is especially impacted by the current pandemic. Additionally, I have years of providing intensive support of dialysis professionals working with people that have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), including developing customized content that has been implemented at local kidney-care organizations & have been presented at regional and national conferences, including the National Kidney Foundation.
De-escalation Training for mental health/behavioral health professionals
The area where I have done most of my work for more than a quarter-century is with intensive mental health, substance use, and traumatic brain injury care. I have worked extensively with the direct care of clients and with the staff that provide direct care. I have thousands of hours of experience in highly-acute crisis triage and stabilization settings. I am comfortable addressing the uncomfortable: including discussing and highlighting the unique stresses of one’s work providing compassionate care amidst highly-stressful and potentially dangerous behavioral health settings. I have experienced firsthand how difficult it can be for clinicians to maintain their composure and their empathy when others around them are not in behavioral control and the situation may be risky, including risks of violence towards the care giver. I strive to empower the staff to better understand and prepare for these unpredictable event. I was the lead Clinical Educator for a psychiatric hospital for over a decade and a half. I have facilitated short trainings (2 hours) and multiple-day workshops on this topic. I have hours of curriculum at my disposal to employee to address the wants and needs of behavioral health teams. I am adept at leading trainings, consultations, team-building events, and debriefings for the professional clinicians and organizations that strive to build and maintain therapeutic excellence in conjunction with physically and psychologically safe environments of care.
De-escalation Training related to scholastic/academic/youth-care professionals
These sectors include schools, instructor assistants, administrators, and other social service professionals linked to various educational systems. Currently, I do a portion of my work with schools and other agencies that serve school-age children and families with unique behavioral concerns. I strive for empathetic approaches to managing challenging behaviors in ways that are trauma-informed and I strive for fostering “healing-centered engagement” (with a specific nod to the work of Shawn Ginwright) for those working with youth. I see that many of the people that work with youth have wonderful ideas as to how best to care for and support children and communities that are struggling. I enjoy working in consultations and trainings with educators and other youth social support/service professionals to determine shared goals and shared approaches for managing the most challenging behaviors we may witness in schools, in after-school programs, and elsewhere in the community. I appreciate working with teachers, para-educators, volunteers, and administrators to identify ways to incorporate some of the current best-practices for collaborative approaches to support youth through their educational journey in ways that are safe and non-punitive.
De-escalation Training for law enforcement professionals
In this law enforcement, there is a focus on trauma-informed approaches for managing officer responses to challenging behavioral situations in a variety of settings. The state of Washington has been a leader in advancing training for law enforcement professionals to provide non-harmful and less-restrictive approaches to managing unpredictable and potentially dangerous behavioral situations. I regularly see and hear examples of situations where law enforcement professionals deployed their training, intellect, and empathy to help de-escalate situations in a manner that was meaningful and not harmful. Unfortunately, we also have seen cell phone videos and read/watched media reports of examples where law enforcement officers were ill-prepared to manage a difficult situation and the outcome was catastrophic. During my years of work that intersects health care and criminal justice issues, I have had many opportunities to work collaboratively with law enforcement and community members who strive for civil responses to dangerous public safety issues. Of greatest note, I’ve had the good fortune to be an Advisory Board member for the Washington state’s “Crisis Intervention Training” (CIT) portion of the Criminal Justice Training Commission for many years. I have provided trainings, consultations, and local/regional conference presentations that relate to this work. I know that law enforcement professionals have a unique set of circumstances and considerations when determining how best to avoid escalating situations, avoiding the use of lethal force, and continuing to serve and protect communities in a manner that is as safe as possible. I trust that my various life experiences combined with my therapeutic perspectives can help law enforcement professionals and agencies in ways that enhance their connection to the communities they serve.
De-escalation Training for any other “service” professionals
I have facilitated trainings for a variety of professionals that work in some form of “service.” I’ve done trainings and consultations for people in busy service sectors: cafes, theaters, community organizations, etc. I’ve provided in-services to people who work with the public, occasionally in high profile roles. Examples include a mayor, a city council, entertainers, public works departments, unique public/private partnerships. I am comfortable collaborating with people and organizations across a wide spectrum of domains. I trust that we are all seeking the same fundamental goals when it comes to managing challenging behavioral situations: we want to see a safe outcome for those involved … we want to Do No Harm. Sometimes, we just need some support, education, and tools to help us with this.
How De-Escalation training and awareness relates to Coronavirus pandemic
Related to this last group, I am so appreciative of being asked to lead trainings for some local co-operative grocery store employees last month before the Coronavirus became a pandemic. Now that we are in this time of Social Distancing and heightened risk of exposure to the virus and living in an uncertain world with additional stresses, those grocery store employees are likely under the most duress they’ve ever experienced. I hope that those in-services have helped the individuals and their organization identify ways to manage and cope through the current & unprecedented stresses they face on a daily basis. I wish to thank them, the health care workers who continue to serve with compassion, as well as the first responders, delivery persons, and anyone else who is helping other people – directly or remotely – at this exceptional time. May we all continue to find our strength through these difficult times. If I can help you, please let me know.
A common thread in people who want to resolve a challenging event
As I have learned over the years, regardless of the individual or their profession, our interests are often similar: people want to discuss and learn ways to evoke their “best-self” during a challenging event. We all want to be grounded in a calm, confident set of approaches to prevent, intervene, and follow-up to difficult behavioral situations. I trust that I can help most people with this. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time.