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Topics & Training

Education & Consulting for Helping Professionals

Skill Building & Essential Tools

Equip your teams with the skills and strategies to manage high-stress and trauma-exposed work.
These sessions are focused on providing participants with practical and evidence-informed tools.
These essential strategies are for everyone on the team - frontline workers, middle management, senior leadership, and support staff.

Key Learnings

  • Understand how stress affects our bodies and behaviours.
  • Learn a useful framework for pausing and taking stock.
  • Build a toolkit of micro-skills that can be used before, during, and after stressful situations.

Key Tools to Stay Grounded & Centered

Building Your Essential Toolkit

ALL STAFF | ALL PROFESSIONS | NO PREREQUISITES

Overview

What does it really mean to pause and reset? When working in complex workplaces, common “self-care” advice can sometimes feel downright unhelpful. How can we reset and meaningfully recalibrate when working at the demanding pace that our professions often require?

Research in the field of traumatic stress suggests that self-awareness may be the key to preserving our ability to do this challenging work. This training provides simple, quick, and effective strategies to check-in and recalibrate throughout our day.

Key Learnings

  • Understand why some debriefing practices are more harmful than helpful.
  • Learn step-by-step processes for low impact debriefing.
  • Recognize the importance of establishing communities of support.

Debriefing & Mutual Support

Establishing & Embedding Communities of Support in Our Work

ALL STAFF | TRAUMA-EXPOSED PROEFSSIONS | SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS & EMPATHIC STRAIN

Overview

Many professions use the term “debriefing” to describe protocols used to respond in the aftermath of critical events. Yet, there is confusion about which practices are helpful and healthy – and which ones may lead to further harm. How do we support one another while protecting ourselves from traumatic content? How do we embed regular check-ins for mutual support?

This training provides best practice recommendations for processing the distressing elements of our work. It also provides guidance on establishing communities of support and debriefing processes that consider critical incidents as well as the cumulative impact of on-going trauma exposure – which, due to its subtle nature, can often be overlooked.

Key Learnings

  • “What if I’m adding to my team’s workload?” and other common concerns about setting boundaries.
  • Recognize the consequences of poor boundary setting from an individual, group, and organizational perspective.
  • Learn strategies to set and receive boundaries in a healthy way.

Boundaries

Setting & Maintaining Healthy Boundaries

ALL STAFF | ALL PROFESSIONS | NO PREREQUISITES

Overview

Many of us are drawn to this work by a desire to care for and help others. Our ability to extend empathy and compassion makes us great at our jobs – but what happens when we overextend this ability? When boundaries are poorly defined, too rigid, or completely absent, the consequences are felt by everyone – loved ones, team members, organizations, and the people we serve.

Research shows that healthy boundaries are a protective factor against the ill-effects of stressful work. This training provides strategies to set and maintain healthy boundaries.

Key Learnings

  • Understand how past trauma and other contributing factors affect crisis reactions.
  • Learn how to apply the eight steps of Psychological First Aid within specific workplace settings.
  • Develop tools to manage a lack of closure and moral distress.

Psychological First Aid

Supporting Each Other Through Critical Incidents & Crisis

ALL STAFF | ALL PROFESSIONS | NO PREREQUISITES

Overview

How we help is just as important as what we do to help. Stress, grief, and past experiences have a powerful impact on a person’s ability to cope in the wake of traumatic events. When we have the skills to support others through a crisis, we can help to mitigate the lasting impacts of witnessing or experiencing trauma.

Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informed approach to providing emotional support to others. This training provides foundational skills in crisis support.

Key Learnings

  • Understand the psychological & behavioural aspects of emotional escalation.
  • Identify common challenges of verbal de-escalation and learn strategies to overcome them.
  • Learn to recognize and manage your own heightened emotions.

Verbal De-escalation

Foundational Skills in Effectively Managing Emotional Escalation

ALL STAFF | ALL PROFESSIONS | NO PREREQUISITES

Overview

When working in a client-facing role, it is inevitable that we encounter frustrated, angry, or dissatisfied people. These interactions can range from uncomfortable to frightening. Without the skills and confidence to handle these situations, we run the risk of damaging our relationships with others and contributing to our own emotional exhaustion.

Verbal de-escalation is a set of practical skills that can lead to a safer, calmer workplace. This training provides foundational skills in de-escalating emotional and behavioural agitation.

Key Learnings

  • Understand why conflict happens and recognize the dangers of unmanaged conflict.
  • Identify common sources of conflict within teams.
  • Learn strategies to effectively work with different conflict management styles.

Conflict Resolution

Foundational Skills in Making Conflict Work

ALL STAFF | ALL PROFESSIONS | NO PREREQUISITES

Overview

In today’s world of work, three things are certain: there will be change; there will be stress; and these two factors will lead to conflict. Unattended conflict can have a disastrous effect on the well-being of teams and organizations. How do we bring our teams together in the face of shifting mandates, resource shortages, and other stressors?

Healthy conflict can be a source of growth, opportunity, and success. This training provides foundational skills in conflict resolution.

Contact us to book your training today.

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