Effective Strategies for Non-Violent Response to Challenging Behavioral Situations

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This guide explores techniques for managing challenging situations with compassion and non-violent approaches, focusing on de-escalation, personal safety, and the importance of maintaining safety in various forms. It covers mental/emotional, verbal, and physical/environmental preparedness to help individuals navigate confrontational interactions effectively.

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De-escalation and Personal Safety/Non-violent Responses to Potentially Dangerous Behaviors 2018 IECC core curriculum A guide for individuals managing challenging situations with compassion, grace, & non-violent approaches.

What are the behavioral situations you find most challenging? Managing situations with agitated individuals Managing situations when someone is demanding Managing situations when someone is making threats (either hot or cold threats) Managing situations that may pose a risk to someone s physical safety (including yours) Managing situations when someone may be crossing a personal/professional boundary

4 forms of Safety Physical the body stays intact Psychological emotional well-being is supported Social individuals feel safe with one another Moral we are maintaining our safety relative to our values (integrity, respect, dignity, etc.) (from Sandra Bloom sanctuaryweb.com)

3 Elements of your Preparedness Mental/Emotional Preparedness Verbal Preparedness Physical/Environmental Preparedness

Mental/Emotional Preparedness Being careful to not take things personally when the emotional or behavioral state of the other is upset Being mindful: Am I ready for this interaction? What can help me get ready? I wish to neither over-respond or under-respond Staying present to the most important issue to address: Where do I begin? What do I focus on first?

Verbal Preparedness What do I say? What might help? Do I sound supportive? {What does sounding supportive entail?} Do I hear myself? What do I notice about my tone of voice, my rhythm of speech and my volume? What words am I using? Could I choose different words?

Physical/Environmental Preparedness Use my radar Am I in a safe environment? If not, how could I get into a safer area? What does my body language say? Is it calming or is it triggering? If I am in someone else s personal bubble or they are in mine, how do I move and/or communicate the desire for more personal space?

Do you know about Mirror Neurons? The neuron mirrors the behavior of the other, as though the observer were itself acting When facing a crisis, do we want to be led by others (mirroring someone in crisis)? Check out youtube: Mirror Neurons, PBS Nova for an informative 14 minute video

Threat Alarm When people are terrorized, the smartest parts of our brain tend to shut down . (Bruce Perry, MD, PhD). Instead of the cortex/neo-cortex (aka, the thinking part of the brain) being activated, the blood often rushes within 1/100thof a millisecond to the Amygdala (deep in the temporal lobe) Amygdala related to basic fear response: Fight, Flight or Freeze responses

Threat Alarm Do you know what it looks like, sounds like or feels like for you when your threat alarm goes off? What cues does your body give you when your threat alarm is going off? Where do you feel your stress physically on your body? What other signs do you get that your Threat Alarm is going off?

Going deeper: Documentation When you become aware of the threat, what do you do? This understanding of action-reaction will help you with documentation. Documenting the threat is a start, but one should also document their response. Similarly, are you using the 3 key letters of good behavioral documentation? AEB = As evidenced by . This invites one to give details where general terms like agitated or hostile or demanding only begin to name the concern.

Prevention Personal space Be aware of physical spacing & the physical environment around you. If you need space, can you initiate it by modelling what you want? E.g., I am stepping back, can you please step back too?

Prevention/Early Intervention Getting help Are we getting help? Can others assist us? If we (me & the agitated individual) are alone, can we move towards a safer area where others may be able to help us? Do we have any terms to use to indicate that a situation is (or may be) unfolding? What language can teams use to neither over- nor under-respond to the situation?

Prevention/Early Intervention: Setting Expectations When possible, I encourage people to attempt to set expectations for an interaction as early as possible. Of note, please attempt to set the expectations of: Your behavior (what should the other person expect from you) Their behavior (given the situation, is there any way you can help set another person up for success by letting them know what to expect )

Prevention Self-Care Are there regular (daily, weekly) practices that help you prepare for the potentially stressful situations & stay in control of yourself (your behavior & your emotions)? What are your self-care practices, in general? Can they be applied throughout your day or week? Individually As a group or team

Intervention Verbal approaches What are your supportive verbal approaches to a situation? Am I validating the person? Tip: when in doubt, validate someone s feelings more than problematic thoughts or behaviors Am I offering choices? Am I being sure to go slow and be a concise speaker? ( The Rule of 5 5 words or short, 5-letter words are heard more easily when the person is upset) Am I able to name behavior, minus judgment? Am I attempting to help us find a point of agreement? Am I attempting to maintain verbal control & composure?

Intervention Listening skills Give undivided attention Use summary statements or reiteration Be aware of non-verbal cuing Leaning in or away Facial expressions Head nods Be an effective conduit or messenger if you need to communicate with others what you ve been told. Take notes ASAP.

Intervention: Maintain Composure Remember the Amygdala: Your brain/body wants to go fast (to avoid or move away from a potential threat) but you want to Slow Down so that you maintain a calm presence and awareness This can be challenging! What helps you hear yourself and stay self-aware? Taking a breath Pausing slightly before speaking Summarizing content

Intervention: Word Choices Certain word choices are important when de- escalating a situation. For example, I tend to Avoid using the word consequences and instead lean toward using the word outcomes Avoid asking Why? questions (at least initially) and lean towards asking What, How, When, Where questions What are other examples that you can think of ?

Intervention: Word choices Words/phrases to avoid Consequences Why? Words/phrases to use Outcomes What happened? When did things change? Yes, and My experience has been I see this differently I feel I get (upset/confused) when Let s try to find a solution that is fair for all Yes, but You re wrong You re making me feel That s not fair

Intervention: Helpful phrases Please tell me more I take you seriously I take what you are saying seriously I want to help. I want to help, and it might be best for us to get _______ involved as well. I hear you. What s the first thing (most important thing) you d like addressed?

Advanced intervention notes An advanced intervention often involves staff confidently developing a reasonable plan for managing a repetitive or extremely challenging situation. It is recommended that, when possible, the use of a team (more than 1 person) to identify and develop a plan is best. That said, when a situation is escalating it is best to use one voice to communicate with an agitated individual.

Advanced Intervention: Setting Limits Setting Limits tends to mix elements of early and advanced intervention. There are 3 keys to Setting Limits to promote positive & safe behavioral change. Ask yourself: - Is the limit Fair? Do you understand your potential biases in this moment of hostility? As yourself Would you set this same limit with someone else? Would others agree that this limit is fair? If not, please re-assess if this is a fair limit to set. - Is the limit Reasonable? Fairness and Reasonability overlap. While limits are directive in nature, we can ask if we are still being supportive and empathetic while setting a limit. If we cannot maintain this sort of balanced perspective, perhaps we should re- assess the limit and/or ask for the help of another person with setting the limit. - Is the limit Achievable? Can the other person meet a tangible goal related to the limit? Can they meet that goal given their current cognitive, physical or psychological functioning? If not, re-assess that limit.

Advanced Intervention: Setting Limits Here s some things to consider when setting a limit (Crisis Prevention Institute blog, April 2016): - A limit is meant to be a teaching tool & not a punishment. Through limits, people begin to understand that their actions, positive or negative, result in predictable outcomes. - Setting limits is more about listening than talking. Do you understand the thoughts & feelings of the other person? - Limits should not be threats or ultimatums. Limits offer choices with consequences (+ & -)

Advanced Intervention notes Physical Safety Remember the Amygdala is activated when one s threat alarm is triggered Fight, Flight, or Freeze. Please be careful not to fight back. Fleeing is preferred, as long as you are not leaving someone else in a vulnerable spot alone. If possible, verbally cue others to flee as well. Freezing can be very dangerous too. Try to keep your feet moving, your senses alert and do not turn your back on an agitated individual.

Advanced intervention notes getting help from others If dealing with multiple agitated people, if possible, it is recommended to create separation of the agitated parties. De- escalation is likely more successful if a triggering stimuli is removed. When physical safety is at-risk, call for help. Call 911 as needed (please note, if there is a behavioral emergency, please let 911 dispatchers know you d like CIT Crisis Intervention Trained police officers responding to the situation.

Advanced intervention non-violent physical defense One of the additional aspects of Advanced intervention to consider is the adoption of non-violent physical defense principles. There are multiple programs (Crisis Prevention Institute CPI, Pro-Act, etc.) that offer non-violent physical defense trainings. This writer has an extensive training program Safe Response Training that includes non-violent physical defense education. If you have questions about this, please speak to this presenter about potential programs and practical applications for individuals, teams, or organizations.

Post-intervention practices Even after the agitated or hostile stimuli is removed, the situation is not completely over. Our bodies & brains are still stimulated (cortisol and norepinephrine are still present within us). It is important to make sense of what happened, seek support and communicate about any wants/needs moving forward.

Post-intervention: Debriefing Debriefing is meant to be a learning opportunity for those involved. It is not a therapy session. It is not an opportunity to focus blame on others. There is no research to indicate that there is a golden time to debrief. It can happen hours, days, even weeks later and still be effective.

Post-intervention: Debriefing 4 key questions to ask in a debriefing: What happened? What went well? What could have gone better or differently? What needs to happen moving forward (may be different depending on those affected: staff, clients, families, the community)

What questions do you have? What situational examples might you want to ask about? Are there any uncertainties you have? Is there any grey area situations you want to discuss or role-play further?