When I was in junior high school, we used to have to watch those corny “gateway drug” educational films. Do you remember those?
They followed a similar plot: Some clean-cut teenage boy would steal a beer from the family fridge; next we see him bowing to peer-pressure and puffing on a joint; soon he’s snorting cocaine at a wild party. Finally, he’s shooting heroin in some rat-infested alley....
Enjoy this excerpt from one of our published books.
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”– William James, philosopher and father of American psychology
In an analysis of 1.4 million Glassdoor reviews about company culture from people who have left their jobs, researchers Charlie and...
Enjoy this excerpt from one of our published books.
No one wants to recognize (or admit) that they are a victim (of anything), so we often fail to identify certain behaviors as victimizing. But no matter how we personally understand and define lateral violence, bullying, abuse, discrimination, or harassment, it is time to expand...
Enjoy this excerpt from one of our published books.
There is no denying it; hospitals can be difficult places to work. No matter which profession you’re in, from hospital security to nursing, the hours are long, and weekends and holidays are just another day at work. Moreover, with nursing shortages, an aging demographic, dwindling psychiatric care resources, and other factors creating increasing demands on healthcare providers from all sides, the...
During the class, the instructors learned how to respond to institutional emergencies that include disturbance emergencies, medical emergencies, fire emergencies, and miscellaneous emergencies such as weather...
When we think of basic human needs, hierarchies often come to mind. What is it that people need and how are those needs related to human behavior? That’s the question that human services professionals often ask, and the one de-escalation trainers need to answer. Years ago, I learned through several personal and professional experiences that people act-out for reasons, not because of diagnoses. It...
If you have been following this blog, you are probably quite familiar with Vistelar’s structured methodology for effectively managing conflict so it doesn’t escalate to emotional or physical violence.
What you may not be familiar with is our explanation of the causes of conflict that’s the basis for the non-escalation, de-escalation, and crisis management tactics we teach.
The...
In a previous article, I made a case for there being just two attributes that drive the success of any organization — innovation and customer service. Then, in that article, I described how to improve customer service by providing a form of training that’s usually reserved for police and corrections officers.
If you have ever responded to a behavioral emergency in a professional setting, such as a hospital or school, you might recall experiencing a lot of uncoordinated activity among a group of highly educated, capable, and well-meaning professionals. They may even have seemed to make things worse, rather than better. In retrospect, you might not even be able to put your finger on exactly what went...
