The half day class (about 4 training hours) serves as an introduction to Edgework Methodology and violence prevention. The main focus of the class is identifying the three pillars to safety and how to achieve them.
- Calm of Self, becoming the “Eye of the Storm”
- Effective Listening and Communication
- De-Escalate Before Problem Solving
The class starts with discussion on the nature of a crisis and how to recognize when someone is in a crisis state. Proper intervention can not succeed if we don’t know why crisis occurs and how it effects the person in crisis. The training then moves on to control of self. The first step in the intervention process is to make sure we are grounded and “available” to help. From there we can focus on how to physically present ourselves and how to listen and communicate effectively to achieve success.
This half day class is packed with information and useful concepts that can help anyone begin understanding the safety considerations that come with interacting and helping a person in crisis. This class is meant to open the attendee’s mind to what exactly people are going through when they enter a crisis state. It begins to develop a state of empathy (not sympathy) in attendees that does not put the user in danger but acknowledges the person they are dealing with is having an emotional reaction to events in their life. The class may start to introduce techniques for more specific crisis situations (such as anger and rage behavior) however that is covered in greater detail in the day long class.
This class should be attended by anyone looking for some core concepts to help in their everyday life in terms of safety and de-escalation. Organizations looking for a half day introduction to help all their employees gain proficiency in recognizing crisis and controlling themselves should email for more information about setting up this class.
For organizations or individuals who are looking for more specific techniques or will most likely be interacting with people in crisis regularly, the day long class is recommended.
The half day class comes with a one-page flyer with safety tips and a simple review of the class. It does not come with a book written by the founder of Edgework Methodology, Ellis Amdur. NW Crisis Training can facilitate direct purchase of such books for your organization, if so desired. Or you can review the available books here http://edgeworkbooks.com/