De-escalation & Non-Physical Intervention Skills- Advanced (Zoom)

Building confidence, competence, and calm in the face of hostility, aggression, and crisis.

Aggression and conflict in health and social care settings can leave lasting psychological impacts on staff and compromise the quality of care. Matching hostility with hostility only escalates danger; true safety comes from structured, evidence-based, non-physical approaches that defuse volatile situations while preserving human dignity.

This practical professional development course equips frontline care workers with the neuroscience, self-regulation techniques, and practical verbal and non-verbal skills needed to de-escalate high-stress encounters safely and confidently.

Key Learning Highlights

• The Brain in Crisis: Understand the neuroscience behind the “amygdala hijack”, why the primitive brain takes over during conflict and why logic fails until emotional arousal is reduced.
• Decode the Drivers of Aggression: Recognise how unmet needs, fear, frustration, loss of control, and shame drive reactive aggression.
• The Anger Continuum: Learn to identify where an individual sits on the continuum of anger (Irritation - Agitation - Rage/Crisis) and match your intervention proportionately.
• Master the PALMS Technique: Learn how to utilise this clear, structured framework to handle dangerous incidents without physical force:
• Your Calm is the Intervention: Develop personal self-regulation strategies (controlled breathing, cognitive reframing, and the thinking pause) to prevent entering counter-escalation loops.
• Telephone De-escalation: Adapt vocal presence, tone, pace, and boundaries for phone-based interactions where non-verbal cues are absent.
• Preventative Positional Safety: Master physical stances (such as the 45-degree angle) and environmental awareness to avoid being cornered, attacked, or restrained.

Why Choose This Course?

Focusing entirely on non-physical intervention, this course turns frightening encounters into opportunities for professional, therapeutic resolution. It translates complex neurological concepts into memorable frontline habits, ensuring you, your colleagues, and those in your care remain protected.

Who Should Attend: Health and Social Care Workers, Care Home Staff, Community Support Workers, Medical Staff, and Telephone Support Professionals.

(For foster carers, social workers and children's home staff, please see our other course: Positive Behaviour & De-escalation Skills (with Playfulness from PACE)

Format: This is a live training session through the platform "Zoom". It includes taught sections, small group work, work in pairs, and whole group discussions.

Hand-outs & Certificates: Full hand-outs and sources of further information will be provided.