Over the years, many of the participants I have trained have asked to use some of the phrases I have used to explain certain concepts in our training programs. This post spells out some of those phrases. I've put the actual phrases in quotation marks.
When introducing Unit IV, Verbal Intervention, I like to remind participants that “there is no verbal silver bullet that will put down the crisis werewolf.” This communicates that the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® program does not provide a script of exactly what to say in any given situation, but it does give staff verbal GUIDELINES for verbalizing their messages to get the most positive outcomes.
“You don't have to be a canvass for their ‘verbal vomit.’” This phrase also refers to Unit IV. It refers to the fact that while we allow for people to release, we should also remove the audience. In other words, staff don't have to be targets for verbal abuse by patients, students, and others. We can still allow for the release behavior, yet do something constructive while the release behavior is happening. This obviously has to be balanced with Empathic Listening in order to figure out the reason behind the venting behavior.
“Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security℠ is the glue that binds the concepts of the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training program together.” I have also referred to that philosophy as the “light at the end of the crisis tunnel.” It is our end goal as well as a guide to our decision-making process when we’re deciding HOW to intervene. Additionally, we can instruct our staff to “weave the thread of Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security℠ into the fabric of our workplace culture.”
“Run to the crisis, but walk through the door” indicates that staff should hurry to the site of the crisis situation, but physically approach the situation in a calm manner, keeping in mind that staff kinesic behavior can either escalate or de-escalate a situation.
“‘Give’ is the final nail in the crisis coffin.” This speaks to the last piece in the COPING Model℠ and indicates that there is a logical end to the Postvention debriefing process.
Finally, when emphasizing the importance and relevance of the Postvention process, I encourage staff to realize that “debriefing and Therapeutic Rapport doesn't take time; it SAVES time.” This is designed to get staff to invest in debriefing as a way to get a return on their overall intervention investment.
I encourage Certified Instructors to use these analogies to help their staff make better sense of the concepts in the program. I will provide a second post on additional phrases in the future. Please share your comments below!