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Welcome to CPI’s Professional Development Series for Educators

CPI’s Professional Development Series for Educators was developed to further enrich staff skills in resolving problematic workplace behaviors before they escalate. The information presented in this and subsequent modules will be relevant and applicable to anyone who has been engaged in a challenging or difficult situation in the workplace.

Who is CPI?

CPI is an international training organization committed to best practices for supporting positive behavior that focus on prevention. Through a variety of specialized offerings and innovative resources, CPI educates and empowers professionals to create safe and respectful work environments. This enables professionals to enrich not only their own lives, but also the lives of the individuals they serve.

Since 1980, over 10 million human service professionals around the world have participated in CPI training programs to learn proven strategies for safely resolving situations when confronted by anxious, hostile, or violent behavior, while protecting the therapeutic relationships with those in their care.

Promoting Positive Behavior Using Person-Centered Supports contains two modules. Module 1 will define behavior, challenging behavior, why challenging behaviors occur, and staff perceptions as well as introduce strategies for Promoting Positive Behaviors.

In Module 2 we explore how to promote positive behaviors through person-centered planning and supports. This expands and applies learning from Module 1.

Facilitation Options for Promoting Positive Behavior Using Person-Centered Supports
You can choose to present the modules together or over two separate sessions. Assess the needs and current knowledge level of your staff when choosing how you will facilitate this module. For example, if your staff have a solid understanding and foundation about what and why challenging behaviors occur, you may choose to use Module 2 only.

Your Facilitator Guide mirrors the Learner’s Guide with the answers included. Additional Instructor notes and facilitation directions for all suggested activities are in italicized letters and indicated by this Note icon.

These modules do not present specific Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) methods. They are intended to provide staff with a general understanding of challenging behaviors and strategies staff can use to support positive behaviors.

Course Outline

Activity: Session Introduction
Duration: 5 minutes
Action: Review the session overview, learning objectives, and Due Care guidelines.
Desired Outcome: Agenda and learning objectives reviewed. Participants welcomed, common ground established.

Activity: Self-Assessment and Review
Duration: 5–10 minutes
Action: Invite participants to consider and record thoughts relating to the self-assessment questions. Share some of your own examples in response to questions on the self-assessment and ask participants to share some of their examples. Record these on a flip chart. You will be integrating these responses into the module.
Desired Outcome: Assess participants’ experiences intervening with and supporting individuals who engage in challenging behaviors. Create common ground or understanding.

Activity: What Is Challenging Behavior?
Duration: 10 minutes
Action: Discuss/review key points. Ask staff to fill in blanks in the workbook.
Desired Outcome: Develop common understanding for defining and identifying challenging behavior.

Activity: Why Does Challenging Behavior Occur?
Duration: 5 minutes
Action: Identify and discuss factors that can trigger challenging behavior. Ask staff to share examples.
Desired Outcome: Recognition that ultimately, staff can only control their own behaviors.

Activity: Activity: Influences
Duration: 10–15 minutes
Action: Review directions for activity. Explain activity to participants; invite them to participate. Debrief activity using discussion questions.
Desired Outcome: Explore the internal and external causes of challenging behaviors and the influence these can have on an individual’s behavior.

Activity: Person-Centered Supports
Duration: 10 minutes
Action: Outline concepts of supporting positive behavior using person-centered supports. Describe person-centered support model.
Desired Outcome: Introduce and discuss the concept of person-centered supports.

Activity: Person-Centered Thinking
Duration: 5 minutes
Action: Define the term person-centered thinking and share relevant examples.
Desired Outcome: Introduce and discuss the concept of person-centered thinking.

Activity: Activity: Assessing Behavior
Duration: 10 minutes
Action: Review directions for activity. Explain activity to participants; invite them to participate. Debrief activity using discussion questions.
Desired Outcome: Help team/participants improve understanding of the impact of challenging behavior.

Activity: Person-Centered Planning
Duration: 10 minutes
Action: Define the term person-centered planning and share relevant examples.
Desired Outcome: Introduce and discuss the concept of person-centered planning.

Activity: Activity: What Is Behavior Telling Us?
Duration: 5 minutes
Action: Review directions for activity. Explain activity to participants; invite them to participate. Debrief activity using discussion questions.
Desired Outcome: Consider how a person may communicate differently in different situations. Develop a communication plan to begin supporting people more effectively and positively.

Activity: Person-Centered Action
Duration: 5–10 minutes
Action: Define the term person-centered action and share relevant examples.
Desired Outcome: Introduce and discuss the concept of person-centered action.

Activity: Activity: Our Purpose and Success
Duration: 5 minutes
Action: Review directions for activity. Explain activity to participants; invite them to participate. Debrief activity using discussion questions.
Desired Outcome: Help teams/participants gain a better understanding of their purpose and achievements.

Activity: Conclusion and Action Plan
Duration: 5 minutes
Action: Ask participants to record their thoughts to the questions on the Action Plan. Encourage staff to be as specific as possible regarding what they can do as individuals and/or groups as soon as they return to their worksites.
Desired Outcome: Participants will reflect on information from the session and apply it to their personal work situation.

Promoting Positive Behavior Using Person-Centered Supports

Use this worksheet as a resource to help you prepare for your presentation. Add other items as needed.

Session Materials:

Please be sure to bring the following to the session:

Electronic Presentation and Learner’s Guides.

Extra pens or pencils.

Additional visual support (e.g., whiteboard, flip chart, and markers).

Laptop, projector, and screen.

Certificates of completion (optional).

Overview

The workshop is estimated to run 60–90 minutes.

This interactive session, Promoting Positive Behavior Using Person-Centered Supports Module 2 shares preventive options for managing challenging behavior and reducing the incidence of crisis.

The content requires tailoring to the specific needs of the participants. While the information in this module can be applied to any workplace setting, adjustments can be considered specific to:

Your workplace setting.

The role of the person delivering the information.

The nature of the information to be shared.

The person/persons to whom you are delivering the information.

Facilitator Role

As the facilitator of this session, you are responsible for:

Presenting content in a clear, effective manner.

Minimizing as many distractions as possible.

Ensuring everyone’s ideas are heard.

Covering all of the session objectives and content.

Answering questions about the content.

Customizing the session to reflect your environment and context (i.e., what are the needs/challenges of educators in parochial schools versus public or independent?).

Ensuring Due Care guidelines are followed.

Participant’s Role

Participants are responsible for:

Participating fully in the session by:

Asking clarifying questions.

Participating in the activities such as assessments, case studies, and/or skills practices.

Sharing experiences.

Abiding by session Due Care guidelines.

Due Care Guidelines

The philosophy of CPI programs is to provide the best Care, Welfare, Safety, and SecuritySM for all individuals you may encounter on the job. This workshop has been designed to provide the same Care, Welfare, Safety, and SecuritySM for you as you participate and learn the strategies presented.

Please respect the ground rules outlined by your Instructor while participating in this workshop.

I will:

Treat everyone respectfully.

Accept differences of opinion and try to learn from the views of others.

Avoid behavior that is unprofessional or disruptive to learning.

Participate fully and act on the Instructor’s direction during all activities and role-plays.

Create a safe and respectful environment.

Cooperate, not compete.

Respect confidentiality.

Personal or clearly identifiable issues should be avoided. Any details that could be perceived as private in nature should be excluded from examples and experiences that are shared.

Throughout this module, I will often ask you to consider your own experiences as we explore various concepts and skills. CPI has created this module as a learning tool to help us think about our experiences intervening with challenging behaviors and exploring strategies for promoting positive behaviors.

Objectives

Introduce the concept of promoting positive behavior as an organizational goal.

Examine the concept of person-centered planning.

Identify factors that can trigger challenging behavior.

Utilize person-centered activities for supporting positive behavior.

Establish and maintain a workplace culture of Care, Welfare, Safety, and SecuritySM.

Session Introduction

CPI’s Professional Development Series for Educators can further enrich staff skills in resolving challenging workplace behaviors before they escalate. The information presented in this module will be relevant and applicable to anyone who has been engaged in a difficult situation in the workplace.

Many children will, at some point in their life, engage in challenging behavior. It is a part of developing as a human being.

Often, children will engage in challenging behavior because they don’t know what else to do. They may even have learned through past experience that these behaviors work at getting them what they want.

As staff, we can choose to support positive behaviors with the goal of reducing challenging behaviors.

Promoting Positive Behavior Using Person-Centered Supports contains two modules in CPI’s Professional Development Series for Educators.

Module 1: Introduction

What is challenging behavior?

Why does it occur?

Module 2: Application

How can staff promote and support positive behaviors?

Person-centered planning.

Self-Assessment

The self-assessment asks about participants’ experiences. This means the responses will vary based on individual and group experiences. As Instructors, we will want to recognize and validate participant responses. Participants can answer questions individually or in groups/pairs. Briefly review answers. Remember that throughout this module, you will refer back to the self-assessment responses and comments. These can be used to guide or begin discussions.

Please take a moment to reflect on these questions and record your answers below. The self-assessment sets the stage for learning in this module. You will be asked to share examples as your group progresses through the module.

Do you or have you worked with someone whose behavior is challenging? Briefly describe your experiences.

Do you or have you worked with staff who struggle to support people who engage in challenging behaviors? Briefly describe your experiences.

What strategies do you or have you used to support positive behaviors?

How might you describe person-centered supports?

What Is Challenging Behavior?

It is important to remember that we are skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced at managing difficult, disruptive, or challenging behavior.

You can begin this session by briefly reviewing the self-assessment questions:

Do you or have you worked with someone whose behavior is challenging? Briefly describe your experiences.

Do you or have you worked with staff who struggle to support people who engage in challenging behaviors? Briefly describe your experiences.

What strategies do you or have you used to support positive behaviors?

How might you describe person-centered supports? (You will discuss this question in more detail later in the module.)

You may want to begin by sharing examples of how you might answer these questions. Encourage your staff to share as well. The goal is to create some common ground, recognizing that children of all ages will engage in challenging behaviors and that successfully promoting positive behaviors is a team effort.

This module is designed to confirm and expand existing knowledge and practice. Challenge staff to consider adding alternatives to these existing practices and apply changes to their professional practice based on the information presented in this module.

Continue this module by reviewing the information in “What Is Challenging Behavior?”. This information serves as a foundation for building positive behavior supports. (If staff have participated in Module 1, this information will refresh their knowledge.)

Behavior: The observable activities or actions of people—the things we do.

Behavior is a form of communication.

Challenging behavior:

Interferes with children’s learning, development, and success at play.

Is harmful to the child, other children, or adults.

Puts a child at high risk for later social problems or school failure.

(Klass, Guskin, and Thomas, 1995; Ritchie and Pohl, 1995)

Challenging behavior often occurs when a person doesn’t have the appropriate language or social skills to achieve the same result.

People engage in challenging behavior because it works for them.

When determining if behavior is challenging or not, consider:

Is the behavior socially or culturally appropriate?

Is the behavior inappropriate for the person’s age or level of development?

Is the behavior dangerous to self or others?

Does the behavior interfere with learning, limit opportunities, or impact quality of life?

Why Does Challenging Behavior?

It is important to consider that behavior is most likely purposeful—it serves a function—it results in a person’s needs being met.

Understanding the “function” can help us see beyond the behavior and gain a better understanding of the person, potential motivators, triggers, or influences on their behavior.

Factors that can precipitate challenging behaviors are both internal and external.

Optional Activity: Influences (jump to directions for activity)

Purpose: Consider what influences challenging behavior.

Teams/participants explore internal and external causes of challenging behaviors.

List examples of internal and external factors that impact students.

What other examples can be shared from your own experiences?

Activity: Influences

Purpose: Teams/participants consider what influences challenging behavior. Explore internal and external causes of challenging behaviors.

How: Divide participants into small groups and ask them to discuss the following:

Consider the students you support and the factors which may influence their behavior. Ask participants to think about a particular student (past or present) they support and try to create a picture of their situation and the things that may be influencing their behavior. Factors can be examined in terms of internal and external influences. Ask participants to record their examples.

Ask each group to write down their examples and feedback.

Ask each group to share examples with the larger group.

Ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate and contribute.

Resources: Flip chart or whiteboard and markers.

Workplace Relevance: Helps participants to understand that behavior is complex and is influenced by many factors which can be termed internal or external.

Examining internal influences helps teams/participants to understand the personal factors which affect behavior.

Examining external influences helps teams/participants to understand the many environmental factors which affect behavior.

Understanding the influences on behavior helps teams/participants to gain a better insight to the person and to begin to identify supportive strategies.

Discussion Points: The more we understand factors that may precipitate behavior, the more likely we are to be able to tolerate the other person’s behavior. This understanding can help us to better cope with challenging behaivors. Learning why challenging behaviors occur provides the basis for deciding on the most effective ways of supporting the person (this includes changing our own behaviors).

Additional examples include but are not limited to:

Internal:

Biological, illness, etc.

Personality and characteristics

Sense of self

Communication skills

Psychological state

Learned response

External:

Physical environment

Social environment

Choice and control

Events and routines

Communication

Person-Centered Supports

Understanding the “function” can help us see beyond the behavior and gain a better understanding of the person, potential motivators, triggers, or influences on their behavior.

Function = the reason for the behavior.

After reviewing what challenging behavior is and why challenging behavior can occur, this module continues by focusing on how staff can more effectively intervene to promote positive behaviors. Begin by revisiting and reviewing participant answers to the self-assessment question “How might you describe person-centered supports?” as a transition to discussing this section. Responses can include providing the right environment and support, addressing skill deficits, improving communication, increasing choice and control, avoiding or modifying triggers, increasing engagement levels, improving coping skills, and using physical interventions as a last resort.

Continue by outlining the concept of Promoting Positive Behavior Using Person-Centered Supports.

The ultimate goal of “Promoting Positive Behavior” is to help and support people to adapt or moderate their behavior toward something which is more socially typical and appropriate.

Supporting Positive Behavior Using Person-Centered Supports:

Each individual is the best authority on their own experiences. Staff supports the person’s ability to fulfill their own potential. A person-centered approach is a way of interacting with people so that they are supported to strengthen and develop nonchallenging behaviors. For example:

Treat everyone as a unique individual.

Aim to promote positive and socially acceptable behaviors in order to prevent or reduce the occurrence of challenging behavior.

Avoid punishment in favor of natural, socially available, and acceptable rewards.

Regard the person as capable of fulfilling their own potential.

Develop a better understanding of what is impacting the person’s life.

Learn what is important to the person.

Discussion. Based on this description, engage your group in a brief discussion regarding the benefits of using person-centered supports. Include examples provided and invite the group to share others.

This model illustrates areas of focus for promoting person-centered supports. All areas work together to establish a more holistic approach toward supporting an individual.

Person-centered thinking: Identifying practical strategies for learning what services and support a person really needs and wants.

Person-centered planning: Learning what is most important to an individual at a moment in time. Interacting in a way that helps the individual remain part of the group and/or community.

Person-centered action: Working together with the person, their family, their friends, teachers, and other professionals to make positive things happen.

This module continues with a sample activity for each area of person-centered supports: thinking, planning, and action. These activities are intended to assist staff in applying the information you have shared so far. The Facilitator Guide contains activity directions and worksheets. The Learner’s Guide contains worksheets only. Certified Instructors are welcome to use these activities as they are presented or make adaptations to meet the needs of your group. Encourage your group to participate fully and consider how these activities can be used in the future.

Optional Activity: Assessing Behavior (jump to directions for activity)

Purpose: To help teams improve understanding of behavior.

Remaining objective will help staff to gain a clear picture of a person’s behavior as sometimes our values, beliefs, and attitudes color how we see the person.

Person-Centered Planning

Person-centered planning: Learning what is most important to an individual at a moment in time. Interacting in a way that helps the individual remain part of the group and/or community.

Person-centered planning identifies the needs and goals of the person. It emphasizes:

Community participation.

Meaningful social relationships.

More opportunities for choice.

The creation of valued roles respected by others.

Ongoing development of personal competencies.

The strengths and skills of an individual.

Optional Activity: What Is Behavior Telling Us? (jump to directions for activity)

Purpose: To consider how a person may communicate differently in different situations.

Developing a communication plan is the beginning of supporting people more effectively and positively.

Person-Centered Action

Person-centered action: Working together with the person, their family, their friends, teachers, and other professionals to make positive things happen.

Embedded into Working Culture

Establish ongoing relationships with all involved parties.

All actions based around the principles of person-centered excellence.

New staff immersed into a positive culture, adding value and strength.

Supported by Strong Leadership

Through foresight and imagination, leaders take the organization forward in directions that strengthen and improve the service they provide.

Optional Activity: Our Purpose and Success (jump to directions for activity)

Purpose: To help teams gain a better understanding of their purpose and their achievements.

Person-Centered Supports

Provide the right environment and support.

Address skill deficits.

Improve communication.

Increase choice and control.

Avoid or modify triggers.

Increase engagement levels.

Improve coping skills.

Use physical interventions as a last resort.

Person-Centered Team

Has a sense of purpose.

Has a clear mission, vision, and shared values.

Allocates roles and tasks based on member’s strengths, interests, skills, knowledge, and experience.

Regularly reflects and shares their learning.

Thinks in a person-centered way and involves these fundamental principles and values every day.

Involves everyone, as far as possible, in decision making.

Discovers everyone’s unique skills and talents and decides how these can be best used to provide support to people using the service.

Discovers what support staff need and finds out the best way to offer this.

Is open and honest, and reflects on its performances.

Learns rather than criticizes.

Creates a service based on power with rather than power over the people who use the service.

(O’Brien, J. & Lovett, H., 1992)

Activity: Assessing Behavior

Purpose: To help teams/participants improve understanding of behavior. We need to be objective in order to gain a clear picture of a person’s behavior as sometimes our values, beliefs, and attitudes color how we see the person.

How: Divide participants into groups (between 4 and 6 people). Using the Observation Checklist, ask them to review one of the case studies and consider the following questions:

When thinking about the individual, what specific aspect of behavior is challenging?

How does using the Observation Checklist help clarify the discussion?

What impact does the challenging behavior have?

Encourage participants to discuss who they would involve in finding the answers to the questions.

Ask each group to write down their discussions and feedback.

Ask each group to share examples with the larger group.

Ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate and contribute.

Note: The case studies included in this guide are samples. You are invited to create additional case studies to match your setting.

Resources: Pens, flip chart paper, flip chart stand, adhesive tack, Observation Checklist and sample case studies.

Workplace Relevance: Helps participants to get a more objective understanding of a person’s behavior, factors which influence it, and the impact it may have.

Being objective helps participants/teams address the impact that personal attitudes, values, beliefs, and physiology have on our interpretation of the world and other people’s behavior.

Discussion Points: Factors that influence behavior do not occur in isolation, but interact in often very complex ways. Sometimes behavior is obvious when we see a direct cause or trigger (for example, if a person becomes upset when they lose an important possession). However, when supporting someone with behavioral challenges it is very difficult to be as precise as to the cause. We often don’t spend enough time with the person to understand the whole picture. Using a formal Observation Checklist can help us think systematically about the behavior, causative factors, who is affected, where it happens, etc.

As a result of challenging behavior, the following may occur:

Access to services is denied or restricted

Access to community facilities is denied

Lack of tolerance and acceptance

Breakdown in placements

Use of more restrictive interventions (e.g., physical, environmental, social)

Labeling and negative expectations

Breakdown in relationships

Limited opportunities

Resource implications

Negative attitudes

Punitive regimes and potential abuse

Recruitment and retention problems

Increase in adverse outcomes (e.g., physical injuries, stress and psychological distress, lost time, dissatisfactions and complaints, compensation and litigation)

Resource Sheet: Assessing Behavior

Sample Case Studies

Tim

Tim is a 7th grader with “learning disabilities in all subject areas,” according to his records, and a medical diagnosis of AD/HD. His intelligence scores are reported in the low average range. His most difficult class is science, in which he doesn’t turn in assignments on time or follow teacher directions very well. According to his teacher, when directions are given for individual written work, Tim wads up or tears up his paper. When the teacher asks him why he does this, he says he doesn’t want to do the work and he shouldn’t have to do it. If the teacher presses him to do it, a confrontation usually occurs. At these times, Tim quickly appears “out of control” and pounds on the table repeatedly or makes lewd gestures.

His parents describe him as having a “short fuse.” Tim has a few friends he sees on a limited basis, but they too are aware of his volatile nature and appear “afraid of his temper,” according to the school counselor. He has no history of starting fights, but somehow has gotten into numerous ones. Tim has had several office referrals, after school detentions, and 6 out of school suspensions. He usually sits by himself in class, has a “gruff” exterior, and rarely talks to other students. Students tend to giggle or turn to look at him when he is having a confrontation with the teacher.

Tim does comply with simple commands such as, “Get out your book,” or “Open to page 234.” However, he also tears up papers and appears angry a high percentage of time in the class. His teacher estimates that the reading level of the text and worksheets is difficult, even for some of the more capable students. The teacher does give everyone an outline with key points to help with comprehension.

Paula

Paula is a new student in Mr. Jackson’s 5th grade classroom. Paula’s parents are in the military and the family has lived in many locations. This is the 7th school Paula has attended.

Paula arrived at school today just before lunch. She appeared quiet and reserved until the class lined up for lunch. Paula rushed to be at the front of the line. The student behind her told her she’s not allowed to be first and called her a name. Paula began crying, threw her lunch box on the floor, and shoved the student who called her a name.

Mr. Jackson stated in a loud voice that Paula and the other student involved in the incident would not be allowed to have recess that day and that they would both need to be at the end of the lunch line. He then took the class to lunch. Paula sank to the floor in the classroom, crying. The other student walked past her at the end of the line and called her “dummy.”

Activity: What Is Behavior Telling Us?

Person-centered planning: Learning what is most important to an individual at a moment in time. Interacting in a way that helps the individual remain part of the group and/or community.

Purpose: Consider how a person may communicate differently in different situations. Developing a communication plan is the beginning of supporting people more effectively and positively.

How: Distribute Resource Sheet: Communication Passport. Continue using the case study and ask groups to work together to complete the chart. Teams can use previously identified behavior to interpret what the behavior communicates to others.

What do behaviors communicate about internal and external influences?

Is what the individual tells us verbally the same as what his behavior might tell us?

Encourage participants to think about the students they support and the situations and behaviors they manage.

Ask each group to write down their discussions and feedback.

Ask each group to share examples with the larger group.

Ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate and contribute.

Resources: Pens, flip chart paper, flip chart stand, adhesive tack or pins. Participant Resource Sheet: Communication Passport.

Workplace Relevance: Helps participants to get a better understanding of what the person is telling us. Learning about how the person communicates through their behavior in given situations allows us to improve our understanding of the factors which influence behavior.

Understanding the person’s moods, situations, preferences, and body language tells us a lot about them.

A communication chart will also help us to learn how to communicate more effectively with the person as well as to work out ways in which we can help the person communicate more effectively with us.

Discussion Points: Examining behavior and communication is helpful in building up a picture of why the person uses challenging behavior. Often people are telling us something through their actions rather than their words. Communication through spoken words is a small part of our overall communication process. We also depend on tone of voice, modulation and emphasis of voice, eye contact, facial expressions, hand and arm movements, posture, proximity, position, etc.

The communication chart is divided into four sections. It may never be fully completed as this should be an ongoing learning process.

Section 1: When . . . is happening . . .
What is going on at the time of or just prior to the behavior?
Is anything happening in the immediate environment?
Can we identify a trigger?
Has something happened or is something about to happen?

Section 2: And . . . does this . . .
State the behavior and describe it in clear statements that can be seen and measured.

Section 3: We think it means . . .
What does the behavior mean?
Do we have an understanding of how the person feels or thinks?
What are the person’s beliefs and values?

Section 4: And we can . . .
What should staff and other people do in response?

Resource Sheet: Communication Passport

Activity: Our Purpose and Success

Person-Centered Action

Purpose: To help teams/participants gain a better understanding of their purpose and their achievements. Creating posters helps people to create a powerful representation of their thoughts.

How: Divide participants into two groups. Using a flip chart and colored pens, ask group 1 to:

Illustrate a purpose poster which captures (without the use of words) why they exist as a team. What is their purpose or function?

Using a flip chart and colored pens, ask group 2 to:

Illustrate a success poster which captures (without the use of words) what success looks like.

Encourage participants to think about what purpose and success really means to them and the people they support.

Ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate and contribute.

Ask each group to provide feedback by describing their posters.

Resources: Markers, flip chart paper, flip chart stand, adhesive tack or pins.

Workplace Relevance: This helps participants to think about their purpose and to ensure they are all clear about what they are trying to achieve for the people they support.

Illustrating success in pictures is very powerful. Encouraging participants to think about success in terms of what they can see, feel, and hear also creates a greater sensory awareness of the achievements.

The exercise can be used as a one-off or be repeated by the team on a regular basis in order to ensure the work and the approaches team members undertake with the people they support remain within the scope of purpose agreed by the team.

Discussion Points: Create a purpose poster and illustrate the purpose of your team in three areas. Consider the following areas:

The make-up of the team: (Who is a member of the team?)

The individual

The staff

The organization

The families

Others?

Illustrate the purpose of the team. (Why does the team exist?)

Create a success poster and illustrate what success would be like for your team. Consider the following areas:

What would success look like for the team?

What does success look like? Sound like? Feel like?

How does the team learn? (Include formal and informal learning.)

How does the team share experiences?

How does the team share and support each other?

How does the team play, relax, and have fun?

What does a good team try to achieve in terms of outcomes for the people they support as well as the people who make up the team?

Action Plan

Provide your participants with a few moments to record their thoughts to the Action Plan questions. Ask them to share examples as time allows.

What about your current knowledge and/or experience has been confirmed by participating in this module?

What has been challenged? Why?

What will you change in your professional practice as a result of participating in this module?

For More Information

Additional CPI Professional Development Resources:

Educator Modules

Helping Educators Defuse Difficult Conversations

Proactive Strategies for Facing Crisis Situations Alone

Promoting Positive Behavior Using Person-Centered Supports Module 1

Video-on-Demand Video-based resource options accessed at crisisprevention.com.

Preventive Techniques II

Effective Limit Setting

Facing Conflict With Confidence

How to Excel at Verbal Intervention II

DVD-Based Resources

Your Plan of Action: How to Stay Safe When Intervening Alone

Developing an Effective Crisis Response Team

Visit crisisprevention.com for additional resources.

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