Teaching interpersonal communication skills is important, but to transform attitudes and relationships, the training design must include community building – or establishing a container of trust. This is the unique element of the Immersive Experiential Training© design, and is supported by current neuroscience research.
So what is it really like?
Each Immersive Experiential training is 2 or 3 days long and ideally includes 16 to 20 staff of different ranks and from different departments. This improves relationships and communication among all staff and cooperation between departments.
We encourage top administration officials to participate in early workshops – this lets the staff know they are serious about changing the work culture.
At the end of each training, participants develop a list of possible improvements within the prison. These can be used by administration for planning.
All that is needed for each training is a classroom-type setting and participants dressed in street clothes. Depending on the needs of the staff, other individualized agendas can be developed.
American Jail Association Annual Conference 2022
Teambuilding Attitude Conflict Transformation© covers:
- Establishing safety
- Building community (container of trust)
- Conflict styles
- Communications
- Listening
- Assertiveness
- Problem solving
- Stress impact and reduction
- Anger source, purpose and management
- Attitude skills
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Personal responsibility
- Emotional management
Effective Supervisor Skills Leadership Training covers:
- Establishing safety
- Building community (container of trust)
- Decision making
- Listening
- Personal conflict management style
- The use of power
- Teamwork
- Motivation
- Empathy
- Problem solving
- Negotiation
- Anger source, purpose and management
- Assertiveness
- Feedback
- Leadership
- Setting SMART goals
- Mediation
Training has been provided to these organizations:
- Delaware Probation and Parole
- Tennessee Probation and Parole
- Philadelphia Prison System
- North Caolina Department of Adult Prisons
- New Jersey DOC Training Academy
- Delaware DOC Training Academy
- Massachusets DOC
- Marion [Ohio} Correctional Institution
- Succex {Delaware] Correctional Institution
- Russia Prison System
- South Africa Prison System
Types of trainings:
- Teambuilding Attitude Conflict Transformation [TACT]; personal resilience skills training
- Anger Management
- Effective Supervisor Skills training
- De-Escalation Training
2023 National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice