The Correctional Trainer: The 4 E’s of Transformational Trainings, Part I

It is very frustrating to realize there is a need for change, but not know how to make those changes happen. We are losing more staff than we are gaining. Not only that, but we have unacceptably high rates of stress, PTSD, depression, divorce, heart attacks, not to mention suicides. These are not getting much better. Our current approach is unsustainable. Why are we not able to make significant inroads on those issues? We can learn from Albert Einstein, who said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”Many training academies have made changes. They realize the importance of experiential learning and have made changes in their training methods, and this is good. [Tell me and I will forget; show me and I may remember; but involve me, then I will understand.] However, this is only part of the solution. We need to change our thinking about the training itself if we are to reduce the harm done to many staff by our work.