I attended the 3 day course delivered by Des. Des was extremely engaging and facilitated the 3 days very well. The 3 days were challenging and thought provoking but Des delivers the training with such skill that all trainees appeared relaxed and able to learn.

I have been an instructor of PBS training as part of my role, including the theory and physical techniques, for many years,  so prior to the course I was looking forward to seeing some alternative techniques. I approached the course interested to see some alternative physical interventions. The theory element was pretty much similar to what I deliver but the alternative physical techniques I was very impressed with and after 30 years of working within this area and having attended many physical intervention training packages over the years I have to say this course has really made me think about the overall approach to physical interventions. I believe all staff would benefit from attending this training, even if they have vast experience of delivering PBS training and physical interventions.  

As this is an update course I have already put ideas into use in my classroom. The distraction techniques can be very effective in eliminating behavious

I recently attended the 'Descal8' training with Des and I am really impressed.

I have attended a few [other company name removed] training courses in the past and thought this would be similar. However it was not.

There are two aspects that really stood out to me:

1. The course is cleverly designed to increase your confidence over the course of 3 days, using techniques such as role play and practice sessions that slowly increase in intensity. This is great as it can feel like a real representation of a situation that can occur and gets you thinking fast! - By day 3 I definitely had more confidence and do feel I could implement what I have learnt should a situation arise (which, of course, we always hope it won't).

2. This was the most important part which stood out to me.  This course taught me the least restrictive practice I've ever come across! Previous training programs I have attended, taught maneuvers that were very hands on and in some cases restricted the movements of the service user, which has the potential to cause more distress. Descal8 shows you ways that help you gain control over the situation and not the person. And that, to me, is perfect.

Thanks again - It's definitely a course you will remember! :)

I have just completed the 3 day D.ESCAL8 course. I am a BCBA who currently works both in the U.K. and abroad. I cannot recommend this course highly enough. For me, this course provided the missing piece of the puzzle. I would encourage all ABA practitioners, and indeed all others involved in the care or education system in general, to attend this course. It encompasses the ABA approach whilst providing valuable crisis management techniques.

Des as a trainer is engaging, knowledgable and compelling. He challenges preconceived ideas and provokes mind set change with astounding efficiency. I have attended other “physical intervention” courses in the past. D.ESCAL8 provides an alternative so far superior you will wonder why it isn’t the only option.

Des made a huge difference to Woodbridge Park. We have been on a rapid journey towards a more holistic, trauma-informed approach with our children and young people; moving away from traditional black and white behaviourist principles. Des joined us at the right time in this journey and provided some intensive staff support and training which has had a significant impact on our procedures and on staff practice. Thanks to Des’ calm, reassuring manner, our staff engaged intently with training and it was clear that many had a few ‘light bulb’ moments when it all suddenly made sense.

Des inspired and motivated our whole service to think differently about behaviour and to focus on what is really going on with a child or young person. As a result of Des’ support, we have developed a trail-blazing pupil induction and targeted support toolkit which clearly identifies underlying causes of negative behaviours and personal triggers. We revised our Development Plan to focus on trauma, attachment and reducing staff and pupil stress and anxiety and focused all our energies in approaching children and young people with curiosity, not judgment. Since 2018, our challenging behaviour incidents have fallen around 50%, our fixed-term exclusions have reduced from over 100 per year to less than 15, with no pupils; for over a year; with more than one exclusion. Our school attendance has also improved over the last two years and we remain above national averages. Des was part of this success and this journey and we cannot speak highly enough about him, his energy and approach.

The course was absolutely fantastic and I believe everyone in the care industry should receive this training as standard. I felt particularly empowered by the whole philosophy of de-escalate and its client centered approach. The course encourages you to challenge personal beliefs and societal presumptions which could be unhelpful when assisting an individual in distress. Instead it allows you to develop confidence in knowing how to act in a high arousal situation which you may find challenging, this confidence then in turn assists youto respond in more helpful low aroused ways rather than resorting to touch and restraint which is likely to distress clients further.

Des is a fantastic trainer who delivers course content in an engaging way which meets all learning styles. His knowledge of the subject was above and beyond including psychology, law, case examples, research and much more! I particularly enjoyed the role plays which was an invaluable way of learning, I don’t want to give too much away but let’s just say the pressure you’re put under compares to VERY realistic situations which was an invaluable learning experience!