Second time I've been on the 3 day course with Des, and it was as informative and fun as the first time. It gives me renewed confidence in my work as a support worker and that benefits the people I work with and the people we care for.

It is so effective that when I took a job as a teaching assistant the rest of the staff were surprised with the ease that I took to the role, the rapport that I built quickly

with the students and my calmness in stressful situations. They believed that it came naturally but I have a large part of that to thank D.escal8 for- the principles, practices and training in physical interventions of the course instills a calmness and ease that others just pick up on, and it is beneficial to everyone. Not all training is created equal, and having been on a different course I can easily say that this one is superior and I hope one day that D.escal8 is the industry standard- our industry has some catching-up to do.

It is also interesting as a Psychology student that Des has definitely done his homework- and even points out some flaws and misconceptions about the field which is evidenced by real world experience and research- something that is very positive as Psychology is a science and we have to continue experimenting and reviewing knowledge we take as unquestionable, or else it becomes dogma. So it is gratifying that this work is also helping to forward the field of Psychology too. Thanks a lot, Des! See you on the next one 🙂

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I've worked in the Care and Education industry for many years and attended a number of physical intervention courses. D.escal8 has been the most worthwhile, meaningful course I've experienced. I came away feeling confident and empowered with  a deeper understanding of my role and how to deliver physical interventions more effectively and compassionately to individuals in distress.

Des is a really interesting guy and has a great deal of knowledge and experience to back up his strategies and techniques. This course is a real eye-opener and will challenge your thinking!

Thanks Des, really enjoyed the course!

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I am a shift leader at [..]. I thoroughly enjoyed this de escalation training. There wasn’t a time that I was not engaged with what Des was speaking about. He brought me out of my comfort zone and I’ve never learnt so much about the way our minds work and how to make high arousal levels decrease with such simple yet effective techniques. He trained in a non judgmental environment, it’s been a pleasure.

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the training I received! It was a very different experience than my previous courses in the best way. The attention to detail and the realism within the physical aspects of the training have increased my confidence greatly with my job as a support worker. Thank you so much!

I must say the training I received was on top calibre. I must give it to Des, and Kieran made it feel real, explained it very clearly and detail and it wasn't like any other training I have done in the past as they did it so proactively and made it fun so you can sink in the information I highly recommend them to broaden up the skills you need as they made me more confident in my job role just want to thank you both for teaching me the skills and made me for confident in my job role 10/10 all the way!

I just wanted to leave a testimonial as I finished a 3 day course with Des. I’d previously done a similar course with another company but I found that I learnt so much more from Des from the way that he doesn’t use slide after slide on a PowerPoint presentation, takes the time to really explain things and took the time to show us the techniques until we were confident to move on to the next one.

Having undertaken a range of de-escalation based training courses, I can say D.ESCAL8 is by far the best I've experienced. The techniques incorporated have given me the skills and confidence to approach situations where they need implementing with confidence and, just as crucially, the knowledge that the techniques will not just help minimise the time a person will be in crises but cause no short or long term physical or mental distress for any individual they are undertaken with. D.ESCAL8 takes a refreshing approach to de-escalation with an ethos based on cooperating with individuals and not seeking to physically control them.

This course was an eye opener. It tested me, put me out of my comfort zone and challenged long standing beliefs about the care I provide for the better. I cannot recommend this course nor its trainers enough.

I personally have been receiving De escalate training from Des for 8 years, and it has radically changed how i work with people, behaviours, and my own family.

Before I was sent on a deescalate course, i was trained in [[..redacted..]] and the service that I worked in had padded rooms for ways to help children who were dysregulated.

On the first D8 course I learnt the most important lesson for myself which was i don't have to win, and that it was ok to give something to stop a behaviour so you could go away and plan for another day.

Physical interventions halved almost straight away and over time have become a very rare experience done only as a last resort for when there is Imminent danger and everything else had been tried and failed.

I view behaviour more holistically and look for the communication and function in it. This over the years has been one of the greatest changes to my personal development with working with children with additional needs and more generally people.

The Ethos of what de-escalate gave me is what all carers need to be effective practitioners.

All staff in my service have been De escalate trained for several years now but we asked Des to attend my service for a bespoke course to help us refresh the way we were looking and understanding behaviour.

Des gave a very insightful and in-depth course which helped refresh the teams understanding and functions of behaviours and what part we play in that.

The whole team were engaged and interested in the content and were able to go away straight away and used the refreshed techniques that we discussed.

Des has a way of giving the information and ideas so that everyone can answer there own questions themselves.

We would not use any other training or trainer for our service.

I just wanted to message to update you as I have been back in work for a week or so now with Descal8 training. I feel compelled to message actually because I have really noticed the benefits. Both working with the new service user in our care and with service users I have worked with before who are exhibiting new behaviours. The simple approach of being understanding and offering rewarding solutions to avoid extreme incidents is not necessarily revolutionary, but I can’t stress enough how the message being reiterated makes understanding and respectful care feel so much more natural. Everything has worked so far and even though I have never used physical intervention, I now feel like there might not even be a need in 99% of the situations. Again just thankyou so much and I can’t wait for you to meet the rest of the team

Thankyou again for a brilliant training course, I have been on other training courses before that are focused on reducing behaviours that individuals may find challenging. But this particular course with D.escal8 exceeded my expectations and left me feeling more informed and confident than I did before with my previous training. The training was so much more focused on the reasoning behind behaviour rather than attempting to control behaviour. I feel that this training highlights the complexities of behaviour and helps people to develop a better understanding for the people they are caring for. I would definitely recommend D.escal8 to others in the future.

I attended Des's 3 day de-escalate training 28th,29th of Feb and 1st March 24. This was a real eye opener and I can honestly say one of the best training sessions I have ever attended, that our company has organised. It put the previous training of dealing with individuals with challenging behaviour to shame. It's started from the begining by having a much better name which was " Developing Positive Relationships with individuals in Distress" and only got better. The information was clear and very informative and was explained with various real life examples and stories which really helped me to understand everything that much easier. It was a good mixture of theory and practical and went at a pace which kept everyone intrested and infocus at all times. I have only scratched the surface of an exceptional trainer, his excellent training and his course. Can't wait for the rest of our staff to experience this themselves. Many thanks again Des.

I have just attended a bespoke training course which included discussions, situation analysis, the latest thinking on the holistic approach to what and why certain behaviours can occur. This training has led to continued talks at work and sensitivity to possible behavioural triggers. So valuable.

I just wanted to email to say it's not very often I go on a course and I talk about it so much to friends and family and I rarely feel so many positive feelings about it.

Not only have you built my confidence with working in this sector but you've helped me as a person develop.

I have had a very negative view of learning due to past experiences of the old school teaching methods.

These methods for a long time after did tend to make me feel very anxious prior to any course and then I would make excuses and not do things I really wanted to achieve.

When you spoke about all these feelings it really helped and then I didn't feel as anxious and I started to enjoy learning instead of worrying about failure or making a fool of myself, hope that makes sense.

So I just wanted to say I appreciate that and I should have said that at the off load stage but I didn't.

You are very good at what you do so full credit to you.. I know this because it's left that positive vibe.

Anyway I'm glad it's off my chest now though.

Look forward to another course soon

After having just one shift as a support worker, I felt pretty overwhelmed and out of my depth. Luckily, my company booked me in for the deescal8 course and after completing it, I feel much more able to care for the person that I'm supporting. The course emphasises treating the person you're caring for as you would like to be treated, with dignity and autonomy. It also teaches you physical skills in a safe and relaxed environment, and that is in the best interests of your safety, your colleagues and that of the person that you're supporting, in a way that's least distressing. Des would remind us that "when you have the assurance that you can use these skills, it increases your confidence and therefore less likely to need them". I'd recommend this course to anyone already in the care sector and to people interested in working in the care sector.

I'm so glad that this was the first training course I've done for supporting people in distress. I've been reflecting on the course since and everytime I do I learn something new. The course teaches you how to support an individual in the least restrictive way possible but more importantly it teaches you about how to manage your emotions and perceptions so that you can reduce the need for restraint in the first place. Thank you for an amazing learning experience!

Thank you for the 3 day Supporting People in Distress training. The training is completely different from any other training of this nature that I have done previously, in the best way possible. The training is engaging and thought provoking. It really does make you think about interactions with people. The training is also made to feel real, and not forced or unnatural as other training can be. The training felt very safe and felt that all on the course where able take it at their own pace but feel including in the course. Thank you again and look forward to my update day!

Hey Des hope you're well,just wanted to reaffirm how game changing this training is compared with any other training I've done before.

The least restrictive methods always first and foremost.

All of the techniques taught were techniques I've not seen before and worked so much better and were tested in very realistic scenario's during the training whereas the different maneuvers I've been taught before weren't tested and easily forgotten.

To sum it all up, an amazing 3 day training course I for one suggest the whole of the sector uses because it is by far the best training out there! And will greatly benefit the incredible people we support, ourselves and our co-workers.

I felt this course perfectly balanced, both the theory and law, focusing on ACEs and how this affects a young person’s behaviour then going on to cover de-escalation techniques that historically staff have maybe not had when working with young people.

Also, the physical side of the training, with the trainer giving us a list of profiles to choose from which give an overview of a young person before acting this out and expecting us to work through what we had learned while under pressure.

I found this to be the most realistic training I have been on, and it really put you in the type of situation that staff find themselves in while working in the services.

In my 20 yrs in the industry and 100’s of courses I have attended this was by far the most thought provoking, relevant and realistic approach to supporting individuals. This course could make an unmeasurable difference, not only to the individual’s you support but to staff moral within your team. Couldn’t recommend highly enough.

D.ESCAL8 helped me feel confident and safe in the most distressed state that service users could find themselves in, but more importantly opened my eyes to the sheer amount of things we can do before we have no choice but to physically get involved. I would recommend to anyone who wants to protect and improve the lives of those we care for.

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I have attended many types of intervention training over my 25 years working in health and social care, DESCAL8 is the first training I have attended that puts the focus on the individual as the centre of the process, the focus on working with the individual to ensure everyone is kept safe whilst anxiety is high but without the need for force and control to ‘manage’ the risks. The psychology behind the theory gives a strong thought structure to ensure application of physical practice is applied with the right value basis attached. I have completed the 3 days walking away with a fresh perspective, with the right value basis and knowledge that I can support myself/team to stay safe without the need to control individual when they are experiencing high levels of distress- ensuring that the support they receive is build on trust and respect that is not broken at these times. Absolutely amazing!

I have been working with individuals who display behaviour that may challenge for about 6 years. In this time, I have completed various types of physical intervention training from different providers.

Although these were good, I have found the D.escal8 training to be significantly better at helping me understand and consider the reasons behind challenging behaviour. The interventions were taught in a way that made them both memorable and adaptable. In addition, the positive impact on my confidence and attitude has extended beyond my work life.

Des is very knowledgeable. His qualifications and experience speak for themselves.

Hi Des trust you are doing well. On Monday while on duty with another member of staff we had a major incident in the community that lasted for nearly thirty minutes.

I thought you would like to know we used the De-esculate techniques you taught and they worked extremely effectively.

Nothing like proving something works well when in a real life situation.

The training is very informative and challenges expectations about challenging behaviour. It encourages it's participants to think in a more person centred way than they may be used to from other training. The practical aspects of the course are vital for improving form and building confidence

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The experience was incredible I learnt so much as a support worker. I feel as though after taking this training I can be so much more confident and so much better at my job . Des is incredible he teaches you so much and gets you to really think outside the box!

Des course has provided me with so many pro-active strategies and taught me that there is so much we can do before we restrain a person. The compassion, trauma informed and focus on dignity and respect really came across to me during the course. He is extremely interactive and we feel we have had the opportunity to practice well and receive feedback. Highly recomended!

I have been involved in care/ support work for over thirty years and this was the sixth provider of this type of training I have attended. I was also a company trainer for several years as well.

I really wish I had recieved the D.ESCAL8 training many years ago it is way beyond any other training both in practice and theory.

The practical is so hands on and in the past I have left training with doubts that it would ever work in practice. The role plays on the third day left me with no doubt this training is extremely effective and works.

There was a real focus on the relationships with clients and supporting people in distress when everything else has tried and failed involving discussion that really encouraged the whole group to contribute.

We were told at the beginning of the course we would not hear the words "challenging behaviour" but focus on supporting people in distress and I that was just they way the course was presented.

If you have had doubts in the past about training then I would strongly recommend you attended this course as I believe that you as I was will not come away disappointed.

In one word "Brilliant"