De-escalation: Prevention, Intervention, and Afterward

DMH UCLA Public Mental Health Partnership

Presented by Scott Fairhurst, PhD. Client escalation can put the safety of clients who are agitated and others around them at risk of harm and lead to both short- and long-term consequences. This training is designed for participants to learn about the phenomenon of escalation and to learn strategies for prevention, intervention, and resolving conflict. This training will address the cognitions, emotions, and actions of clients who are escalating and the cognitions of intervening professionals, particularly around the assessing of dangerousness. We will look at diversity issues and how these may contribute to escalation. Prevention strategies will be covered. Skill-building will be demonstrated using case examples and case conceptualization to facilitate conflict resolution. This training will address intervention strategies to de-escalate clients as well as techniques to address others who may have become escalated, including other professionals. Finally, we will practice an intervention to address mitigating the risk of ongoing resentment within the client’s support system.