Person centred crisis management training

Studio 3 is a specialist research and training organisation which was founded in 1990. The overall aim of the organisation is to provide high quality training in the specialist field of managing aggressive and challenging behaviour.

Over 150,000 people in the UK and Europe have received our training. Since 2011 professionals in South Africa also received the training and we are looking forward to expand the number of people to be trained in Africa. We consider ourselves to be market leaders in challenging behaviour training for a variety of care settings.

Studio 3 Training Systems provides a non aversive approach to challenging behaviour. We offer criterion-based training, working with staff to develop specific skills to meet the particular needs of the service user. It is essential that the background to the service user's problems is understood by all staff and that this understanding is used to define the direction in which these problems may be addressed.

Studio 3 is not a provider of generic physical intervention strategies as the majority of our work is designed to promote the management of challenging behaviour in a totally non-violent,gentle and dignified way by the use of "low-arousal" techniques and gentle physical skills.

Training staff to manage crises is a major service industry in the UK and Europe. Studio 3 Training Systems has been at the leading edge of such training for over a decade. This is a new approach in South Africa, but already the need for training in management of these stressful situations, is proven to be big. Organisations are also starting to become more aware of the effectiveness of person centred management.

The director of Studio 3 is Dr Andrew McDonnell BSc MSc PhD, who is a consultant clinical psychologist with numerous research publications in this field. Profiles of our other trainers The Studio 3 approach is typified by a major emphasis on applied research. This has led to an evidence based training system. A review of staff training in physical interventions (Allen 2000) reported that Studio 3 Training Systems accounted for 46% of all learning disabilities studies. As a British Institute of Learning Disabilities Accredited training provider Studio III adhere to the Bild Code of practice

"The BILD Code of Practice in Physical Interventions was launched at the BILD annual physical interventions conference in April 2001. The Code was developed to:

• Improve training outcomes
• Increase the level of staff skill and confidence
• Reduce injuries to staff and service users when physical interventions are employed
• Reduce the extent to which physical interventions are used
• Increase consistency among trainers in their approach to training
• Enable commissioners to make a more informed choice
• Improve standards within training in physical interventions

borrowed from Bild website http://www.bild.org.uk/physical_interventions/accreditation_information_sheet.htm

Our Approach

Studio 3 has developed an approach that is essentially unique in this field. There are a number of elements to our approach:

Person centred crisis management training.

This is not a paradoxical statement. As an organisation we support person centred non aversive behaviour change strategies. However, whilst it is desirable to develop alternative forms of expression for people who present with challenges, behavioural crises can occur even in the best resourced services.

Person centred crisis management training has five key elements:

1. Reflective Practice

Our training emphasises Reflective Practices. Staff/carers are often inadvertently causing challenging behaviours. If people realise they are part of the problem they can then accept that THEY are part of the solution.

2. Demand Reduction in Crisis

Our Low Arousal Philosophy often recommends the short term reduction of demands (sometimes including elements of behavioural programmes) on services users by staff. This allows for a ' cooling off' period. We train staff that this approach is both realistic and humane although it often challenges their own behaviour and attitudes.

3. Restrictive Practices

Studio 3 trainers aim to use the least restrictive physical interventions. Part of this philosophy involves actively Restricting a number of physical interventions. (especially 'face down' and 'face up' restraint holds). This does not make us the easiest system to employ as the approach challenges services providers to avoid 'quick fix' physical techniques. Our Studio 3 position statement on physical interventions.

4. Service User Consultation

Applied research has been conducted into the physical restraint system developed by Studio 3 staff to ascertain the viewpoint of service users (Cunningham, McDonnell, Sturmey & Easton, 2002). We actively canvass the views of service users about physical interventions.

5. An Organisational Approach

Studio 3 provides Training Systems not training courses. Services that adopt our training philosophy often have to alter policies and encourage a culture of openness and honesty about behaviour management practices. Most importantly, the behaviour management philosophy needs to be reinforced both by frontline and senior decision makers.