One thing we really care about here at UMYH is making sure our staff feel prepared for the work they do every day. Our Youth Workers have a tough but incredibly important job, and we want to make sure they have the tools and confidence they need when challenging situations come up.
Recently, I had the chance to watch part of our Managing Aggressive Behaviors training with some of our newer Residential Counselors. I also got to complete the online portion of the training myself, which gave me a different perspective on what our staff experience.
You might be wondering, what exactly is Managing Aggressive Behaviors? It’s a crisis-management program that teaches staff how to prevent, de-escalate, and safely respond to aggressive or volatile situations. And this training is required for all of our staff who work with youth.
What I really enjoyed seeing was the hands-on part of the training. Staff participated in a role-playing scenario while their supervisors observed. Afterwards, they talked through what happened—what went well, what could have been handled differently, and where there was room to improve.
I really liked seeing that process. It wasn’t about simply telling staff what they should do. It was about giving them the opportunity to practice, ask questions, receive feedback, and walk away feeling more confident.
At the end of the day, we want our youth to receive the best care possible. A big part of that is making sure the people caring for them are supported, trained, and prepared. We’re proud to invest in our staff and wanted to share a little glimpse into the training that helps make that possible.
