Sexually, adolescents mature about two years earlier than they did 100 years ago. Today’s culture has grown-up children whose psychosocial and cognitive skills are not as developed as their bodies. This course gives participants guidelines in relating to differing adolescent age groups. The twelve to fifteen year-old teen is very different from the sixteen to eighteen year-old teen. Drug and alcohol use, chaotic families, mental and learning disorders, and the experience(s) of trauma, all impact the adolescent’s ability to understand and comply with court-ordered and parental guidelines. Using the developmental data, learners acquire communication skills that are highly effective.

Public sector employees may not always think of themselves as customer service providers. Becoming Customer Service Stars teaches the skills needed to achieve customer service excellence and explores the impact of interpersonal staff relationships on customer service outcomes. Participants evaluate areas that work and areas that need improvement. The thrust of this course is skill building in the areas of identified weakness. The overall mission of the department is reviewed and the function customer service plays in carrying out the mission is examined. Phone, e-mail, and verbal communication skills are practiced. Participants take home a workbook they can use for future reference and create an Action Plan to transfer the learning in the class to the workplace.

Men and women communicate differently, but differences don’t have to get in the way of productive work relationships. In this course, learners define their own gender’s communication style and gain skills in speaking to the opposite gender. This course teaches strategies and methods for speaking and listening to the opposite sex.

What are the root causes of stress in your work life? This class affords the opportunity to examine stressors that lower productivity; affect job satisfaction, and impact health, professional, and personal relationships. The instructor imparts techniques to lower overall stress levels, and participants learn to deal effectively with stressful people and situations by examining their past lifestyle choices. Participants practice with relaxation exercises and draft a plan to implement lifestyle choices to aid in controlling stress. The course demands honest scrutiny of physical fitness and eating choices and urges participants to take a closer look at how they communicate.

Time is limited to make an impact on detained minors, but it is possible if all staff members consistently use the same strategies to meet the challenge and deal with their charges in a firm, fair, and consistent manner. The need to cover shifts 24/7 (with a variety of staff) makes it crucial that everyone be “on the same page.” This course covers the absolute basics from de-escalation, to five-minute counseling sessions. The focus is on building a working relationship with a minor that can motivate desire to change. This vital course imparts to institutions staff a volume of information about how to identify and interpret warning signs and triggers. Oppositional Defiant Disordered minors, those who have just returned to the unit after seeing their Probation Officer, those who have a “bad visit” with their parents, or have come from court etc., can all be in a mental/emotional state to become assaultive and can potentially harm themselves and staff. Solutions for dealing with these situations - as well as identifying all the stages of a crisis and the most effective manner and time to intervene - are covered in this class.

In this advanced customer service skills course, participants are shown that all internal and external contacts are customers: “clients,” line staff, managers, and professional support staff. Emphasis is on communication. Participants focus on changing and monitoring their own behavior and communication patterns to create solution-based problem solving. Heavy emphasis is paid on telephone communication with both internal and external “customers.” In addition, face-to-face de-escalation techniques are taught and practiced. Participants learn how to handle a variety of problems, including angry “clients.” Emphasis is on productive, healthy communication strategies. This is a solutions-focused course.

The Probation Officer (PO) is a change agent who must use professional-grade offender engagement skills. The ability and deportment of the PO to engage the probationer in the process is the vital factor in the probationer moving through the stages of change! The professional alliance the PO creates with the probationer helps guide the probationer’s path and expects the probationer to problem-solve. This leads to and helps build competency and a sense of success. The PO integrates addressing criminogenic factors while being cognizant of the change stage of the probationer and vulnerability to behavior relapse. This is an intensive, pro-social, relationship building skills class that prepares the PO to be a successful change agent.

In this leadership course, department personnel get the opportunity and guidelines to learn the processes needed to redefine and/or create new programs, policies, and procedures. Learners practice the communication skills necessary to move forward with new ideas and create a framework for implementing a cultural change in any organization. From problem to idea, this course helps the organization facilitate change. This is a highly customizable course.

Participants discover how to get in control of their workday by learning both to prioritize and organize. Staff increase their ability to be more productive by using effective “win-win” communication techniques and practicing stress-management techniques for better results at work. The participant Action Plan acts as “follow-through” takeaway resource as does the Getting Control of Your Workday workbook.

This course teaches participants how to understand and cope with rapid change in both their own lives and in the professional environment of Corrections. The focus is on the dynamics of change and resistance to it. Participants learn ways to stay focused and productive and techniques to cope with the fear, loss, and stress that often accompany change. Using the techniques learned, participants are more able to embrace the rapid changes taking place in corrections and their personal lives more proactively.

Writing skills can be a big workplace challenge for non-native English speakers. Improving Writing Skills for Non-Native Speakers reviews the smallest building blocks of written English with focused grammar review and sentence and paragraph construction. Conquer those tricky contractions and possessive nouns! Practice correct usage of prepositional phrases, as well writing concise, complete sentences with appropriate punctuation. Many resources are shared, so the participant leaves with a roadmap to enhancing their learning outside the classroom.

Leadership and creating a safe, productive and rewarding workplace is the responsibility of all employees; it is everyone’s job. Learning basic leadership skills allows each person to contribute. The Mission Statement of an organization drives programs and defines ways that staff interact with “clients” and coworkers. Creating this kind of workplace requires authentic teamwork. Participants learn the components of leadership, teamwork, and effective ways to complete projects and/or assignments.

Strong leaders act on the belief that their own professional mission, above and beyond their Department’s Mission and Core Values, is to embrace and act on the notion of modeling, creating, and building a safe, productive, and rewarding workplace. Leaders consistently contribute in substantial ways; they see it as their professional responsibility. If mission statements and core values drive programs and behavior, true leadership is the human energy that makes that forward motion possible. Authentic leadership propels change. Leadership does not happen in a vacuum: it takes teamwork, shared vision, and true, open collaboration. Probation supervisors and managers lead well when they have objectivity about those they lead; they excel when they can motivate staff to be their best. This course is for supervisors and managers who want to strengthen the leadership skills they have and develop new skills and insights. Participants learn to communicate effectively with a variety of staff and learn ways to motivate all staff. Because all the people we manage are not the same, various communication strategies are taught and practiced. This course is a “nut-and-bolts” course: it offers insight but also skills and skill practice. It is very fast-paced and hands-on.

In this course, participants identify their strongest skills and capabilities as well as define their stressors, problem areas, and personal pitfalls. The instructor facilitates participants to develop approaches that improve participant effectiveness at work, within their families, within important relationships, and in all the vital areas of their lives. The training focuses on individualized assessments and personal development content and reflection, ensuring participants know exactly how to capitalize on their current strengths and how to use their best skills to create even more rewarding lives. This is an enlightening and uplifting course, an intangible skill builder, and a gentle and affirming morale booster.

Confrontation does not have to mean “getting in someone’s face.” Verbal skills are a safe and viable alternative to force, when you know how to use them. Designed for those who have the ability to use force but want only to use it as a last resort, positive confrontation defuses escalation and provides a safer environment for the officers and people with whom they interact. Use of force can create personal and organizational liability, injury, and mountains of paperwork.

This hands-on course exposes participants to the skills, information, and practice needed to get noticed on the job, be leaders, and do well in interviews. Participants are given the opportunity to evaluate and modify their professional image and determine what professional dress and image choices will most likely get them positive results. Activities are designed to show how professional success and personal happiness are directly linked to self-confidence. In addition, participants learn, review, and practice sound interview skills. They review potential interview questions and practice communicating effectively.

Today’s professionals may need to present in a variety of contexts. Doing this well enhances personal competency and adds value to their organization and project. Learning presentation skills is not informational, it is experiential. This two-day class gives the learner a solid foundation. Specific skills are discussed and learning to give and receive feedback without defensiveness is explained and practiced as a crucial step in confident presenting. The heart of the class is practice. The most effective way to become competent is to see yourself on video and receive instructor feedback as well as that of peers. Each participant takes away a completed workbook for future reference.

This course provides a systematic approach to reviewing reports and documents written by staff. Supervisors will learn how to assess their staff's written work: sentence and paragraph structure, grammar, spelling, form, and content. They will learn how to more efficiently read and analyze the content of reports and learn supportive methods to provide developmental feedback to staff that improves their written work. This class will be particularly helpful for supervisors in new assignments. 

Supervisors review and contextualize the content covered in Saying More with Less, a line staff course that teaches probation officers to write the Offense section of the prevailing investigative report emphasizing accuracy, brevity, and conciseness. Models and guidelines created by the Department empower supervisors to work with line staff to support a shift in writing style.  Communication strategies taught and active learning techniques used in this practical course engage supervisors in the change process.

This four-hour, intensive writing course trains juvenile or adult probation officers to write the Offense section of their prevailing investigative report; special emphasis on accuracy, brevity and conciseness. Officers are reminded that only factual, relevant circumstances are necessary in the court report. Participants are shown multiple “before” and  “after” writing samples. The preferred samples illustrate to officers the Department standard, and the Department guideline empowers officers to begin to wean back on time-consuming “over writing.”  Officers leave with good models and the Department guideline that sets the standard.

Sentencing Credits or Credits for Time Served provides the DPO with information regarding sentencing credits or credit for time served. There is a need to understand this material by adult probation investigations and supervision officers and issues pertaining to juvenile offenders. In addition to statutory requirements, issues regarding entitlement for actual and good conduct/work credits can change periodically with changes in case law. The material is updated as changes in either the statutory law or case law occur. The course material provides reference to the applicable case law that pertains to the different credit for time served situations. Statutory requirements and case law are addressed. Activities include written exercises, based on realistic scenarios, and the participant is required to apply what is learned. Each written exercise problem is then discussed and reviewed in class to facilitate the learning process.

This is a supervisory update training that provides supervisors and future managers the opportunity to hone their leadership skills through practical, real-life, solutions-oriented learning. The course is very candid and employs interactive training methods and current information. Supervisors explore the nuance of their role as supervisor and leader; additionally, they take stock, both independently and as a group, of their leadership skills and leave the training experience with a very clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. They are equipped with skills and insight to better enable them to rise to the occasion and truly lead their staff. The course is timely and rich in practical information and skills.

This course is designed to facilitate staff at all levels to come together and reflect on how they work as a team. Since the mission statement of an organization drives programs and defines ways that staff is to be with probationers and each other, discussion time is spent comparing the organization’s mission statement with the individual’s personal mission statement. Teams analyze their problem-solving dynamics in carrying out projects and look for more efficient and effective ways to complete projects and/or assignments. Activities facilitate participants in more open communication, conflict resolution, and giving effective feedback to others.

This era of rapid change, early retirement, and faster promotions leaves many supervisory personnel without the necessary skills to handle common challenges. This course identifies the “problem employee,” develops a personal survival plan, and teaches concrete strategies to address problematic situations: supervising a “friend,” supervising someone passed over for a promotion, supervising people who “go behind your back”; older and much younger employees; employees who constantly bicker; and employees with serious personal problems. Managers can also be a challenge. Learn strategies for dealing with managers who avoid conflict, micromanage, and/or throw temper tantrums. This course offers the participant a strategy to get a handle on “rumor control” and a strategy to foster inter-department cooperation! This is a solid leadership course with a tremendous amount of take-away value.

This course covers the Department’s policy regarding sexual harassment, employee conduct, and discrimination. In addition, participants discuss current workplace culture and determine which behaviors may be contrary to policy. Once identified, behaviors are discussed and analyzed, and communication skills are introduced and taught. Participants have an opportunity to role-play and practice their skills.

Sexually, adolescents mature about two years earlier than they did 100 years ago. Today’s culture has grown-up children whose psycho-social and cognitive skills are not as developed as their bodies. This course gives participants guidelines in relating to differing adolescent age groups. The twelve to fifteen year-old teen is very different from the sixteen to eighteen year-old teen. Drug and alcohol use, chaotic families, mental and learning disorders, and the experience(s) of trauma, all impact the adolescent’s ability to understand and comply with court-appointed and parental guidelines. Using the developmental data, learners acquire communication skills that are highly effective.

Probation departments are increasingly tasked to work on collaborative projects with outside organizations, community-based organizations, and other service providers. This course equips line staff, supervisors, and managers with the resources and skills to participate in these groups and lead them. Participants learn the crucial components of a project and how to guide the project from the idea stage to the completion stage tactfully and professionally, without “taking over.” Emphasis is paid on how to set and order milestone dates, how (and why) to make other team members accountable for their portion of the workload, and problem solving techniques; managing time, agendas, and personalities in meetings; follow-up strategies, and the art of building consensus. Having great ideas is vital; learning and modeling the process of breaking projects down into smaller pieces, while staying organized, is the mark of a professional. Staff learns the art and the science of being on project-oriented teams and the communication skills that are required for success in that environment

Incident Report writing is perfected in this course which is a follow-up to the system-wide Incident Report writing course. Writing it Right in Institutions: Phase Two supports participants writing the department-approved, standardized Incident Report coherently, chronologically, and without error. The course emphasizes writing the report consistently in the following ways: chronology, wording, structure, person, voice, and tense. Staff are given the opportunity to identify their skill level and practice their weak areas. Staff learn to write clearly and quickly as well as accurately. Common writing mistakes and grammar review are covered. The Incident Report writing building blocks and checklist are reviewed. Unique training techniques are used, and participants take their workplace writing skills to the next level.