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.

Over the past decade, increased attention has been paid to the sudden and seemingly inexplicable deaths of some highly agitated subjects being held in police custody. In most cases, the force required to restrain or incapacitate the suspect was not sufficient to cause death. Such victims of excited delirium have provoked allegations of officer misconduct, unnecessary force, and improper TASER deployment. Medical examiners often have extreme difficulty in identifying the cause of death, but frequently drug intoxication is considered a contributing factor or is the identified cause. While the precise cause and mechanism of these deaths remain controversial, there have been demonstrated brain abnormalities that define and confirm the occurrence of the excited delirium syndrome. This course helps the officer identify the signs and symptoms of Excited Delirium  (ED) and provides a more comprehensive understanding of ED, the root causes, and most importantly, how to handle the individual who displays these behaviors. 

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.

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.

A 16-hour custom-designed course is also available.

In today’s climate of rapid change, early retirement, and faster promotions, staff need additional methods to manage workloads. This course focuses on creating a personal system to know how time is currently spent and ways to pre-plan time use. Participants learn stress-reducing techniques enabling them to be more efficient and better at prioritizing. They learn the dynamics of procrastination and use this information to better handle the increasing demands on their time and energy. Time is a finite component of the workday; this class enables all learners to assess how their time is spent and what activities and behaviors are not productive.

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.