As a master trainer of the MindSet Safety Management Curriculum, over the past five years, I have developed an extensive training regiment. I have been providing school districts in my area with in-service workshops and seminars focusing on crisis intervention, classroom behavior management, and physical restraint certification. Therefore, we are in the process of creating an extensive network of trainers.

With a background as a Special Education teacher with a concentration and certification for Emotional Behavior Disorders, I was recruited to work at the Crossroads Psychoeducational Program in Griffin, Georgia in 1992. Crossroads was a regional program, serving students with severe emotional behavioral disorders. Our students, at times, behaved in such a manner as to required physical intervention. We were trained in specific forms of physical restraint. Systematic Handling and CPI in particular, did not provide me with a necessary sense of safety and security. Due to the nature of physical restraint, our program sought out new approaches to managing aggressive behaviors.

What I believed was missing in regard to physical restraint were the critical elements of a student-focused approach. This type of approach was provided when I was introduced to a new program—Prevention and Management of Aggressive Behavior. PMAB is a principle-driven approach which focuses on communication and de-escalation procedures to prevent aggression in the classroom. PMAB challenges teachers and care-givers to explore alternatives to restraint.

In 2002, I took on a position within the Henry County School System as the Intervention Support Teacher. My role in the school system includes responding to crisis situations throughout the district, developing intervention strategies, teaching staff development courses, and assisting in the development of intervention plans for students in need. As a certified trainer of PMAB I took on the responsibility of developing an extensive training regiment in our system. As our training evolved, we moved to the MindSet Safety Management Curriculum in order to remain consistent with the Psychoeducational Network. In 2005 I was certified as a master trainer of MindSet.  

Using the principles of the MindSet approach, I have developed several presentations for schools. Each of my workshops challenges teachers and administrative staff to shape their classroom and school culture in such a way as to develop a positive, self-managed, and safe student population. It is my sincere hope that professionals will walk away from my workshops equipped to make an immediate difference in their school.