Course Overview:

The Debriefing Skills for Behavioral Health Teams Course is designed to share best practices in team-based strategies when addressing aggressive behaviors in patients. The course prepares learners to function as high-performing teams, ensuring that each member has the basic skills that can lead to the successful verbal de-escalation of patient aggression.

Participants will be actively engaged in acquiring and processing the latest evidenced-based information and best practices concerning verbal de-escalation techniques, as well as applying teamwork and communication skills (TeamSTEPPS) to their repertoire. Participants will understand how timely and consistent debriefing may improve effectiveness the in use of de-escalation and violence prevention skills, understand causes of violence in their patients, prevent future aggressive crises and re-establish therapeutic relationships. Learners will practice and assess their de-escalation strategies, teamwork skills and debriefing techniques using group exercises, role-play and standardized-patient simulations.

Learning Objectives:

• Relate concepts of TeamSTEPPS and debriefing to build on the annual training frameworks (PMCS) for managing behavioral emergencies
• Organize team members to participate in a group debriefing after verbally aggressive patient interactions
• Review the principles of debriefing to further understand the individual- and team-based intervention strategies required.
• Practice timely and consistent debriefing to prevent future aggressive crises and re-establish therapeutic relationships

Course Length:

4 hours

Session Times:

8:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Course Location:

NYC Health + Hospitals/Simulation Center, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi

Audience:

Behavioral Health teams working on inpatient Psych units or Psych EDs consisting of physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, case workers, activity therapists, patient care associates, behavioral health associates, clerical staff, hospital police and other team members.

NOTE: It is strongly preferred for participants to have successfully completed PMCS training programs.

Class Size:

6 minimum to 12 maximum

Class Mix:

See Audience description above

Author:

Michael Meguerdichian, MD; Oluwaseun Ajibade, RN

Continuing Education for Physicians (CME) and Nurses (CNE):

Approved for 4.0 credits