“I am one of the staff that attended the Aegis training and found it very useful and easier to remember than _ _ _. I have worked in multiple facilities under different systems and found this to be the most user-friendly. I found the (benevolent) restraints that were part of their system to be much easier to use, less likely to cause injury, and more secure. The de-escalation section of the course was much more thorough than _ _ _ and really emphasized prevention.”

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“I am really looking forward to incorporating Aegis into our staff training program…I am really grateful for what Aegis is doing for the industry… Aegis has truly created a product that elevates the care of those we serve.”

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“In my professional experience, I have been trained in, and have used several models in a variety of settings…and now Aegis. Both as an individual working in these settings, and as a trainer and administrator, I can say that Aegis is the best crisis management system I have come across.  Based on information from questionnaires and from individual staff feedback, our staff have spoken highly of the change from _ _ _ to Aegis.

This positive feedback is two fold:

1) Compared to _ _ _, the non-physical skills are evidence based and clinically sophisticated.  This information not only focuses on preventing escalation, and early intervention in escalated situations, but focuses on skills for staff to build rapport and empower themselves to prevent escalation from occurring.  Staff have left trainings feeling like they should have had this information at the beginning of their careers.  Generally, staff feel empowered after learning The Aegis System™, and feel like they can apply the information to their jobs immediately.  Front line staff seem to especially appreciate the tools for rapport building and non-verbal acuity, while clinicians have made statements that they intend to use aspects of Aegis as group topics to deliver psycho-educational tools.

2) Staff feel like the physical holds taught within The Aegis System™ are easier to understand, retain, and apply. Staff feel like they are able to recall physical skills in moments of crisis, and especially compared to _ _ _, feel like this is a safer and more effective hold.  As a large man trained in _ _ _, I agree with this completely.  Any time I was in a hold during a _ _ _ training, and staff became unbalanced, I almost always went down on my face.  This has yet to occur during any Aegis training I have been a part of.”

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“I would like to share with everyone a story of how one nurse made such a remarkable difference with an upset patient…As I was giving a new RN a tour this morning and we witnessed a male patient become upset after receiving news he did not want to hear. Now I don’t know all of the details, but am assuming the Social Worker had just notified him that he would be getting admitted to the Adult Inpatient Unit because of a serious suicide attempt/gesture that he had recently made. I heard the patient speaking very loudly with much intensity in his voice. He was adamant that he needed to leave because he was fearful if he didn’t show up to his job today that he would be left unemployed with no way of providing for his family. He was in the Adult Unit, pacing by the bathrooms and his non-verbal communication led me to believe that he may potentially become physically violent.

I then watched something incredible happen…

The RN providing care in the Adult Unit, approached the patient in a calm and confident manner. She offered to give him his PRN hydroxyzine for anxiety, but the patient refused saying that he didn’t need the medication and that it wouldn’t help because the real issue (cause of his anxiety) was that he wasn’t feeling “heard”. She asked him to step into the quiet room so they could talk. Her communication style conveyed trust, so the patient willingly went into the quiet room. The patient chose to stand and continued to pace as he was talking to the nurse. The nurse was positioned in the doorway so she was safe and had a way out in case he escalated any further. She also positioned herself so that the patient saw he had a way out and wasn’t trapped, and she gave him ample amount of personal space to move around and not feel restricted . The nurse was witnessed using active and reflective listening skills and was able to give the patient a chance to be “heard.” As he gained control and calmed down, the patient chose to come out of the quiet room and sit in a recliner. The nurse followed the patient and sat in a recliner next to him. She gave him her undivided attention for a least 10-15 minutes, maybe more (we ended up leaving at that point in time to finish our tour). The next thing I know, I see the nurse, along with the PSU CN, pushing the patient in a wheel chair to the Inpatient Adult Nursing Station to be admitted. The Patient was following staff direction and was compliant. The patient had decided to voluntarily sign himself in!

After speaking with the nurse and offering praise and appreciation for her ability to successfully build rapport with the patient and de-escalate him, she stated the patient was able to open up and within minutes share his traumatic history. She gave him the opportunity to recognize and process all of the emotions that he was experiencing… sadness, hurt, disappointment, anxiety, fear, etc.. She had the ability to make a connection with the patient by being nonjudgmental, supportive, and understanding. She was able to “calm down the horse” and “speak to the jockey” (Aegis everyone!!! ). She was able to provide education and help him understand why it was in his best interest to receive further care.  She provided him answers and was able to lessen his fear and anxiety and make sense of what was happening…….This is Trauma Informed Care and Aegis in action!”