Caring for Clients, Yourself, and Each Other: Practical De-escalation & Communication Tools for Direct Service Staff (Session 1)

This is event 1 of 2 in a series.

Date/Time:
Date(s) - September 16, 2026 & September 23, 2026
10:00 am - 11:15 am

Fee: 
$45 for nonmembers, $40.50 for members
Register at: https://give.unitedwaynwvt.org/e/caring-for-clients-yourself-and-each-other-To6SwX8

Join us for a practical, skills-focused limited series on de-escalation in critical conversations, designed to support direct service staff in safely navigating high-emotion, high-stakes interactions.

Date/Time:

Session 1: September 16, 2026  10 – 11:15am

De-escalation in Critical Conversations: Staying Safe in High-Emotion Situations

In moments of heightened fear, uncertainty, and disruption—such as the current climate of increased immigration enforcement and rapid policy shifts—direct service nonprofit staff are often asked to hold space for intense emotions, deliver difficult updates, and respond when clients are scared, angry, or overwhelmed. This interactive webinar focuses on how to stay steady, safe, and effective in critical conversations with others when the stakes feel high and solutions may be limited.

Designed specifically for nonprofit staff in direct service roles, this session will focus on practical de‑escalation strategies and communication tools for navigating emotionally charged interactions. Participants will explore how to communicate clearly and compassionately, reduce escalation, and help people feel heard—even when the answer is “no,” “not yet,” or “I don’t know.”

The emphasis is on real‑world application: what to do and say in the moment, how to maintain safety, and how to respond when fear, grief, anger, or urgency are driving the conversation.

This session will cover:

• Practical de‑escalation techniques for tense or emotionally charged situations
• Strategies for navigating conversations shaped by fear, uncertainty, or systemic harm
• How to deliver hard news or limited updates with clarity and care
• What it means to “help” when there is nothing concrete to offer—and how presence still matters
• Recognizing escalation early and redirecting before situations become unsafe

Participants will leave with clear tools, shared language, and increased confidence in their ability to engage in difficult external conversations while prioritizing safety, dignity, and respect.

Audience:

Nonprofit staff in direct service roles, including frontline staff, case managers, advocates, support specialists, and supervisors.

Session 2: September 23, 2026  10 – 11:15am

Practices, Team Support, and Organizational Structures That Sustain Direct Service Work

In the current context of heightened immigration enforcement and ongoing social and policy uncertainty, direct service staff are carrying more than individual difficult conversations—they are operating within systems under strain, often absorbing emotional impact without clear structures to support them. This interactive session focuses on what it takes to stay grounded and safe internally while doing demanding frontline work—and how organizations and teams can share that responsibility.

Rather than framing self‑care as something staff must figure out on their own, this session emphasizes practical, collective approaches: how teams communicate across roles, how supervisors and peers can support one another in real time, and how organizations can put simple structures in place to reduce emotional overload and isolation.

Participants will explore tangible practices they can use immediately—as individuals, as teams, and within their organizations—to process difficult interactions, prevent emotional spillover, and make the work more sustainable over time.

This session will focus on:

• Recognizing the specific emotional and cognitive impacts of repeated high‑stakes conversations in direct service roles
• Practical strategies for closing out difficult interactions and transitioning between tasks without carrying the weight forward
• Clear, shared ways teams can debrief, communicate, and support one another across roles (frontline staff, supervisors, administrators)
• Simple organizational practices—such as check‑ins, handoffs, and role clarity—that reduce emotional burden and prevent staff from feeling solely responsible
• How supervisors and teams can normalize boundaries, encourage support‑seeking, and build cultures where it’s safe to name limits
• Identifying small, actionable policy or practice shifts that organizations can adopt to better protect staff and client relationships

Participants will work with realistic scenarios drawn from direct service settings and leave with concrete tools, shared language, and structural ideas they can bring back to their teams. The goal is not to eliminate difficulty, but to distribute it more fairly, so no one is carrying it alone.

Audience:

Nonprofit staff working in direct service roles, supervisors, and managers who support frontline teams, including case managers, advocates, program leads, and operations or people managers seeking practical ways to support staff sustainability.

Meet the Trainer

Alex Lehning: Alex is a neurodivergent rostered psychotherapist (and Scorpio!) who brings a compassionate and human-centered approach to his work with clients. He has also been a staff member, volunteer, and board member at non-profits for over a decade, and personally knows how hard it is to separate personal and professional identities and center self-care over self-sacrifice. Currently, he is a VT Rostered Psychotherapist & Clinical Mental Health Intern completing his MA in Counseling at Vermont State University in May 2025. He also serves as the Executive Director of a Vermont nonprofit. Outside of his practice, he plays music and games and is a suicide prevention volunteer.