De-Escalation and Crisis Intervention

Practical, scenario-based training for staff who face conflict, distress, and crisis

Calm the moment. Protect your people. Keep the mission moving.

Every day, your staff have conversations that can go from tense to dangerous in seconds. A frustrated client at the front desk. A person in crisis on an outreach call. A coworker who is close to the breaking point. How your team handles those first few minutes often decides whether the situation calms down or gets worse.

Our de-escalation and crisis intervention training gives staff a clear way to read rising tension, slow things down, and respond safely. It is practical and scenario-based, so people practice real conversations, not just theory. And it is built for the work your team actually does.

What Your Team Gets

  • A shared approach, so everyone responds the same way under pressure
  • Practice with realistic scenarios, followed by a debrief
  • Skills that protect staff safety and the dignity of the people you serve
  • Support for California's annual workplace violence prevention training requirement
  • Training sized to your schedule: 2 hours, 4 hours, or a full day, live online, in person, or on demand

Our Courses

De-Escalation 360

Staff member calmly speaking with a frustrated visitor at a front desk

For staff who deal with frustrated, upset, or escalating people.

Most escalation does not start with aggression. It starts with miscommunication, strong emotions, misread cues, and small decision errors. De-Escalation 360 teaches staff to recognize those early signs, slow the interaction down, and bring it back to calm.

  • Spotting the early signs of escalation
  • Communication that lowers tension instead of raising it
  • Setting clear, respectful boundaries
  • Managing your own stress response in the moment
  • Practice in realistic scenarios

Best for: Healthcare and behavioral health staff, social workers and outreach teams, customer-facing staff, HR, school staff, security officers, and public-facing government employees.

Formats: 4-hour intensive or 2-hour session, in person or live online.

Prefer to learn at your own pace? Take the self-paced De-Escalation 360 course online

Crisis Stabilization

Outreach worker kneeling at eye level, listening to a person in distress

For staff who respond when someone is in crisis.

When a person is in crisis, the goal is not to win the conversation. It is to help them get back to a place where they can think clearly and stay safe. Crisis Stabilization gives staff a structured approach to do that while keeping themselves and others safe.

  • Assessing the scene and the person before you engage
  • Building rapport quickly with someone in distress
  • Recognizing what is helping and what is making it worse
  • Knowing when and how to bring in more help

Best for: Outreach teams, case managers, social workers, behavioral health staff, security, and first responders.

Formats: 4-hour or 2-hour session, in person or live online.

Conflict Management

Frontline staff member calmly guiding a disagreement between two adults in a community center

New. For outreach workers, frontline staff, and social workers.

Frontline work means walking into conflict that is not yours to solve but is yours to manage. This new 4-hour course draws on evidence-based crisis negotiation practices to help staff calm disputes, keep conversations moving, and stay safe while they do it.

  • Crisis negotiation skills adapted for frontline work
  • Active listening that lowers defenses
  • Managing disputes between clients, families, and staff
  • Staff safety: positioning, exits, and knowing when to step away

Best for: Outreach workers, frontline staff, social workers, and the supervisors who support them.

Format: 4 hours, in person or live online. An on-demand version is not available yet.

Workplace Violence Prevention

Employees taking part in a workplace safety training session in a conference room

For employers, supervisors, and all staff.

De-escalation is one piece of a safe workplace. Workplace Violence Prevention covers the rest: knowing the warning signs, knowing how to report them, and knowing what to do if a situation turns dangerous. California law now requires most employers to have a workplace violence prevention plan and to train employees on it every year. We help you meet that requirement with training your staff will actually remember.

  • Types of workplace violence and the warning signs that come before it
  • How to report concerns, and why early reporting matters
  • Your organization's workplace violence prevention plan and each person's role in it
  • De-escalation basics and when to step away and get help
  • What to do if violence occurs

Best for: Every employee, with supervisor and manager sessions available.

Formats: 4-hour or 2-hour session, in person or live online.

Field Safety Training

Two outreach workers walking toward an apartment building, staying aware of their surroundings

Full day. For teams that work in the field.

Outreach workers, case managers, inspectors, and other field staff often work alone or in small teams, in places they do not control. Field Safety Training brings the skills on this page together in one full-day, in-person class, so your field staff leave ready to read a situation, calm it down, and get themselves out safely when they need to.

Best for: Outreach teams, home visit and case management staff, property and housing staff, and anyone whose work takes them into the community.

Format: Full day, in person.

Working with veterans? See our Veteran Culture Training, including crisis response and homeless outreach courses built for the people who serve veterans.

How to Train With Us

Bring it to your team. We deliver on site or live online for agencies, nonprofits, and employers. In-person sessions hold up to 30 participants. Tell us about your team, and we will recommend the right course and length.

Join a scheduled class. Sending one or two people? Check the Training Calendar for open dates.

Learn on demand. Self-paced versions are available in our Online Courses.

Request Training for Your Team | See the Training Calendar | Browse Online Courses

What Our Clients Say

"It was real-life scenario stuff that we really go through, not 'Oh, this is a scenario, but you'll probably never go through it.' It was real life, it was raw, so I love that."

Bobbi Hightower, Property Manager

Jamboree Housing, Northern California

Hear from more of our clients, including video testimonials

Why Secure Measures

Secure Measures is a veteran-owned California training and education firm. Every program is taught by qualified instructors with real-world experience in law enforcement, crisis response, public safety, and leadership. We have trained public agencies, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, and employers across California. We teach what works in the field, because we have done the work.

Ready to Get Started?

Fill out the form and tell us about your team. We will follow up to talk through your goals, schedule, and the best course for your staff.