What will you learn in the Dealing with Aggression in Healthcare course?

You learn to recognise, assess and de-escalate aggression from clients, patients and bystanders. You practise conversation techniques such as listening, summarising and asking follow-up questions, and you learn to set boundaries and stay calm under pressure. You are also given tools for building an open culture and effective buddy support within your team.

Who is this course suitable for?

The course is suitable for anyone working in care or social services who does or may encounter aggressive behaviour at work. This includes nurses, care workers and support workers in addiction care, youth care, elderly care, dementia care, mental health care, disability care and hospital care.

Do I need prior knowledge or experience?

No, no specific prior knowledge is required. It is helpful, however, if you have work experience involving client contact, so that you can bring in your own practical examples during the exercises with the training actor.

Do you work with an actor during the course?

Yes, on both course days you work with a professional training actor. The actor re-enacts situations from your own practice, so that you can try out new techniques in a safe setting and receive immediate feedback on your approach.

Do I receive a certificate on completion?

Yes, on completion of the course you receive a Learnit certificate of participation. This shows your employer that you have attended the course and practised the skills covered.

Can this course also be delivered in-company?

Yes, this course can also be delivered in-company or as a bespoke programme for your team or organisation. In that case we tailor the content and the practical examples entirely to your field of work and to the situations you encounter.

What is the difference between verbal and physical aggression in healthcare?

Verbal aggression takes the form of swearing, threatening, humiliating or intimidating. Physical aggression involves hitting, kicking, grabbing or throwing objects. Both forms occur in healthcare, often caused by frustration, fear, uncertainty or a medical condition. On the course you learn to recognise both forms and to respond appropriately with de-escalation techniques and clear boundaries.

What are the most important de-escalation techniques when dealing with aggression?

The essentials are conveying calm, listening actively, summarising what you hear and asking further questions about the underlying need. It also helps to keep your distance, to keep your voice low and steady and to adjust eye contact to the situation. At the right moment you have the confidence to act decisively and set boundaries. On the course you practise these techniques with an actor, so you can feel what works for you.

Why does aggression arise among clients or patients in healthcare?

Aggression often stems from frustration, fear, pain or uncertainty. Conditions such as dementia, psychiatric problems or cognitive impairments also play a role. Sometimes aggression is instrumental: the client uses it deliberately to get something done. Understanding the cause helps you choose the right approach, because fear calls for a different response than instrumental aggression.

How do you stay calm yourself when faced with aggression from a client?

Staying calm starts with consciously controlling your own breathing and posture. You recognise your own stress signals and consciously choose how to respond instead of acting impulsively. It helps to realise that the aggression is usually not personal, but arises from the situation or the condition. During the course you learn techniques to regulate your own reaction and to process the experience properly afterwards.

What is buddy support and why does it matter?

Buddy support means that you and your colleagues actively support one another after a difficult or aggressive situation. You ask how the other person is doing, offer a listening ear and discuss together what happened. This lowers the threshold for asking for help, prevents incidents from lingering and strengthens the team culture. During the course you draw up a concrete plan together for introducing buddy support in your own workplace.

What does the Dealing with Aggression in Healthcare course cost?

You will find the current price at the top right of this course page, together with the schedule, location and delivery format. For in-company or bespoke courses we are happy to provide a quotation on request.

Dealing with Aggression in Healthcare course

Name: Dealing with aggression in healthcare
Price: 1250.0 EUR
Availability: InStock

Verbal and physical aggression is becoming increasingly common in healthcare. In this course you learn to assess situations, de-escalate and act professionally, without letting emotions take over.

Description

Aggressive behaviour from clients, patients or family members is part of the job in healthcare these days. Over a quarter of healthcare staff have faced verbal or physical violence in recent months. That aggression often stems from frustration, fear or uncertainty. Sometimes it is instrumental: a patient who feels entitled to a particular treatment.

Acting professionally means not suppressing your own emotions, but channelling them properly. You keep an overview, consciously choose how you respond and know when to press on or take a step back. That requires self-knowledge, a good assessment of the situation and solid conversation techniques.

On both course days you work with an actor who acts out realistic situations from your own practice. That way you discover which approach suits you and the situation, and the theory really comes to life.

Topics

Conflict and aggression

Types of conflict and forms of aggression
Facts or interpretations: different views of the same conflict
Physical and mental effects of aggression
Causes of aggression (clinical conditions, care needs)

Dealing with aggressive behaviour

Carrying out a problem analysis
De-escalation techniques: listening, summarising, asking follow-up questions and following through
Solution-focused working
Responding assertively and getting the timing right
Setting boundaries
Dealing with criticism and staying calm
Taking on confrontations

The organisational side of aggression

Raising awareness within the team
Creating an open culture
Buddy support: giving and receiving support from colleagues
Reporting incidents and drawing up a protocol

Result

After this course you will recognise different types of conflict and forms of aggression, and you will know how to assess a situation quickly. You carry out a problem analysis, choose a suitable approach and apply de-escalating conversation techniques. You set boundaries, stay calm under criticism and take on confrontations without becoming stressed yourself. You will also know how to create an open culture within your team, organise support between colleagues and report incidents properly.

Target audience

This course is intended for people working in healthcare who deal, or may come to deal, with aggression and violence. Think of staff in addiction care, youth care, elderly care, dementia care, mental health care, disability care and hospital care. Support workers and care workers who regularly face tense contacts with clients will also find it useful.

Teaching method

Oracle SQL E-learning course (1 day) | Learnit

Prior knowledge

No specific prior knowledge is required. Your own practical experience with difficult client situations will help you get the most out of the course.

Comments

In-company

Would you like to organise this training for a whole group or several groups? This can be cost-effective. For example, we can tailor the content entirely to your organisation, and training a whole group is also cheaper.

Are you looking at large numbers of participants or a complete academy? That involves a great deal. Consider planning and communication, for example, or identifying and agreeing the objectives and content of the training. Or differences in level, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding. Fortunately, Learnit has extensive experience in this field (more than 25 years) and we are happy to help you through this process.

Request a quote

Language

The training is given in Dutch as standard. The trainer has a good command of English. English-language course material can be used. With a minimum enrolment of 3 participants, the training can also be given entirely in English.

Number of days:

2 days

Course times:

from 10 am to 5 pm

Study load:

14 hours

Education level:

This training is suitable for all levels.

Exemptions:

Exemptions do not apply to this course.

Preparation time:

No preparation time applies to this course.

Certificate:

At the end of the course, a certificate is issued as proof of participation.

The best training for you

At Learnit you will always find a course that takes you further. From (technical) IT skills to communication or personal leadership. You can also choose the training format that suits you best: a classroom course, a tailor-made course at your own office, an online course or an e-learning. We have the right course and the right format for everyone. Because learning in the way that suits you best delivers the best results.

Moving forward together

Taking a training course at Learnit means learning together. Together with your experienced trainer, together with your course group or together with your colleagues. And whether you take the training at home, at your office or at one of our training locations, we are always available to help you. To share our knowledge with you in a way that is genuinely useful to you. Getting further together through personal attention and understanding each other well; that is what we believe in.

Apply it directly in your work

Learning theory from a book that you can then hardly use in your work? Not at Learnit! Whichever training you take with us, you can put it to use at your workplace straight away. Because of the unique learning objectives you set together with the trainer at the start of the training. Because of the alternation between theory and (interactive) practical assignments. And by bringing the challenges you face in your daily work along to the training.