Reducing Stress and Challenging Behaviour through Low Arousal

Quite often when considering how to manage behaviour, schools and educational settings have a strong focus on reactionary systems and fixed ‘medicalised’ processes. This training course looks to change the focus of traditional approaches. By drawing on over 50 years’ worth of combined research and practical experience, it offers a unique, whole-school approach to reducing stress and challenging behaviour.

A key element of the low-arousal approach is the notion of proactively reducing demands that are sources of stress for the individual, thus enabling individuals to engage in coping mechanisms as a means of self-regulation. This may seem counterintuitive, especially as it can involve ‘allowing’ a person to engage in behaviour that may have formerly been viewed negatively. Well-referenced and grounded in a strong research and practice base, this course can help transform approaches and improve outcomes for all young people.

• Learn about the low-arousal approach and how it can improve outcomes for young people, staff and families.
• Understand more about stress and how we can support ourselves.
• Improve classroom pedagogy with regard to effective feedback and metacognition.
• Challenge thinking about whole school systems and policies.