“Gang” Involved Youth: Implementing a Trauma Informed Approach
Understand how trauma can shape gang involvement and service delivery.
This workshop is designed to help participants understand how trauma may affect gang-involved populations and how those experiences can influence subsequent service delivery.
Participants examine trauma before, during and after gang-related experiences and connect trauma-informed principles to practical engagement, assessment, skills building and empowerment.
Connect trauma theory with practical work involving gang-involved youth.
CTI's workshop moves from understanding trauma and gang definitions to applying trauma-informed approaches in direct practice.
Conceptualize Trauma
Explore war trauma, PTSD and the compulsion to repeat as foundational concepts for understanding trauma responses.
Examine Gang Definitions
Consider how definitions of gangs and gang behaviours influence who professionals identify as clients and how services are delivered.
Understand Trauma Across Time
Examine pre-traumatic, peri-traumatic and post-traumatic factors associated with gang involvement and survival.
Apply Trauma-Informed Practice
Translate trauma-informed principles into practical approaches for engagement, assessment, skills building and empowerment.
Explore trauma before, during and after gang involvement.
The course examines trauma through three stages that can help professionals better understand youth experiences and responses.
Pre-Traumatic Factors
Explore why youth may join gangs from a trauma-informed perspective and consider experiences or vulnerabilities that can precede involvement.
Peri-Traumatic Factors
Examine the “urban warzone” experience, including dissociative memory, survival and responses occurring during traumatic events.
Post-Traumatic Factors
Explore life after traumatic exposure, including PTSD and the compulsion to repeat patterns connected to earlier experiences.
Move from understanding trauma to changing how services are delivered.
The workshop focuses on practical ways professionals can prepare, engage and support gang-involved youth through a trauma-informed lens.
Relevant across human services, justice, mental health and policy settings.
CTI identifies a broad range of stakeholders who may benefit from this workshop.
Social & Human Services
Social workers, case managers, court support workers and bail supervisors.
Mental Health Professionals
Psychiatrists, psychologists and other professionals supporting trauma-impacted populations.
Justice & Corrections
Law enforcement, correctional staff and professionals working within justice-system environments.
Non-Profit Leadership
Executive directors, managers and organizational leaders responsible for service design and staff practice.
Policy Makers
Professionals involved in developing policy, systems and responses affecting gang-involved youth and communities.
Cross-Sector Teams
Organizations whose staff work collaboratively with youth across community, justice, mental health and social-service systems.
Strengthen trauma-informed practice across your team.
This workshop can support organizations whose staff interact with gang-involved youth, trauma-impacted populations or communities affected by violence and justice-system involvement.
Bringing the training to a team can help create a more consistent understanding of trauma, gang definitions, engagement and practical trauma-informed service delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions About Defusing Aggression Training
Learn more about CTI's Defusing Aggression training, who it is designed for, the communication and stress-management skills participants develop, accreditation, and organizational training options.
What is Defusing Aggression (Customer Service Training)?
Defusing Aggression is a customer service training program that helps participants understand the stress and pressures involved in dealing with aggressive customers or clients and build practical communication and coping skills for those situations.
Who is this training designed for?
The workshop is well suited to customer-facing staff, service professionals and teams that regularly interact with frustrated, hostile or aggressive customers and clients.
What skills will participants learn?
Participants learn to recognize hostile situations and client issues, identify personal triggers, use communication zones, build rapport, use positive communication and manage their own communication and stress responses.
Does the workshop address personal triggers?
Yes. One of the learning objectives is to enhance self-awareness and help participants recognize their own personal triggers when dealing with hostility or aggression.
What are communication zones?
Communication zones are part of the workshop's practical framework for understanding how proximity, interaction and communication choices can affect encounters with hostile or aggressive customers.
Does the course teach rapport-building techniques?
Yes. Participants explore rapport-building techniques and the role positive communication can play in reducing tension and improving customer interactions.
Does the training include stress-management skills?
Yes. Participants learn ways to better control their own communication and stress responses when interacting with hostile customers or clients.
Is Defusing Aggression training accredited?
CTI states that the program is accredited by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and the First Nations Wellness/Addictions Counsellor Certification Board.
Can this training be delivered to organizations and staff teams?
Yes. CTI provides organizational training and can deliver Defusing Aggression training to teams that want to strengthen customer service, communication and response skills.