Turning Down the Heat: Intro to Verbal De-Escalation Skills

March 11, 2026

9:30 to 11:00am PST

Register here: California Animal Welfare Association

From community members to coworkers, we regularly encounter emotional upset and rude behavior in animal welfare work. In this webinar we’ll learn how to tap into our animal and human behavior skills to address this challenge more effectively! This session provides an introduction to emotional escalation: what it is, how to avoid common causes of agitation, and the basic skills needed to address emotionally escalated staff members and the public using a trauma-informed lens. This is a practical introduction to the basic skills needed to engage in effective verbal de-escalation on the job while interacting with people who are feeling distressed, angry, and frustrated.

At the end of the session participants will:

• Understand why people become escalated and how we may (unintentionally) contribute to the problem
• Identify their personal “stress signature” and learn self-regulation practices to de-escalate themselves

• Implement verbal strategies to reduce emotional intensity and restore cognitive function through a trauma-informed approach
• Utilize the 6 steps of “GO SLOW” to stay safe and help others return to calm

1.5 CEU for CACOs, Humane Officers, and CAWAs

Register here: California Animal Welfare Association