Client Testimonials

See what just a few of our happy clients are saying about our de-escalation training…

Photo Of Teresa Schwartz

Rev. Teresa Schwartz, First Unitarian Church of Chicago:

“We reached out to Defuse at Pollack Peacebuilding in search of resources and trainings to positively engage with conflict and build a healthier community in a complex congregational system. Our training was an amazing collaborator and spent a good amount of time consulting with me to know the context and history of our congregation’s challenges. He designed a custom weekend training for our leaders. In addition to the concrete mediation skills, he taught participants that their own mindfulness, intent, and ongoing personal work and preparation are key to peacemaking, and I would say, the spiritual maturity that is the foundation of this work. I could see the group identity and cohesion emerge early in the training. His expertise at content, methodology, and pedagogy was excellent. Our leaders highly valued his teaching and the the time they spent together in his training. We are eager to bring our trainer back to our community to engage in next steps. He has the trust and hope of our leaders. I can not recommend Defuse highly enough.”

Image Placeholder

Deron Chang, Director of Curricular Initiatives, Choate Rosemary Hall:

“Our high school was hoping to find a partner to help us develop skills in conflict resolution. Ultimately, we have our sights set on adopting restorative practices across our community. There are a lot of groups we investigated in this process and it was clear that Defuse had the background, professionalism, expertise, and flexibility we were looking for. Our trainer came to Choate for a one-day program to train a group of us (administrators) in conflict resolution. It is rare for our admin group to be positive about professional development and yet there was near-universal praise for this workshop. We were really pleased with the quality of the instruction and the hands-on activities that Defuse designed for us. They really customized the presentation to our needs. We hope to continue to work with Defuse in the years to come.”

Photo of Margaret Stalvey

Margaret Stalvey, HR/Legal Coordinator, All Elite Wrestling:

“Our company had a wonderful experience with Defuse. Our de-escalation seminar was the perfect amount of informative and interactive. Our live events team feels confident in responding to any future situations that may arise by using the tools, resources, and knowledge provided by our trainer.”

Photo of Margaret Stalvey

Kalli Blackwell Peterman, General Manager, Aveda Arts & Sciences Institutes:

“We found that there was mounting pressure on our Educators to resolve conflict when working with students who were experiencing varying levels of disharmony and unrest. This disharmony was caused by a climate riddled with pandemic stress and themes of social injustice and things progressively became more difficult to manage. We discovered Defuse and after the first introductory call, knew that they would align very well with Aveda’s mission of care. Their team has been wonderful to work with and they break the material down in such a way that one learning intuitively builds on the next. The feedback from our team has been nothing but excellent and everyone feels empowered to have conversations that help our students grow and develop. We found such value in the program that we are now launching to our entire company! I would highly recommend this training to anyone who is looking for development in conflict resolution and how to improve communication as a whole.”

Photo of Margaret Stalvey

Simone McGinnis, General Manager, Val Vista Lakes Community Association:

Defuse held a workshop for our customer service team members most of which are high school and college-age at the beginning of their work lives. They taught techniques and offered tips to help our team members remain calm and professional in difficult situations. They included roleplay scenarios that were particularly helpful. The things our team members learned in the workshop will benefit them in all aspects of their lives. During the workshop I remember thinking I wish someone had provided me that training early in my career.”

To get your team trained, Contact Us today!