FROM CHAOS to CONNECTION

A Relational Approach to Challenging Behaviours in Families, Schools and Communities

In this three-day workshop you will learn how adults (such as teachers, parents, foster parents, and others) can develop a new authority, that helps to increase presence and overcome impulsive and dangerous behaviours, while reducing conflict and escalation. 

Relational Presence (also known as Non-Violent Resistance or NVR) is an evidence-based approach for health professionals and educators who support families and young people experiencing challenging or complex behaviours. Relational Presence moves beyond traditional rewards and consequences paradigms to provide caregivers with practical, relationship-focused strategies to address aggression, anxious avoidance, and other challenging behaviours. Focusing on de-escalation, compassionate presence, and co-regulation, the approach is proven to reduce children’s challenging behaviours. It can help:

• families reduce family conflict and increase parent self-confidence, develop cooperation in spite of differences, and find legitimate ways to support and supervise their child.
• schools support teachers to develop an effective presence in the class, the school yard and the minds of students, establish an alliance with parents (even the most challenging), increase self-control, build teamwork and develop effective reactions with difficult students or classes. 
• residential care settings to support staff to develop a safe, connected presence in the home, community and the minds of young people, establish an alliance with stakeholders, increase self-control, build teamwork and develop effective reactions in difficult situations.

Relational Presence originated out of the movements of Ghandi and Martin Luther King. The subsequent application of NVR in a range of family, care and school settings has elicited detailed intervention and programs, with research showing good effect with a wide range of difficulties such as: suicidal threats, violence, ADHD, eating disorders, problematic internet usage, school refusal, anxiety, foster care, OCD and failure to launch (adult entitled dependence). In all the fields researched, the approach led to improvements in the child's problematic behaviours, reduced escalation, improved parental self-control, and promoted better parent-child relations.

Immerse yourself in interactive activities, realistic case studies (covering neurodivergence, anxious avoidance, and child to carer aggression), and reflective discussions as you will learn both theoretical knowledge and the practical skills needed to confidently overcome challenging behaviours, while reducing conflict and escalation. Topics include:

• Exploring the theoretical foundations and evidence-base of the Relational Presence framework.
• Discovering how to recognise and interrupt escalation cycles.
• Learning the fundamental principles of the model, including presence and connection, and how these form the foundation for effective intervention.
• Exploring central concepts such as parental presence, loving persistence, and active resistance.
• Learning empowering strategies like supportive communication, relational gestures, and supporters.
• Engaging in guided introspection and group discussion to explore your own experience of Relational Presence, deepening your understanding and making the principles truly resonate in your everyday life.
• Applying the Relational Presence framework to complex and personal case studies mirroring your professional experience, ensuring a practical and deeply relevant understanding of Relational Presence in real-world contexts.
• Discovering how Relational Presence can be applied in a wide variety of presentations, including neurodiversity, anxious avoidance, device addiction and at-risk behaviours.

Ideal for psychologists, allied health practitioners, residential support workers, teachers, and school counsellors, Relational Presence training equips professionals with the tools to partner effectively with parents and caregivers - creating a safer, more connected environment for children and adolescents.

Presenter: Tamar Sloan is a registered psychologist and one of Australia’s most highly qualified Relational Presence (Non-Violent Resistance) practitioners, bringing extensive experience in both education and community settings. She’s both a private practitioner and supports families in government services. By combining evidence-based principles with real-world application, she focuses on empowering families, educators, and fellow professionals to confidently address challenging behaviours. Tamar’s compassionate, interactive, and engaging style ensures participants gain practical skills that foster meaningful, lasting change for families in their care.

Audience: for mental health, education and other professionals that apply behavioural/developmental/neuro-science and systemic thinking to their practice.

Mental Health Professionals: All mental health professionals including, but not limited to Clinical Counsellors, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Hospice and Palliative Care Workers, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Addiction Specialists, Marital & Family Therapists, Child Protection and Disability Workers, Guidance Officers, Speech and Language Therapists, Residential Care Workers and Foster Support Workers, Youth Justice, and all other mental health professionals looking to enhance their therapeutic skills.  

Education Professionals: Professionals who work with children or youth including, but not limited to K–12 Principles, Teachers, School Counsellors, School Paraprofessionals and all other professionals who support behavioural challenges and complex learning needs.