In our latest in the Safety-Care Trainer Spotlight series, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jennifer Gormley, an experienced Safety-Care trainer and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) serving students in Upper Moreland School District in Pennsylvania. Jenn has been training Safety-Care with educators for several years and shares her insights on what makes Safety-Care such an effective crisis prevention program.
When asked about the most beneficial aspects of Safety-Care for schools or organizations considering a crisis prevention program, Jennifer was enthusiastic about the entire approach. She particularly highlighted the first day of training, which she describes as “rich with information” even for professionals who might not need to use the physical management components included in the curriculum.
Jennifer emphasized several key elements of the Safety-Care program:
- The preventative aspects and understanding the ABCs of behaviors (antecedent-behavior-consequence)
- Recognizing behavior traps and how they develop
- Understanding how behaviors change across the human lifespan
- Identifying various factors that impact behaviors (psychological, physiological, home life, cultural dynamics)
A People-Centered Approach
Jennifer passionately advocates for Safety-Care as the gold standard in crisis prevention programs, stating she would “challenge anybody to tell me that Safety-Care is not the way to go.”
According to Jennifer, the program excels because it is:
- Neurodivergent-centered
- Trauma-centered
- People-centered
- Best practice-centered
- Ethical and humane
She particularly values the program’s inclusivity, noting that it includes components for learners who use wheelchairs, AAC devices, or sign language. “There is nothing that is left out of this program,” Jennifer emphasized.
Transparent Communication with Parents
During the interview, Jennifer also discussed the importance of transparency with parents when interventions are necessary. She explained that her team always shows parents what procedures were used and why they were necessary, emphasizing that such interventions only occur when there is “imminent risk” and “no other way to safely prevent harm.”
Advice for New Safety-Care Trainers
For newly certified Safety-Care trainers, Jennifer offered several valuable pieces of advice:
- “Love it and live it” – fully embrace the program’s philosophy
- Connect with fellow trainers – trainees in your session are valuable for ongoing support and idea-sharing as you start to train your staff
- Be available – implement monthly check-ins where staff can drop in with questions about Safety-Care implementation
- Practice and role-play regularly – especially in environments where the skills aren’t used frequently
Jennifer concluded by saying that with each training experience, “you’re just gonna fall more and more and more in love with it.”
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This interview with Jennifer Gormley is part of our ongoing Trainer Spotlight series highlighting the experiences of Safety-Care trainers across different settings.