Grace Under Fire: Establishing a Culture of Safety & Learning the Skills for Calming & De-Escalating Aggressive Individuals, OUTPATIENT Professional Version In this comprehensive guidebook Ellis Amdur walks professionals working in healthcare and social services settings through a multitude of steps they can take to keep themselves, their colleagues, and their clientele safe. He offers a macro-view, discussing how to establish a culture of safety within an office, agency, or hospital setting, and offers practical solutions designed to maintain a safe environment. He covers a wide array of topics, intent on sharing his expertise with staff in executive, management, and front line positions alike. He then moves to direct face-to-face encounters, teaching skills on how to handle tense situations before they deteriorate into chaos, and how to de-escalate another person once a crisis is in play. His de-escalation tactics are specific. His readers will learn how to recognize what mode of aggression a person is in, and how to respond effectively, shifting into the correct de-escalation tactic that fits the situation. About the Author: Edgework founder Ellis Amdur received his B.A. in psychology from Yale University in 1974, and his M.A. in psychology from Seattle University in 1990. He is both a National Certified Counselor and a State Certified Child Mental Health Specialist. Since the late 1960s, Ellis has trained in various martial arts systems, spending thirteen of these years studying in Japan. He is a recognized expert in classical and modern Japanese martial traditions, and has authored two iconoclastic books, Dueling with O-sensei: Grappling with the Myth of the Warrior Sage and Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions, as well as one instructional DVD, Ukemi From the Ground Up. Since his return to America in 1988, Ellis has worked in the field of crisis intervention. He has developed a range of training and consultation services, as well as a unique style of assessment and psychotherapy. These are based on a combination of phenomenological psychology and the underlying philosophical premises of classical Japanese martial traditions. Ellis’s professional philosophy can best be summed up in this idea: the development of an individual’s integrity and dignity is the paramount virtue. This can only occur when people live courageously, regardless of the circumstances, and take responsibility for their roles in making the changes they desire. Ellis Amdur is a dynamic public speaker and trainer who presents his work throughout the U.S. and internationally. He is noted for his sometimes outrageous humor as well as his profound breadth of knowledge. Ellis’s vivid descriptions of aggressive and mentally ill people and his true-to-life role-playing of the behaviors in question give participants an almost first-hand experience of facing the real individuals in question. To learn more about Ellis Amdur, please go to www.edgework.info | 
