When frontline staff face sudden violence, thinking isn't enough.
Experiential, trauma-aware training that helps mental health and community care staff respond safely and calmly to real-world aggression, without force or restraint.
Trusted by teams across Aotearoa
When thinking shuts down,
injuries happen.
Frontline mental health staff face sudden, unpredictable violence, often
from clients they're trying to help.
In those moments, training that relies on cognitive recall fails.
Staff freeze, overreact, or get hurt
When adrenaline spikes, fine motor control disappears. Policies and de-escalation scripts become inaccessible. Staff are left with only their instinctive responses — which often escalate situations or lead to injury.
Clients experience longer, more traumatic incidents
When staff responses are uncertain or reactive, clients remain dysregulated for longer. What could de-escalate in 30 seconds becomes a 15-minute crisis that traumatises everyone involved.
The organisation carries preventable risk
Each serious incident triggers investigations, ACC claims, staff leave, and potential legal exposure. Most organisations carry this cost even after completing all required compliance training.
Most teams already have risk training.
The gap appears when situations move faster than conscious thought.
Why frameworks alone break down
under pressure
Most frontline staff already receive structured risk training.
These frameworks are valuable — but they operate at the wrong speed for sudden
physical escalation.
What current training does well
Cognitive & procedural frameworks
- - Clear risk assessment processes
- - Defined boundaries and reporting structures
- - Shared language across teams
- - Compliance with organisational policy
- - Post-incident reflection frameworks
What it doesn't prepare staff for
What happens when thinking stops
- - Sudden physical contact (grabbing, hair pulling, pushing)
- - Adrenaline flooding the nervous system
- - Loss of fine motor control and verbal fluency
- - The body responding before the mind can intervene
- - Instinctive reactions that escalate unintentionally
Cognitive training gives staff a thinking framework.
Embodied training gives them something to fall back on when that framework is
inaccessible.
An embodied approach to de-escalation and self-protection
Quiet Confidence develops physical and nervous system responses that
work when conscious thought is unavailable,
adapted to the
realities of mental health work.
Physical responses under pressure
Staff learn body-based techniques that:
- Maintain balance and orientation when grabbed or pushed
- Protect without using force or restraint
- Default to safer positioning automatically
- Work even when adrenaline has shut down fine motor skills
Adapted to real scenarios
Training evolves based on what your staff actually face:
- Hair pulling while administering medication
- Being cornered in small spaces
- Sudden grabbing during personal care
- Multiple people escalating simultaneously
Psychologically safe by design
Training is delivered with:
- Consent and choice at every step
- Awareness of vicarious trauma and triggering
- Space for nervous system regulation
- No forced physical contact or demonstration
Trusted in high-risk, high-pressure environments
From frontline staff to leadership teams, organisations use Quiet Confidence to support safety, regulation, and confidence at work.
"Quiet Confidence gave me practical tools to respond more effectively in high-pressure situations. The program builds real awareness and choice - not just understanding, but lived experience. It's changed the way I engage with colleagues, clients, and challenges day to day."
Yash Dayal
Chief Strategy Officer, SLS Security
“This was one of the best-received courses we’ve ever run. Staff engagement was extremely high, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. I would gladly attend a full session myself.”
John Taylor
CEO, Community Connections
Mental Health & Disability Services
Is Quiet Confidence right for your organisation?
This is for you if...
- ✓ Your staff support people experiencing mental health crises, disability-related distress, or complex needs
- ✓ Teams face unpredictable physical situations where cognitive de-escalation alone isn't enough
- ✓ You want training that works in real crisis moments, not just in debriefs
- ✓ You're committed to trauma-aware practice that protects both staff and clients
- ✓ You're ready to invest in capability building, not just compliance documentation
If you're unsure whether this fits your context, call us to clarify free of charge.
Developed through experience, refined for care environments
Quiet Confidence was developed by Tony Schaufelberger, who has spent
over 40 years practicing and reflecting on martial arts, achieving
multiple black belts in Aikido, Iado and Jiu Jitsu. Through decadess
of hands-on experience, he learned how to handle high-pressure
situations safely and de-escalate conflict without relying on force.
After observing the limitations of force-based and technique-heavy
approaches in care settings, the method was deliberately redesigned to
prioritise regulation, restraint, and decision-making under stress,
specifically for frontline staff working with vulnerable populations.
Tony has trained educators, healthcare professionals, and community
support workers across Aotearoa New Zealand. The approach is adapted
for trauma-aware contexts and institutional safety requirements, not
traditional martial arts instruction.
The Foundation Program
A structured, four-phase training journey designed for frontline teams working in high-risk mental health and community care environments.
The program unfolds across four structured phases, each building on the last.
1. Context & Needs Mapping
Understanding the specific situations your staff face — identifying risk patterns, environmental constraints, and client presentation types. Training is adapted to your operational reality, not generic scenarios.
2. Embodied Skills Development
In-person, experiential sessions where staff practice physical responses for unpredictable situations. Training targets the nervous system and instinctive responses — not conscious recall under pressure.
3. Real-World Scenario Practice
Exercises drawn directly from your staff's lived experience — adapted for your physical environment, client presentations, and role constraints. Techniques are refined through repetition and variation until they become automatic.
4. Integration & Sustainability
Space for processing, consolidation, and nervous system regulation. Staff receive tools they can continue using independently beyond the formal program.
What's Included
- On-site facilitation adapted to your setting
- Customised scenario development
- Trauma-aware delivery throughout
- Small group engagement (up to 25 participants)
- Pre-program context mapping
- Real-world scenario design
- Integration & reflection time
- Follow-up resources for staff
Organizations typically report:
- Greater staff confidence in high-pressure moments
- Improved emotional regulation during incidents
- Fewer situations escalating to restraint
- Stronger team cohesion and shared language
- Increased psychological safety
- Reduced injury and incident severity
- More consistent responses across teams
- Higher engagement with existing frameworks
Investment varies based on team size, location, and program customisation. Foundation programs typically start from $10,000. Specific investment is discussed during the qualification call to ensure the program fits your context.
Practical, trauma-aware training for teams under pressure
Quiet Confidence works with organisations where staff safety, client
dignity, and ethical care are non-negotiable.
If your team operates at the intersection of care and complexity, this conversation
might be valuable.