UT Police has launched a new class available to all workforce members and students designed to empower individuals to successfully de-escalate a verbal altercation.

The new class, called Non-Escalation, De-Escalation, and Crisis Management (NEDECM), replaces the prior class offered to the community: Verbal Defense and Influence (VDI). Both NEDECM and VDI are programs developed and licensed by Vistelar, a workplace conflict management company.

The NEDECM program is taught by UT Police team members who have been through Vistelar’s 16-hour training and are certified to teach the concepts of the NEDECM curriculum.

NEDECM aims to provide team members who may face conflict and crisis in the work environment with skills to quell a heated conversation. The class provides a systematic approach that helps participants develop the knowledge and skills to prevent and predict conflict, and to stay safe when someone is exhibiting at-risk behaviors. It can be especially beneficial to individuals who interact regularly with the public.

Ultimately, the class offering aims to increase workplace safety, improve productivity and morale, increase confidence when managing conflict, and enhance personal relations.

Class participants will learn how to:

• Identify gateway behaviors that can be a precursor to violence
• Recognize threat indicators that may compromise safety
• Engage with others in ways to maximize safety without unnecessary escalation
• Resolve refusals and de-escalate verbal confrontations
• Stay safe and promote recovery in crisis situations
• Recognize when verbal methods have failed, and it is necessary to take further action
• Take appropriate action when aggression or violence compromises safety
• End interactions better than they started and with a positive foundation for future contact
• Articulate the reasons for taking action

The classes are offered in 2-hour, 4-hour, and 8-hour blocks either in person or via Zoom  . MD Anderson and UT Health Houston workforce members and students can request NEDECM classes by contacting UT Police’s training unit at 713-563-4741 or emailing UTPHTraining@mdanderson.org.