Emotional hijack happens to everyone. When you’re in the law enforcement and criminal justice field, you are even more vulnerable to such. You will witness such behavior from the people you serve – offenders, inmates, and probationers. Even the employees themselves are at risk to emotional hijack as they are exposed to stressful situations and characters at work.

Harmony Goorley of Falcon, Inc., is the esteemed speaker for this course. She is an expert resource when it comes to standards of correctional practice and behavioral health. She has ten years’ worth of experience working with addiction recovery, sex offenders, psychological disorders, among others.

On this webinar, Harmony will zero in on emotional hijacks, the science behind it, and ways to diffuse and de-escalate if they ever happen to people around you, or yourself. Some of the topics Harmony unpacks on this course include:

• The common personality constructs of offenders found in jail populations, and the telling symptoms and characteristics of each.
• The typical pattern of information process where a sensory data input from our environment is analyzed and judged to come up with a conclusion and behavioral response output.
• The two attentive listening skills:
  • Active listening that ensures you understand the message being told to you.
  • Reflective listening that allows you to interpret what is being communicated.
• The three important ingredients of reflective listening that starts with a cautious opening and confirmingg if your perception of their emotions and the reasons behind it are correct.
• The science behind emotional hijack that looks into the structure of the brain where:
  • The reptilian brain is responsible for survival instincts.
  • The neocortex is in charge of logic, reasoning and deeper thinking.
• The key role of the amygdala in emotional hijacks as it is the part of the brain that triggers fear and anxiety resulting in snap judgments and irrational response.
• The freeze, fight, or flight response and dealing with individuals who tend to choose the fight response.
• The ingredients of a hijack and a flowchart that illustrates the difference between typical information processing in the brain and an emotional hijack.
• The likelihood of emotional hijack in law enforcement, correctional and probation agencies which can potentially impact the behavior and performance of its officers and other personnel.
• Antidotes to hijack including tips and cognitive scripts we can incorporate in our lives to take control of our emotions and responses.
• Navigating heated disagreements during an emotional hijack by:
  • Highlighting the primary need to establish safety.
  • Creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and purpose.
  • Presenting and evaluating choices to engage the neocortex.
  • Motivating towards prosocial behavior.
• Common diffusion techniques by giving choices, affirming intentions, engaging in mindfulness and validating emotions.
• Samples of languages that will only add fuel to the fire and must be avoided during an encounter.
• The four important ingredients of safe and effective exchanges.
• Harmony entertained audience questions unpacking points related to:
  • The difference between criminal behavior and mental health disorders
  • Resources, books, speakers and authors mentioned in the webinar
  • Applying emotional hijack diffusion methods to non-face-to-face interactions as in emails or text messages
  • Inmates triggering emotional hijack to correctional officers and staff
  • Overcoming negative past experiences and trauma