Meet Jason

Jason’s excellent work de-escalating behaviours of concern landed him praise from all sides and an employee of the month nomination.

Staff from the Brain Disorder Unit (BDU) were impressed with how Jason worked with his client when he was exhibiting behaviours of concern. They called Jason’s manager, praising his calm and respectful method of behaviour de-escalation.

Jason remembered the moment well. His client was staying at the BDU for over a month, and was reluctant to go back into the facility. He began displaying behaviours of concern that were impacting the wellbeing and physical safety of people around him.

However, using his training and lessons from experienced eQuality Support team members, Jason was able to de-escalate the behaviour.

“Honestly, I just followed the rule book. As my client’s behaviour escalated, I removed myself from the situation but didn’t leave him alone,” he said.

“After he had calmed down, we talked about his actions and he was very apologetic towards me and the others.”

Jason takes the time to get to know his clients and develop a strong, respectful bond with them. He said that this can be done in lots of ways.

“Listening is really important to develop a relationship, but of course there are other ways to build them,” he said. “We don’t have to communicate through speech or words, it can be through music, DVDs, and showing an interest in what my client is interested in.”

After a particularly stressful or difficult shift, Jason finds it helpful to call his Client Services Officer (CSO) to debrief.

“I’ll usually call my CSO to go over what happened and talk through the shift,” he said. “After that I go home, get a coffee, and take my dog for a walk. I’ve found that walking meditation to be the best thing for calming down after a shift.”

When he’s not at work, you won’t find Jason sitting around at home. An enjoyer of an active lifestyle, he’d be out surfing, swimming, or riding his motorbike through the Otways.