Andra Medea is the developer of the Virtual Tranquilizer, a de-escalation system that's been implemented for psychiatric staff, child protection workers, college staff, veterans, judges and lawyers. She has taught conflict management at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, and is the author of Conflict Unraveled. Andra was raised in a volatile part of Chicago, where she experienced school violence first hand. She translated that knowledge to a successful system of violence prevention and self-defense which was taught to over 20,000 students. She holds a M.A. with a concentration in conflict management from DePaul University.
Description: After several school-based tragedies, national concern
over school safety is at an all-time high. This book highlights
what teachers and parents should know when dealing with mental
health issues, typical tantrums and other issues in young people's
development. Safe Within These Walls offers professional
development on violence prevention, while helping caregivers and
teachers deal with students' aggressive behaviors early and
appropriately. Bottom Line: If you're looking to deal with
sensitive classroom situations, such as ones involving students
with behavioral and developmental issues, and ones that risk
becoming heated and/or violent, this book is the perfect resource.
Safe Within These Walls provides common-sense and expert techniques
to encourage positive student behavior and prevent outbursts and
other disruptions. This title goes beyond de-escalating violence to
address the core of good classroom management.About the Author:
Medea teaches conflict management and has published several books
on the topic. She invented the Virtual Tranquilizer method, which
is the foundation of Safe Within These Walls.-- "Education
World"
I feel Medea has raised the bar, once again, in dealing with
sensitive, and potentially dangerous situations and people. I
immediately thought while reading it that she not only shows people
how to talk the talk, but also walk the walk. I find her use of
language to be very easy to understand, which to me, means that
implementation is easier. I give the book an A+!-- "Dr. Timothy E.
Miller, Psychotherapist"
I recommend that all teachers and parents read this book! . . .This
book will help parents, administrators, and teachers to get inside
the minds and motivations of students.-- "Netgalley Review"
In years prior I have counseled Juvenile Sex Offenders in a
residential setting. I also was a Graphic Artist for 15 years prior
to obtaining a Masters of Arts in Counseling from Northern Illinois
University. I have attended several trainings presented by Andra
Medea and found them very useful. I was flattered when Ms. Medea
asked me for my impressions of her book Safe Within These Walls and
offer a few thoughts below. I found Safe Within These Walls user
friendly and a easy read. While the book is targeted to the
educational community, the understanding of how people in distress
are often unable to effectively process emotions and problem solve
with-out assistance, also applies to the world of child protective
services. Children as well as adults can find the System
frustrating and challenging to their abilities to understand and
function effectively. Much is published about, and I have attended
other trainings to better understand the brain and the various
chemical interactions that impact behaviors. One frustration I have
experienced in my attempts to understand brain training is that it
tends to be focused on the what i.e. chemicals and resulting
behaviors but little practical information on what the how, of
actual interventions needed to address difficult behaviors. Andra
provides a simple and practical explanation of how the phenomena of
flooding influences an individual's ability to effectively problem
solve. Andra offers guidance and examples of strategies so needed
by front line staff. Robert Atchison, MS Intact Family Services
Program Manager Supervisor, Licensing and Permanency Children's
Home and AidRockford, IL-- "Children's Home and Aid"
Medea's book, Safe Within These Walls: De-escalating School
Situations Before They Become Crises (Capstone Classroom, 2014),
offers classroom management advice for addressing students who are
anxious, angry, or violent. The book, from a small publishing house
for K-12 books, describes methods educators can use to subdue angry
and violent students. One of the techniques Medea suggests for
stopping fights is breaking students' eye contact by redirecting
their gaze at you or away from the other student and using simple
directions, like, Back up. Medea tries to analyze past school
shootings, the actions educators and students took, and methods for
replicating safe behaviors. The book includes information about how
the brain malfunctions when a person is angry and how to read this
body language. There are also solutions for different age groups:
K-2, 3-6, middle school, and parents. Useful summaries and specific
steps for educators are provided at the end of each chapter. The
best and safest time to de-escalate aggression is before it starts,
Medea writes. Observe physical cues like avoiding eye contact or
mocking tones. By reading situations and students, educators can
intervene before situations get out of hand, she writes. Education
WeekFebruary 2014-- "Education Week"
No matter who you are, what your training is, or what your job is.
No matter what "population" of people you work with--students,
teachers, administrators, or counseling clients: Read this book. .
. .Reading and applying the principles in this book will give you
knowledge that took me 20 years of personal and professional
experience to gain.-- "Eric Ward, Psy.D., Executive Director at the
Family Counseling Service"
Unlike some of the other books on mass shootings, this one has
specific steps educators can take to try to subdue violent
people.-- "Education Week's BookMarks blog"
When reading Andra's book it's impossible not to have that moment
when it just clicks, like, why hadn't I thought of doing that? As a
society, we are ready for this. We can learn from the wisdom of
those who have come before us and we can do things differently,
hopefully preventing more violence from happening in our schools
and in our neighborhoods. Andra's book provides us with a reference
point. The escalation of violence is complicated, but Andra's
strategies and her clear approach is simple and practical and we
cannot afford to wait in implementing it.-- "Laura L. Noah,
Mediator/Conciliation Counselor"
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