Further Information

Help your team respond effectively when care becomes challenging

Supporting someone through distress can be demanding. Staff may understand the importance of compassionate, person-centred care while still finding it difficult to put that knowledge into practice when they feel anxious, frustrated, overwhelmed or unsure what to do.

For managers, the challenge is helping teams develop an approach they can remember and use during a busy working day.

Pause, Notice, Choose ACT Training gives staff a simple framework for understanding what is happening, recognising their own responses and choosing actions that support the person in front of them.

The training brings together three connected aims:

Respond to distress with confidence and compassion

Develop a more thoughtful understanding of distress and behaviour that challenges. Practise noticing emotional reactions and responding in ways that preserve dignity, support connection and take account of individual needs.

Protect staff wellbeing and address burnout

Explore how difficult thoughts, feelings and repeated pressure can affect working relationships and care. Build skills for responding to these experiences with greater flexibility and self-compassion, alongside recognising when further support is needed.

Support meaningful, more independent lives

Look beyond completing daily tasks to consider what matters to each person. Explore how everyday support can create opportunities for choice, participation, connection and greater independence.

A practical framework: Pause. Notice. Choose.

Pause — create space for a considered response

When a situation feels difficult, it is easy to react automatically. Staff explore how to take a brief pause, where safe and appropriate, so they can respond with greater awareness.

The aim is to make room for a helpful next step, even when emotions are strong.

Notice — recognise what is happening within and around you

Staff learn to notice their own thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and urges, while remaining curious about the person’s experience and the surrounding situation.

What might this person be finding difficult? What am I feeling? What assumptions am I making? What else needs my attention?

Choose — act in line with what matters

Staff practise choosing responses guided by compassion, dignity, safety and the person’s own priorities.

This includes recognising when to adapt their approach, offer meaningful choices, seek support or take a small step towards something important to the person.

A shared framework your team can return to in everyday care, reflection and discussion.

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, usually called ACT, is a psychological approach that develops psychological flexibility: the ability to notice what is happening, make room for difficult thoughts and feelings, and take action guided by what matters.

Pause, Notice, Choose brings these principles into everyday care and support work using accessible explanations and practical exercises.

Staff explore how to stay connected with the kind of care worker they want to be, even when a situation brings up discomfort, frustration or uncertainty. They also consider how to help the people they support move towards their own interests, relationships and meaningful activities.

In this context, acceptance means acknowledging difficult internal experiences so we can respond thoughtfully. Safe care, appropriate boundaries and action to address concerns remain essential.

No previous knowledge of ACT or psychology is needed.

What will your staff learn?

By the end of the day, participants will have explored and practised how to:

• Use Pause, Notice, Choose to guide their responses in everyday care situations.

• Recognise how their own thoughts, emotions and assumptions can influence interactions.

• Take a curious, compassionate approach to distress and behaviour that challenges.

• Respond more flexibly when difficult thoughts or feelings arise.

• Recognise personal signs of emotional strain and identify supportive next steps.

• Distinguish what matters to the person they support from their own preferences or expectations.

• Identify small, practical opportunities to support choice, independence and meaningful activity.

• Apply the framework to examples relevant to their working environment.

An interactive training day grounded in your team’s experience

The day combines knowledge building, experiential learning and practical application.

Facilitators introduce key ideas and use clinical material to bring psychological concepts to life. Staff then have opportunities to reflect, discuss and apply the learning to situations they recognise from their own work.

The training includes:

• Clear explanations of relevant ACT principles.

• Guided exercises exploring attention, emotional responses and values.

• Discussion of clinical examples shared by the facilitators.

• Opportunities to work with anonymised examples contributed by staff.

• Reflection on how learning can translate into everyday support.

This helps staff connect the framework with the conversations, decisions and emotionally demanding moments they encounter in practice.

Examples are discussed in ways that protect the confidentiality and dignity of the people involved.

Who is this training for?

Pause, Notice, Choose is designed for staff and leaders working in healthcare, care homes, residential care, and supported living services, including:

• Support workers and care assistants.

• Senior support workers and team leaders.

• Healthcare Staff.

• Registered managers and deputy managers.

• Staff responsible for practice development and workforce learning.

It is particularly relevant to teams seeking a more psychologically informed approach to distress, emotional demands and person-centred support.

If you are commissioning training for a specialist service, tell us about the people you support and your team’s priorities so we can discuss suitability.

Why choose Pause, Notice, Choose for your service?

Develop a shared approach across your team

Give staff a clear, memorable framework for discussing difficult moments and considering helpful responses together.

Connect staff wellbeing with everyday care

Help staff recognise how their own emotional experiences can influence the support they provide, while making space for compassion towards themselves and colleagues.

Keep the person’s quality of life central

Encourage staff to consider what makes life meaningful for each individual and how everyday interactions can support their choices and independence.

Learn directly from two Clinical Psychologists

Combine psychological knowledge with facilitated reflection, practical exercises and discussion of real care situations.

Bing learning into your working environment

Host the training at your own premises, with opportunities for staff to apply ideas to the situations and challenges relevant to your service.

Frequently asked questions

Do staff need previous training in psychology or ACT?

No. The training introduces the relevant ideas in accessible language and uses practical examples to connect them with everyday care and support work.

Does the course address challenging behaviour?

Yes. The training explores how staff can respond to distress and behaviour that challenges with greater awareness, confidence and compassion. It considers both the person’s experience and the thoughts and feelings that arise for staff.

The emphasis is on psychologically informed responses and meaningful support. The course does not teach physical intervention techniques.

Can staff bring examples from their own work?

Yes. Alongside clinical material introduced by the facilitators, staff can contribute anonymised situations from their own experience. This creates opportunities to explore how Pause, Notice, Choose applies in your service.

How does the training support staff wellbeing?

Staff explore how to recognise emotional strain, relate differently to difficult thoughts and feelings, and choose actions that support wellbeing. These skills sit alongside the supervision, management support and working conditions that staff need.

Can we host the training at our care home or supported living service?

Yes. We can deliver the day at your premises where there is a suitable space for group learning and practical exercises. We can also provide a training room for an additional cost depending on location.

How many people can attend?

The training is offered to groups of 15 or more. The fee is £2,950 for 15 participants, with an additional £100 for each further participant. Please contact us to discuss arrangements for larger teams.

Bring Pause, Notice, Choose to your team

Help your staff develop a shared approach to responding to distress, caring for their own wellbeing and supporting meaningful lives.

Tell us about your service, the people you support and what you would like your team to gain from the training.