The Courage to Respond Differently: Building Adult Capacity to Transform Crisis Moments

This session explores how staff confidence and readiness shape every moment of crisis response, and why building adult capacity is the key to safer, more connected learning environments. Drawing on research showing that self-efficacy predicts whether adults default to punitive approaches or engage in skillful, relational interventions, we’ll examine how Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) strengthens adult insight, regulation, and decision-making. Participants will learn how LSCI’s reclaiming interventions equip staff to respond with courage and clarity, transforming turbulent moments into opportunities for growth. If your team wants to reduce suspensions, strengthen relationships, and increase safety, this session will show why the path forward begins with empowering the adults — not controlling the youth.

Learning Objectives:

• Reframe crisis moments by understanding the decisive role of the adult.
• Understand key self-efficacy research and how adult confidence and clarity influence crisis intervention quality.
• Explore how LSCI strengthens adult capacity by building insight, regulation, and readiness to respond differently.
• Identify practical strategies and next steps for applying — and adopting — LSCI within their own settings.

Bios:

Angella Erickson, MBA is the Director of Outreach and Communication at North Homes Children and Family Services, where she leads agency-wide marketing, community engagement, quality improvement, and staff training initiatives. She brings more than a decade of experience working across nonprofit leadership, youth development, public health, and human services systems. Angella holds an MBA in Healthcare Administration and has led complex organizational efforts including COA reaccreditation, internship program development, fundraising and development strategy, and cross-functional staff training. She is a Senior Trainer in Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI), Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified, and actively engaged in community leadership through board service with the Itasca County Family YMCA and as Chair of the City of Grand Rapids Human Rights Commission. Her training approach integrates systems thinking, equity, and practical application grounded in real-world nonprofit and human services settings.

Jennifer Sheppard, MSW, LICSW is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with more than 25 years of experience providing mental health services, clinical supervision, and professional training. She currently serves as a Mental Health Professional and Clinical Supervisor at North Homes Children and Family Services and as a Clinical Supervisor with First Call for Help’s Crisis Response Team. Jennifer has extensive experience delivering and supervising trauma-informed, evidence-based practices, including EMDR, TF-CBT, attachment-based interventions, and crisis stabilization services. She is a certified Senior Trainer in Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) and has served as an LSCI trainer with North Homes for over 15 years. Jennifer is a certified Licensing Supervisor in Minnesota and has provided clinical supervision to graduate interns and licensed trainees since 2015. Jennifer also brings specialized expertise in domestic violence, foster care, crisis response, and community-based mental health systems, and regularly trains professionals on a wide range of mental health and trauma-related topics.