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De-escalation and Conflict Resolution for Environmental & Public Health Professionals: Building Skills for Safe and Effective Community Engagement

Summary: As public health officials, conflict is an inevitable component of the work we do. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States saw an increase in harassment and threatening behaviors towards public health officials. This in turn has led people to leave critical positions, creating vulnerability within public health systems. Improving public health workers' abilities to address these conflicts and recognizing when the conflict is no longer safe is essential to ensuring public health laws are upheld without risking harm to the employee.

Conflict in the public health domain may be consistent with disagreements about interpretation of regulations, dissent regarding regulatory control actions, general dissatisfaction with public health laws, and occasionally, mistrust of government organizations. As public health officials are reporting more frequent occurrences of conflict in their roles, it is essential that public health officials are trained in effective conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques. By implementing evidence-based practices, public health officials can work through conflict productively and achieve outcomes that promote mutual resolution and allow professional relationships to remain undamaged after conflict. This results in public health being protected, personal safety is assured, and future interactions with the public stay respectful.

Understanding de-escalation also ensures that an individual can recognize when de-escalation is not possible and when personal safety must become the focus. Public health agencies are encouraged to develop policies on what is expected of staff when these situations arise. This training will provide ideas and opportunities to discuss what could be included in such policies.

Attendees will learn about self-regulation, including recognition of what we control, breathing techniques, and reframing of problems. This information will be coupled with situational awareness so that individuals are able to detect when conflict is beginning or escalating. Finally, participants will discuss communication techniques that may help diffuse interactions that may become hostile.

This training will consist of a brief presentation and will include an interactive skill-building activity in which attendees will review what was taught and implement methods learned in hypothetical scenarios of conflict.

Teaser:

As environmental and public health professionals, much of our training and education is focused on public health laws and science. Given that many positions require interaction with the public, education on conflict is not always offered. This course aims to teach self-regulation, situation awareness, and communication skills that can assist in de-escalating conflict.

Within public health, it is critical to convey regulations and best practices to the public in a manner that persuades them to comply. This webinar focuses on how to establish professional relationships with external partners and gain trust so that public health is protected through individual action.

Key Takeaways:

• Conflict is a common occurrence in personal and professional environments. The behavior and choices of those engaged in conflict determine whether the interaction is professional and has resolution. Self-regulation, communication skills, and situational awareness are all critical in assessing whether situations with conflict will have a desired outcome.
• Environmental and public health cannot be maintained without the buying in of non-public health professionals. Communicating goals and regulations that support public health requires persuasion, relationship building, and establishing trust.

Speaker Bio:Alicia Love is the Meat, Milk, and Egg Inspection Bureau Chief at the Montana Department of Livestock. She holds a Master of Public Health from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Biological Sciences from Arizona State University.

She is a Registered Sanitarian in the states of Montana and Arizona. Her work history includes regulatory experience in retail and manufacturing settings with an emphasis on food safety and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point.

Reference Materials for increase in conflicts:

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