“Coach 2 Cope is the most accessible and practical training I have undertaken to help me better support young people in my work”
Murray – Principal
“Coach 2 Cope is an easy to understand program that outlines how to confidently interact with a young person in distress. It has also given me an opportunity further enhance my knowledge and confidence around supporting the mental health of young people.”
Anita Ziliotto
“I found this course was really helpful and has given me some valuable tools to use when working with youth and my own children.”
Katie Obrien
“Excellent, easily understood, practical advice regarding response and strategies that place the young person at the centre.”
Anne Nelson
“I now understand at what levels of distress to offer support to a young person.”
Lynn Fennamore
“I especially liked the TR3 model. it is easy to remember and a simple easy step by step response to a child experiencing distress. It has also helped me to identify internal and external behaviours and the importance of making a connection with a child experiencing mild to moderate distress.”
Tanya Hansen
“This program has helped in a way that I can communicate more effectively and be able to see and understand a young persons behaviour”
Belinda Bell
“A fantastic program that helps to identify the right times to assist students with levels of distress.”
Peta Imrie
“I have learnt so many new skills and ways to respond to a young person in distress”.
Taylar Wilks
“An exceptional group making a positive impact in the Child & Adolescent Mental Health space! Keep up the great work”!
Matt March
“An excellent program for anyone working with young people. It has given me some great strategies to use with young people in their time of need. Very valuable information for a teacher”.
Kristin Dyball
“It has enabled me to understand and follow strategies I can use to support children in distress. It also identified the signs for when I should support through observing and when I should step in and offer assistance”.
Kirstin Price
“Great program focused on recognising, understanding and supporting students, it helps to know there is more evidence out there that links in with nurture rather than isolate/punish. Focus on understanding and responding to student needs”.
Sophie Bowman
“The TAR3 model is new to me and is helpful in my role at a Learning Support Teacher. A great introduction in how to cope with young people in distress.”
Jodie Summerville
“I am inspired every time I hear Steve speak. He has a calm and logical approach to assisting our young people.”
Kristy Sutton
“TAR3 appears to be a helpful procedural way to assist my students when they feel distress. The videos and summary information were helpful and concise. Excellent ideas for educators when responding to serious situations.”
Niven Williams
“A simple but detailed understanding of how to respond to a young person in distress. Very good overall picture. Nice to be put into simple words with good explanation.”
Gillian Bendeich
“It has given me more confidence and validated the way I respond to adolescents in distress. As a teacher working with young people, this course is valuable in providing an easy to understand response to assist when episodes of distress occur”
Nicole Yates
“The program helps to give an understanding of the experiences of young people in distress and useful strategies to support young people in these moments”
Natalie Ross
“The training was clear and concise, it got straight to the point of how to help a young person and could be completed in under an hour. The video delivery was good with notes that summed up the key concepts. It got straight to the point.”
Emily Coutts
“The training and framework delivered by Stephen in our Coach 2 Cope session has significantly built the capacity of our team to respond effectively to the young people we work with. The framework has given us a building block to ensure a consistent approach across our whole organisation, and the confidence to ensure other adults in the young person’s network are doing the same. Stephen is engaging, passionate and clearly, incredibly knowledgeable in this field. Highly recommended to anyone crossing paths with young people in any organisation”.
Peta Newsome – Fam Connect
“Thankyou – you validated what we do but showed us how to care for ourselves and others in a more positive and proactive way – not just being reactive to situations.”
De Anna Addicoat
“This was perfect for teachers in a busy school setting. It gave the pertinent information without being too long. If a course such as this is too long, it can lose people’s attention. The fact that you can learn more with an additional course is great.”
Belinda Barnes
“EquiEnergy Youth delivered the best mental health professional learning I have ever been part of. It’s real, informative, authentic and delivered in a way that isn’t full of medical terms. Dr Steve is an amazing professional that I could listen to for hours.”
Renae Honeysett
“Dr Steve gave an excellent presentation with personal anecdotes from his profession and a valuable ‘toolkit’ to work with our young people. I would love for our whole school to do professional learning with Dr Stephen Spencer.”
Andrea Aitken
“I enjoyed every moment of this training. It met all of my expectations and I took a lot away from it. Brilliant and relevant. Steve was a highly engaging presenter with practical strategies and responses to all scenarios that were brought up inner training. Highly recommend.”
Tracey Gibbons
“Provided some new and valuable tools that will improve our school practices. Love the calming plan and look forward to implementing it in our school to improve planning, processes and support.”
Gina Thornton
“Outstanding presentation delivered in a professional, passionate and practical manner. Amazing.”
Kevin Ruddy
“The Coach to Cope Course is one of the best courses that I have completed. The material was very well presented, clear, informative , practial and extremely helpful. I have so much that I can use from this course for the students in my High School especially the TAR 3 calming plan and the Auteenome Support Plan and I can’t wait to start! Thankyou Steve and Ben for the great training.”
Nada Potter
“The Coach 2 Cope course was an invaluable experience for the Wellbeing Team at our school. Over the course of an afternoon, Stephen and Ben facilitated a series of engaging and practical sessions that equipped our staff with the real-life skills and knowledge to more effectively support students with mental health issues. Stephen’s empathy, compassion and expertise in assisting young people in distress was evident, and the course provided useful and empowering strategies to complement our existing internal and department policies and procedures. I highly recommend the evidence-based training and comprehensive resources that the Coach 2 Cope course provides for all educators who support young people to navigate complex and often distressing mental health challenges.”
Jess Grundy
“I’ve been working with Dr Stephen Spencer since May 2018 and since then over 1000 Education staff in the Hunter have attended his training. He builds the capacity of school staff to respond as educators to students who need additional support at school. The benefit is an evidence-based training program assisting as educators to compassionately hold the distress of young people and respond appropriately. The training also facilitates a gentle shift in mindset that allows school staff to respond quickly and appropriately to the emotional needs of the child in their moment of distress without focusing on undesirable behaviours. The consistency of the training means we are also reaching a point of having a shared language and understanding about emotional dysregulation, emotional distress and how to be a calm responder. The greatest challenges I see while supporting students with complex mental health needs now sit within schools who have not participated in Steve’s training. The difference it makes is significant.”
Catherine Hughes
“I believe every principal should see this workshop so that it filters down to all. The simplicity of the framework makes it easy to fit all students”.
Stephanie Hopkins
“Stephen is a fantastic presenter with “on the ground” experience to share to help us understand the right responses to distress.”
Katrina Brennan
“Very helpful in my line of work dealing with children with special needs.”
Lisa O’Brien
“The training gave great insight into what was happening to the young person as opposed to the focus on us as adults and how we support the young person in distress. It gives a complete picture. It gave great insight into a young person in distress”
Mavis Heath
“Coach2Cope provides a an extremely accessible framework for educators, family and those in their wider community to provide the best support to the young people around them. Steve delivers the program in an efficient, practical and easy to understand way.”
Nathan Jensen
“Steve is very engaging and the content was well presented and clear. TAR3 is a wonderful tool and every adult should know, understand and utilise this! It has given me a framework where I can utilise techniques suited to the situation. It enables me to ‘take a step back’ and remember TAR3.”
Chris Bird
“This program gives grab and go tools to assist students in times of crisis, the face to face training given was engaging and informative. I finish the program feeling more equipped to assist my school community and in the future. The TAR3 is a great tool to use to remind me how to respond during a child’s escalation.”
Liz Chaplain/SLSO
“This has good information about recognizing signs of distress for people who aren’t accustomed to helping people who are in distress.”
Molly Harris
“This program has been extremely valuable in teaching me how to respond to young people in psychological distress, and also identifying triggers early. Giving our young people the tools to cope is another skill I hope to build on after completing this course.”
Jodie Horton
