The Mandt System

09/23/2025

Practice makes powerful. 💪

In today’s Tip of the Day, we talk about why repetition matters when learning new skills — especially for trainers. Repeating non‑physical and physical drills helps build neurological pathways so the actions become more natural, more fluid, and more automatic. That way, when real pressure hits, you're ready.

Even if it seems tedious, practicing outside class makes a difference — better retention, more confidence, stronger responses. Want ideas for making repetition better in your training sessions? We’ve got you covered.

👉 Read more:

In our “train the trainer” events participants are asked to practice a number of non-physical and physical activities and skills to increase their proficiency. We sometimes get pushback from participants about there being “too much repetition.” We also discuss how important it is to have the...

09/16/2025

We get that everyone’s setting is different—that’s why The Mandt System offers flexibility for your needs. Whether you're aiming to strengthen relationships, learn safe intervention skills, or go deeper with trauma-informed concepts, there's a route that fits.

Feeling curious? Find the path that’s right for your team and training goals. Explore the full breakdown here →

The ability to individualize plans of service in human services and educational settings is vital to providing the best possible services. The Mandt System recognizes that this kind of flexibility also has great utility when providing prevention, de-escalation, and intervention tools to service  pr...

09/09/2025

Building a home of safety—and growing stronger together

Since our start 50 years ago, The Mandt System has always been about one thing: making your workplace feel safe and supported. We like to think of our program as a sturdy house—built one step at a time with care and feedback from the people who matter most: you.

Our latest update, Mandt 3.0, represents another thoughtful renovation—crafted from your suggestions and built for your everyday needs. It’s not just an upgrade—it’s our way of making your workplace feel even more like home. We’re glad to hear it’s moving in the right direction.

👉 Dive into the full story here:

When we look for a new house, we want a place to live that is safe and meets our needs. Our goal at the Mandt System, from our beginning 50 years ago, has been to provide safety and meet the needs of the organizations who use our program. Mandt 3.0 has been one more step […]

09/02/2025

Ever pause at the word powerful? One of our instructors recently asked if that term might sound harsh in our training materials. We heard that—and clarified it really means two beautiful things: the gentle influence your words and tone can have, and the energy you bring into a conversation. It’s not about dominance—it’s about shaping safe spaces where people feel seen, honored, and confident.

That’s powerful.

👉 Dive into the full post and discover why how we say something matters as much as what we say.

During a recent instructor training, I was asked a thoughtful question regarding the use of the word powerful in our materials—specifically, its use in reference to how we sound when we speak. The participant questioned why this word was chosen in the Mandt System curriculum and whether being p...

08/19/2025

Building Better Connections—One Step at a Time

In a world where negativity often steals the spotlight, it’s worth pausing and remembering what truly matters: building positive, healthy relationships. The Mandt System highlights 16 foundational values—things like dignity, respect, trust, empathy, and consistency—that can make all the difference when we treat each person as an individual, talk directly instead of venting, and address small issues early. It’s about choosing kindness over conflict, not because it’s easy, but because it works.

👉 Curious to see the full list of values and practical tips? Check out the blog here:

We seem to be at a time and place in the world where negativity, mistrust, and retaliation are the modeled ways to interact with others.  We need to remember some of the basics that working with people goes much better and more is accomplished if we have positive, healthy relationships.  Regardles...

08/07/2025

🎉 Celebrating 50 Years of Safer Workplaces
From our start in 1975 to today, The Mandt System has always been about one thing: helping people feel safe at work by building better relationships.

We’ve come a long way — blending trauma-informed care with modern tools like eLearning, VR, and microlearning — but our heart is still the same: treat people with dignity and respect.

👉 Read the full story:

In 1975, David Mandt founded The Mandt System to promote safety through healthier workplace relationships. Fifty years later, these principles remain our core.  The world has changed significantly in the past 50 years but human emotions and behavior haven’t. As humans we still struggle to affirm ...

04/15/2025

Our latest blog. Celebrating The Mandt System Commitment to Workplace Safety: In 1975, David Mandt founded The Mandt System to promote safety through healthier workplace relationships. Fifty years later, these principles remain our core.

The world has changed significantly in the past 50 years but human emotions and behavior haven’t. As humans we still struggle to affirm our emotions and choose our behavior. We continue to experience fear, confusion, and disillusionment, and secondary emotions like anger still drive our impulses.

This is why the foundational principles of the Mandt System program remain relevant today. While the program has evolved to incorporate trauma-informed practices and positive behavior support, the core principle of examining ourselves remains unchanged. Today, we call this self-regulation and understand that it must be present to support others to co-regulate to address emotions and shape behavior responses.

The program’s accessibility and delivery have undergone a significant transformation over the past 50 years. In 1975, content delivery was shaped by an understanding of didactics and pedagogy. Today, we’ve expanded our approach to incorporate adult learning theory and gaming theory into a diverse curriculum delivered through a blended learning model. This model utilizes microlearning, eLearning, in-person scenario-based learning, and even augmented reality.

The most valuable lesson we’ve learned over the past 50 years is that successful implementation takes time and must be viewed as a process. As a result, we partner with organizations to ensure that the desired behavior changes are sustainable. This sets us apart from “one and done” programs and can be seen in the positive outcome measures of longitudinal studies conducted within organizations over time.

In honor of Mandt’s 50th anniversary, we can think of no better way to celebrate this milestone than to continue our founding commitment to safety and providing the best training in the industry. To learn more about our programs, please contact us at [email protected].

Simon Kemp – CEO, The Mandt System

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03/04/2025

Our latest blog. Implementing the Mandt System: Understanding and Measuring the Impact of Implementing The Mandt System.

When the Wisconsin Department of Juvenile Corrections transitioned to The Mandt System—marking a significant philosophical shift in managing challenging behaviors—we recognized the potential for resistance and conflict. To ensure a smooth transition, we adopted a top-down approach, beginning with management training through the Mandt System’s Corporate Culture Change workshop. This foundational step helped establish a strong treatment-oriented model.

A critical component of our adoption was a structured implementation plan with a clear timeline, outlining both the “how” and “why” of the process. Once leadership approved the plan, we launched a comprehensive training initiative. A dedicated team was trained to lead the cultural shift, proactively addressing potential barriers and reinforcing the importance of staff commitment to the new system. Recognizing that meaningful change takes time, we prioritized fostering a supportive and respectful environment.

After the first year of implementation, we established a quality assurance team to collect and analyze data. Using the National Institute of Corrections model, we measured key indicators, including youth and staff injuries, as well as the frequency and duration of restraints. The results demonstrated a clear positive impact—showing reductions in incidents, restraints, injuries, and overall youth confinement.

Beyond these measurable outcomes, we also sought to assess the impact on organizational culture and staff-youth relationships. By analyzing Performance-Based Systems data from staff surveys, we observed encouraging trends that further validated our progress.

Understanding and measuring the impact of implementing The Mandt System has been essential in ensuring we provide the most humane and effective services for the youth in our care. This ongoing process of evaluation will continue indefinitely, reinforcing our commitment to continuous improvement and excellence.

Guest blog written by Kyle Hoff, Compliance & Quality Improvement Manager, Wisconsin Division of Juvenile Corrections

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01/15/2025

Our latest blog. De-escalation: From Knowledge to Application: To create safe workspaces, it is vital for our team members to be competent in the application of de-escalation skills. Presenting theories on de-escalation is not enough to prepare members of your team to de-escalate people who are behaving aggressively. This is true whether a person is being verbally or physically aggressive. Team members need to practice de-escalation in a safe and semi-realistic manner. Initially, team members should gain knowledge and understanding of de-escalation theory and techniques. Once this has been achieved, practical exercises are needed to teach team members application of the deescalation skills. Scenario based training can be utilized to adapt the skills to the local workplace culture. Skills can then be tested by certified instructors in a safe environment to ensure competency.

The Mandt System 3.0 curriculum incorporates practical communication and de-escalation skills and skill tests throughout the Relational curriculum. Tested communication skills include:

* Verbal skills

* Paralanguage skills

* Nonverbal skills

* I-statement skills

* Perception checking skills

De-escalation skills are divided into two categories: self regulation and co-regulation. Tested self regulation skills include:

* Affirming feelings and choosing behavior

* Regulated breathing

* Body scan

* Sensory grounding

Tested co-regulation skills include:

* Relaxed and safe presence

* Stimulus management

* Affect labeling/affirming feelings

* Generating options

* Cueing safer behavior

* Active Listening

* Reflective listening

When team members have competency in the application of the above listed skills, your organization is in a strong position to prevent and de-escalate aggressive interactions.

John Windsor – Vice President of Training, The Mandt System

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12/19/2024

Our latest blog. Seasonal Challenges: This holiday season at the Mandt System, we’re engrossed in the development of Mandt 3.0. This morning, I couldn’t help but feel like we’re Santa’s elves, diligently preparing the rest of the toys for the big day. Naturally, there are numerous loose ends that we’re tying up in preparation for the rollout.

It’s an exhilarating yet stressful period, which is common for many people during this time of year. I’ve found myself needing to “affirm my feelings and choose my behavior” on several occasions. This has not only involved utilizing some of the new self-regulation skills we’re incorporating into Mandt 3.0 but also some of the relationship-building and repairing skills as well. On more than one instance, I’ve felt compelled to apologize to some of my team members because I wasn’t self-regulating.

Building and maintaining healthy relationships is the foundation of the Mandt System, but it’s certainly not always easy. Various factors can influence our interactions with others, leading to unhealthy ones, especially when we perceive their behavior negatively. In such situations, it’s crucial to acknowledge our emotions and select a response that prioritizes the safety of everyone involved. This principle applies not only to professional relationships but also to our personal ones.

Whether it’s at work or during holiday gatherings with friends and family, as you navigate the joy and stress of the season, making a conscious effort to pay attention to your emotions and behaviors can help keep the holidays more enjoyable than stressful, not only for you but also for others.

Happy Holidays from Mandt System

Doug ZehrVogt – Director of eLearning and Technology

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11/11/2024

Our latest blog. Setting People Up for Success: Think about the best or most favorite job you have ever had. Now, also think about the worst or least favorite job you have ever had. While a number of different factors may have helped either of the jobs you just thought about get into either of those categories, odds are you liked a job you were good at and felt good about working there, while you disliked a job you were not good at or did not feel rewarded working for the company. We are about to roll out a new version of our materials January 2025. This signals change and change can be scary for people.

We need to help staff be successful with the new material. When staff are successful at work, when they feel they are contributing to society as well as the company, they will be better workers. They will be happier workers. They will want less to stir things up and look for ways to cause problems. Instead, they will be helping find ways to solve problems.

If our organizations have developed a negative culture, if it is not a fun place to work, if people do not feel they are contributing to society or the organization, that is when any of us will engage in other activities, frequently conflict, to get some satisfaction out of work. Mandt 3.0 will be another step in helping all of our organizations become more positive places.

So, what can we do to help staff enjoy their work? We can set them up for success. People usually talk about setting up our students or people we support for success and how that has such a great impact on their day. The same is true of staff. We need to make sure we are setting our staff up for success (and not failure) and watch the great impact it has on their day.

Some organizations view Mandt as the program their staff use to support the people they serve (whether they are in juvenile justice, schools, behavioral health, etc.). When the concepts of Mandt are only used in our service delivery and not in the inner workings of our organizations, we send a mixed message to our frontline staff. We require them to treat people with dignity and respect, to build positive relationships, and to use healthy communication skills. When management interacts with our staff, however, they are not always treated in a similar fashion. Our phrase “In this place and with these people, I feel safe” needs to be a phrase that every person in all of our buildings should feel and experience. If staff do not feel safe because someone from management may yell at them, or dock their pay, or write them up, or terminate their employment if they are not perfect, our organizations are mistreating our own employees. This will create conflict, which makes our workplace less safe.

So, this next week, I challenge every person reading this blog to find a way to make the people around them feel safe. People will feel safe when they are being successful. Setting someone up for success is not only something that works from the top down. Aides can help their supervisors feel safe. Teachers can help their administrators feel safe. Feeling safe and less conflict go hand in hand. Here’s to a successful launch of Mandt 3.0!

Dr.Dale Shannon – Director of Curriculum and Governance

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10/02/2024

Our latest blog. Introducing Mandt 3.0: A New Era in Training: We’re thrilled to announce that in January 2025, The Mandt System will launch Mandt 3.0, a monumental leap forward in our training program. This update, built on feedback from customers and stakeholders, addresses key concerns many organizations face: training efficiency, learner engagement, and skill application in real-world scenarios. We’ve partnered with leading experts to incorporate the latest instructional design principles and technologies, making Mandt 3.0 more efficient, accessible, and impactful than ever before.

At its core, Mandt 3.0 retains our commitment to supporting people, not just managing behaviors. With 50 years of experience, we understand that preventing workplace violence and de-escalating conflicts starts with a relationship-centered approach. Here’s how Mandt 3.0 addresses your organization’s training needs and concerns:

Enhanced Instructional Design Across All Modules

One of the biggest challenges organizations face is ensuring that employees retain and apply what they’ve learned in training. To tackle this, Mandt 3.0 introduces a thoughtfully redesigned instructional framework crafted by adult learning specialists. This new design makes it easier for learners to grasp complex concepts and improve retention, ultimately leading to better application of critical de-escalation and conflict resolution skills in high-pressure situations.

Conversational Tone for Greater Engagement

We understand that training can sometimes feel overwhelming or unrelatable. That’s why Mandt 3.0 adopts a more conversational and approachable tone, creating a welcoming environment for learners from diverse backgrounds. With this new tone, employees are more likely to actively participate and apply the skills they learn, reducing workplace incidents and creating a more positive culture revolving around safety.

Reorganized Relational-Conceptual-Technical (RCT) Curriculum

Mandt 3.0 simplifies and streamlines the learning journey with a reorganized curriculum. The RCT curriculum now focuses on two certification levels—Relational and Relational-Technical—with Conceptual content included in each instructor certification.

The reorganized chapters are as follows:

* Chapter 1: Primary Prevention: Building and Maintaining Healthy Relationships

* Chapter 2: De-Escalation Skills: Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation

* Chapter 3: Intervention Skills: Technical Skills Introduction/Self-Protection Skills

* Chapter 4: Intervention Skills: Technical Holding Skills

For those familiar with The Mandt System, the core flow and structure remain intact, but the new layout makes it easier to navigate essential crisis prevention and de-escalation concepts. The Conceptual chapters will now be housed in a Conceptual Library, which will evolve over time and is included with each instructor certification.

All-in-One Learning Resources for Maximum Flexibility

Flexibility is a top concern for many organizations, especially those with diverse learning needs. That’s why Mandt 3.0 incorporates an all-in-one Student Learning Portfolio, which offers a comprehensive set of learning resources such as:

– eBooks and downloadable/printable student workbooks

– Access to all eLearning courses and paperless tests

– Videos and interactive images of physical skills

– Weekly microlearning refreshers

– Student certificates

These resources offer various learning options to suit different learning styles, ensuring continuous development even after the initial training. Priced at $14.99 USD / $19.99 CAD, the student learning portfolio provides a flexible, resource-rich training experience that supports long-term skill reinforcement and application. The student learning portfolio is required for student certification.

Updated Instructor Certification Fees

To help you plan for the transition to Mandt 3.0, we’re sharing our updated certification fees. Our goal is to offer a balance of affordability and value, ensuring your team has access to the enhanced curriculum and resources they need for effective training.

*Contact us for pricing for Holding for Medical Procedures and Enhanced Safety.

Looking Ahead: What Mandt 3.0 Means for You

We’re incredibly excited for the launch of Mandt 3.0 and the improvements it will bring to our training program. From the updated curriculum to the enhanced learning tools, we’ve designed Mandt 3.0 to be more accessible, engaging, and effective than ever before. As your organization prepares to upgrade to 3.0, we encourage you to explore how these updates can benefit your organization, helping you build a healthier, safer workplace.

Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions as we prepare for this exciting new chapter!

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