I (Ellis Amdur) am interested in teaching others the information and skills necessary to be an Edgework trainer. If the message is not bigger than the messenger, it only helps a few people. I am happy to discuss this further with interested and qualified individuals.
There are some preliminary criteria (unlike many professional certifications, the preliminary requirements may seem to be somewhat extensive, but the actual certification procedure is quite simple).
- Qualifications:
- You should have a masters level or above in some social services and /or have significant experience as a case manager or therapist.
- You are a law enforcement officer, correctional officer or probation officer with long experience in HNT/CNT or CIT.
- A positive asset would be if you are a trainer of some kind. If so, I would like to see a video of you teaching one of your own classes.
- Purchase Grace Under Fire and read through it with care. Decide if the ideas, methods and mind-set in this book are congruent with your own. When we talk, I expect you to have studied the book enough that you will be discussing familiar ground that you have carefully thought about on your own. (By the way, this does not mean that you will have nothing of your own to bring to the table, but you must concur with the core principles and techniques of Edgework). Grace Under Fire, my book for outpatient social services personnel, has the most extensive information among all my books, and will best ground you in an overview of the information necessary to be an Edgework trainer.
- If you have the hope of specializing in working with one particular profession (i.e., police CIT programs, parole/probation, social services, etc.), you should also purchase the specific book associated with that profession, and read that through as well. That way, you will be able to see how the Edgework principles are applied to each profession.
- Also, purchase and read either The Coordinator (geared for law enforcement or military) or The Accord Agent (geared for worksite environments) on the art of communication with individuals presenting with problematic or dangerous behaviors. These books are the product of Amdur’s (and co-author Robert Hubal) work with the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency on communication with people who will always view themselves in an adversarial relationship towards you.
- After carefully reading through the aforementioned books, purchase and view my online course: TACTICAL COMMUNICATION. This is one version of a one day course. Take notes – I would like to hear your reactions about the material. Is there anything that you would like to amplify, based on your experience? Is there anything that you disagree with? The idea is for you – and I – to determine if you will be able to work with and teach Edgework material.
- If you will be working with any law enforcement professionals and you do not have law enforcement experience, you should either take a “Citizens Police Academy” and/or contact your local police department or sheriff’s office to go on some ‘ride-alongs’ with officers. Because we are considering aggression, the police will, necessarily be involved, at times, in incidents involving the agencies you teach, even if you are never teach police yourself. I want people who respect the role of the police officer, have some understanding how difficult a job it is, and know how to work with police cross-discipline, when necessary.
- Background in a combat sport or martial art is not required, but I consider it a positive: not that you will need your skills as part of being a trainer, but because you will already be informed, to some degree, about the real nature of aggression and violence, both your own and others.
With these criteria in place, please contact me, using the contact form on this website.
Although this may seem a lot at the front end, I do not want to waste the time of people who are not really suited for this particular work. In any event, although the front-loading seems heavy, the actual training procedure is not. Mostly, it is observing other Edgework trainers teach (if any classes are open and available), consulting with me, and teaching a few pilot classes of your own, which I will observe, either in person or by film.
Many organizations make ‘training trainers,’ with yearly high-priced re-certifications, to be a core of their business model. I do not. I can explain details if/when our discussion gets that far, but essentially, you do not pay me to be trained, other than any expenses that might be necessary for me to go to your locale to observe you teaching a pilot classes. Rather, if and only if you become a trainer, you will pay me an intellectual property fee to use Edgework material in each course you teach.
I look forward to hearing from those interested in this opportunity to do some good work in an area where it is really needed.