Introduction to The CALMER Approach: Building Capable Environments and Co-Designing Therapeutic Support

Welcome to The CALMER Approach

The CALMER® Approach is a not-for-profit organisation and a registered NDIS provider delivering:

• 0110 Behaviour Support

• 0118 Early Childhood Supports

• 0128 Therapeutic Supports

We are committed to improving neuro-affirming practice by supporting people through co-designed therapeutic supports and environments that empower meaningful participation.

Upcoming Workshop

Join us for a practical and interactive session that introduces a neurobehavioral framework focused on understanding the person first—then their behaviour. You’ll explore how to build capable environments and implement behaviour support plans more effectively.

CALMER® provides hands-on training that helps professionals create safer, more inclusive, and neuro-affirming environments.

CALMER® is as essential approach for improving neuro-affirming practice in behaviour support, by understanding the person first, then their unsafe interactions (behaviours of concern).

1. CALMER® is unique for valuing and integrating the emotional lives of people with disability in the process of understanding them first, and their safe and unsafe interactions.
2. At its core, CALMER® believes that feeling safe, heard, connected, and understood is a basic human right for everyone. 
3. The framework is inclusive and neuro-affirming. 
4. The person does not have to fit the framework, the framework is responsive and empathetic and the environment is the focus of change. 
5. CALMER® is non-judgemental and importantly it is a co-designed way of providing the right level of therapeutic support at the right time. 
6. In finding shared meaning, the person with disability has the opportunity to share their perspective. 
7. Neuroscience indicates that depending on how the person is feeling and thinking, they will respond to their environments quite differently. 
8. CALMER® employs this learning when trying to find shared meaning as to why an unsafe interaction occurred. 
9. In CALMER®’s co-designed process everyone has a role to play in building environments capable of practical, accessible therapeutic support to ensure meaningful participation for all.
   

Making behaviour support plan implementation easier.

Creating a plan is one thing, but effective implementation is another. In 2017, I was told, “We don’t need another plan; we need help implementing the one we have.” This moment highlighted the gap between planning and execution, leading me to develop the CALMER approach, which I’m excited to share.

By attending this workshop, you will:

• Gain access to a practical, neuro-affirming framework co-designed to improve support planning and implementation.
• Develop a new perspective on understanding unsafe interactions through the CALMER® approach.
• Apply and integrate new knowledge into real-world scenarios.
• Access practical tools to understand the relationship between emotions and  behaviour.
• CALMER bridges the gap between theory and practice, equipping teams implement support plans more effectively—step by step, with the person and their network.
• Learn key concepts for building capable environments and co-designing therapeutic support in everyday practice.

Take the Next Step in Neuro-Affirming Practice

Join us for a practical, hands-on CALMER® workshop to build capability, improve implementation, and put people first.  

Workshop Outline

1. Introduction to CALMER® Approach

• Overview of the CALMER® framework and its foundations in neurobehavioural science.

2. CALMER® Co-designed Process

• Finding Shared Meaning: Understanding the root causes of behaviours.
• Co-planning Therapeutic Support Plans: Developing practical, accessible, and effective implementation.
• Plan Activation: Turning plans into actionable steps.
• Shared Learning and Reflection: Learning from shared experiences to strengthen practice and inform future strategies.

3. Critical Analysis Process

• Determining the root cause and contributing factors of each episode of unsafe interaction

• Asking a different question: Was the unsafe interaction the problem or was it the consequence of the problem to be resolved?

Family's feedback on the approach

"I wasn’t sure of having yet another behaviour support when you first started we had been through a few behaviour support Practitioners and didn’t have much luck, many had only worked with my child or had only done up reports! you came in and started from the beginning, found out where and why the behaviours were starting and escalating and then explained and showed us how to work with my child. You made it so simple , you explained the concepts and you put it in place , you made us see that it was no complicated and it was very simple, and with that you have given us back our lives and made it so much easier to deal with , And when we follow the steps, hear and validate what my child is expressing, his behaviours have become so much easier to deal with". Amy - mother 

Attendees' feedback on the training 

“I really enjoyed the session, it was good to hear of a different approach. Often we are always told to focus on the functionality behind behaviour, but sometimes, there is not a function - it could just be an emotion, a physiological response, or an internalised response to what is going on around them. Very insightful, and justified a lot of unanswered questions, so thank you both”. Emma -Behaviour Support Practitioner 

"I recently attended the CALMER training. What I really valued was how this approach drew upon multiple theories and brought together a practical framework to be utilised in practice. After completing the training I felt confident to commence utilising what I had learnt directly with my participants. Explaining the CALMER approach to participants allowed for a more inclusive and collaborative process. Which supported them to understand their interactions with others from a more holistic perspective taking into account more than just the external factors impacting upon their behaviours". Alicia McLachlan Senior Behaviour Support Practitioner / Social Worker 

Who should attend this workshop?

Behaviour Support Practitioners and Allied Health Professionals

Teachers, aides, and school staff working with students who present behaviours of concern in educational settings.

Join us for an interactive and practical workshop!

When: Wednesday, 21/05/2025

Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Online live - session will be recorded)

Where: Zoom (link sent upon registration)

Investment: $95 (Regular price $120)

Registration closes: 19/05/2025

3 hours CPD + Certificate

Places are limited 

Your Facilitators:

Francisco de Paula is a Neurobehavioural Support Practitioner and the Director of The Calmer Approach Limited. He is a NDIS Advanced Behaviour Support Practitioner. He has been working as practitioner since 2011. He completed his B.Ed (Habilitation) at Australia Catholic University in 2005. Francisco continues committed with ongoing professional development, seeking best practice in supporting quality of life. He completed his longitudinal Positive Behaviour Support training with the Institute of Applied Behaviour Analysis (IABA), NMT, Polyvagal Informed Practice, CPS and more. Francisco has been presenting The CALMER® Approach model at national and international conferences including ASID, AASE and more as he has continued to pursue his passion for closing the gap between theory and practice in positive behaviour support.  

Amy de Paula is an Occupational Therapist who has been working in community disability settings for over twenty years. With a passion for meaningful engagement and co-design, she loves anything that leads to people having autonomy and participation in  their lives.

The CALMER® Approach model has been developed by Francisco and Amy out of a passion for evidence-informed practice and a desire to embed co-design in practice for meaningful impact into everyday Positive Behaviour Support practice.  

About the CALMER® framework 

The CALMER Approach uses CALMER® (Cortex, Amygdala, Limbic, Memory and Emotional Regulation) model emerged, as an evidence-informed practice framework that bridges the gap between theory and practice in Positive Behaviour Support. CALMER® emerged out of providing support with and for people with disability engaging in unsafe interactions (behaviours of concern). However, the approach is inclusive of everyone and not specifically for people with a disability. CALMER is unique for taking a neuro-behavioural approach to understand the person first, then their behaviour. 

What can you expect from a

CALMER® workshop? 

The CALMER® workshop is highly practical and interactive, led by the creators of the approach. Participants gain hands-on experience in applying the CALMER® framework to real-world scenarios, fostering deeper understanding and meaningful change. The CALMER® co-designed and integrated framework helps you identify the root cause of problems more efficiently, accelerating improvements in quality of life. By fostering a more empathetic and equitabl

e environment for therapeutic support, CALMER® also contributes to reducing or eliminating restrictive practices.

For more information visit The CALMER® Approach  website: https://www.calmerapproach.com

Notes: We aim to make our sessions financially available to everyone, so please contact us if money is a barrier. Custom sessions can be tailored for groups, please contact: info@calmerapproach.com