LASER Technique: A Clear, Repeatable Response for People in Distress
A structured, trauma informed model that equips staff across education, health, justice and public services to respond safely to distress and disclosure, reduce escalation and protect both service users and staff.
Half day or full day workshops; available standalone or combined with Vicarious Trauma training; delivered in person, live online or blended.
Overview
Who this is for
- Frontline staff in schools, colleges and universities
- Student support, welfare and safeguarding teams
- Police, justice and custody staff who encounter disclosure or distress
- Health, social work and residential staff supporting children and adults
- HR, complaints and customer facing teams who manage emotionally intense contacts
Why this matters
- Protects people in distress by prioritising safety, dignity and choice during first contact
- Reduces re traumatisation through containment and regulation techniques that calm rather than escalate.
- Builds staff confidence by providing clear boundaries and a repeatable script for difficult interactions.
The LASER technique (Listen, Acknowledge, Share, Empower, Return) is a concise, stepwise trauma informed response model that turns compassionate intent into reliable practice. It gives staff a predictable sequence of actions to use the moment someone shows distress, rather than relying on instinct or ad hoc approaches.
Key Reasons LASER is Important:
Outcomes for Participants and Organisations
Participant learning outcomes
- Understand the LASER steps and the trauma informed principles behind them.
- Apply immediate engagement and containment techniques safely and respectfully.
- Use short term regulation strategies to reduce escalation.
- Signpost and refer appropriately, linking to IRD, JII or internal wellbeing pathways.
- Record and hand over effectively so follow up is timely and defensible.
Organisational outcomes
- Consistent, defensible responses across teams.
- Fewer crisis interventions and reduced escalation rates.
- Clearer links between frontline response and safeguarding or casework systems.
- Improved service user outcomes and stronger evidence for governance.
Core content and Materials
Module overview & learning activities
Practical Modules:
- Recognise and Engage: safe presence, consent and initial assessment.
- Contain and Regulate: grounding, breathing and short term containment techniques.
- Signpost and Refer: immediate onward pathways, information sharing and referral triggers.
- Follow Up and Record: handover, documentation standards and linking to IRD/JII or wellbeing plans.
- Reflect and Support: brief debriefs and reflective prompts to protect staff wellbeing.
Learning Activities
- Demonstrations and guided practice of LASER steps.
- Role play scenarios tailored to education, campus, custody and residential contexts.
- Small group coaching with feedback and a short LASER checklist for immediate use.
- Integration exercises showing how LASER fits with safeguarding and wellbeing pathways.
Delivery options and Impact
Delivery formats
- Half day: introduction, practice and quick reference tools.
- Full day: extended scenario work, integration with safeguarding and team planning.
- Combined: LASER paired with Vicarious Trauma or Safeguarding modules for joined up readiness.
- Blended: pre-workshop e-learning and live practice session.
Add-ons
- Follow up coaching to embed practice.
- Integration workshop to align LASER with IRD/JII and case management processes.
- Audit of uptake and recommendations for policy alignment.
How we measure impact
- Pre/post confidence and competence checks for participants.
- Recorded use of LASER checklists in case notes and handovers.
- Qualitative case reviews demonstrating reduced escalation and improved outcomes.
- Dashboard indicators where relevant: incident escalation rates, referral timeliness and staff confidence trends.
Tip for managers:
Embed short team check-ins (5–10 minutes) and a simple escalation flow to spot early signs and keep small issues from becoming crises.
Next steps
Schedule a short consultation so we can map your needs to the right programme and delivery format. Workshops can be tailored with sector case studies and managerial inputs to support sustained change.