FAQs
How is this different from traditional leadership training?
1
Most leadership training focuses on strategies and systems—what to do. We focus on how you show up while doing it.
Traditional training often assumes leaders just need better processes. But when you're managing crisis after crisis, working with staff who are burned out, or navigating constant conflict—processes aren't enough. You need the emotional capacity to stay steady under pressure, repair relationships when they break, and hold space for others without losing yourself.
The Regulation-First Framework teaches the nervous system skills, co-regulation practices, and communication tools that make everything else work. It's not about adding more to your plate—it's about building the internal and relational infrastructure that helps you and your team actually sustain the work you're already doing.
What makes the Regulation-First framework effective?
2
1. It's built for real life, not ideal conditions.
This framework was developed in the trenches—domestic violence services, disability support, high-turnover nonprofit teams. It's designed for leaders who are managing crisis, navigating conflict, and supporting staff through trauma and stress. Every tool is simple, research-backed, and immediately usable.
2. It works at three levels simultaneously.
Personal regulation (managing your own nervous system), relational regulation (co-regulation and communication), and systemic regulation (building team cultures that reduce burnout). When you address all three, change is sustainable—not just a temporary fix.
3. It meets people with compassion, not judgment.
People don't resist this framework because it doesn't require them to be someone they're not. As one supervisor said: "She responds to conflict with compassion and patience rather than defensiveness—and it makes people step back and question themselves." When leaders feel supported instead of criticized, they're able to actually implement change.
Can we customize this for our specific needs?
3
Absolutely. Every organization has different needs—maybe it's high turnover, maybe it's unresolved team conflict, maybe it's managers who are submerged in crisis management.
Before we start any formal partnership, we assess your culture, identify communication breakdowns, and understand what's actually driving burnout in your team. Then we tailor the framework to address your specific challenges.
For example:
If you're losing staff due to poor manager-employee relationships, we focus heavily on relational regulation and conflict repair
If your leadership team is exhausted from constant firefighting, we prioritize personal regulation and boundary-setting
If there's a culture of gossip or passive-aggressive communication, we build systemic practices that create psychological safety
What’s the ROI on this kind. ofinvestment?
4
The average cost to replace one employee in human services ranges from 50% to 200% of their annual salary, which typically amounts to $10,000–$30,000 per position when accounting for recruitment + training.
In disability services specifically, recruiting and training costs for a single Direct Support Professional can reach $4,000 per employee.
Nonprofit organizations report an annual staff turnover rate of 19%, with some sectors like domestic violence agencies experiencing rates between 27-36%.
In Oregon's disability services sector, DSP turnover rates exceed 40% annually, with some states reporting rates as high as 64.8%.
For organizations experiencing high turnover, these costs compound quickly. Oregon will need 65,000 more care providers by 2030 to meet growing demand, but high turnover rates and low wages are creating a cycle of burnout and inconsistent care.
When staff feel supported, conflicts get repaired instead of escalating, and managers have the tools to regulate under pressure—people stay.
One supervisor who worked with me said: "When we transferred supervision responsibilities to her, staff reported feeling more supported and enthused about their work."
Sources:
Nonprofit turnover costs: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 2022; Social Impact Architects, 2025; Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton, 2010
DSP-specific costs: Pennsylvania Providers Association, 2019 Direct Support Professional Compensation Study
Nonprofit turnover rates: Nonprofit HR Employment Practices Survey, 2021-2022; Givebutter Nonprofit Burnout Report, 2022
DSP turnover rates: Relias/ANCOR, 2025; National Core Indicators Staff Stability Survey, 2018-2022
Oregon workforce crisis: SEIU 503, Oregon Legislative Policy and Research Office, 2024-2025; Oregon Health Authority Health Care Workforce Needs Assessment, 2025