Polyvagal Training & Workshops - for Schools, Practitioners & Families

We offer polyvagal training and workshops that turn neuroscience into practical tools for classrooms, services, and families.

Our polyvagal-informed programmes and resources are accessible and a kinder way that make regulation doable – without pressure or force. We also co-create commission polyvagal-informed programmes, CPD, and resources tailored to your community. Co-designed, practical, and easy to roll out. Our tools are in plain English, sensory-friendly, suitable for alexithymia & rejection-sensitivity. 

Begin with the free R.U.D Process®: a one-page guide to increasing self-awareness and diffusing tough moments.

We Work With

Polyvagal Workshops for Practitioners

Whether you are a counsellor, coach, psychologist, G.P, youth worker or working in CAMHS, community services - we provide session-ready tools for teens, emerging adults, and families. Engagement can dip when clients feel overwhelmed or shut down. You need prompts and micro-practices that open the conversation quickly, fit short sessions, and transfer to home and school - especially for neurodivergent clients.

Polyvagal Tools for Families

Polyvagal-informed tools for everyday family life. Mornings explode, homework derails, bedtimes stretch. You know how you “should” respond - but in the moment, it’s hard.

You need tools and visuals that work through tough moments and make days steadier, especially with neurodivergent teens and tweens where emotional regulation is challenging.

Polyvagal Theory Training for Schools (AP, SEND)

Polyvagal theory for classrooms and corridors that stay steadier. When stress spikes, emotional contagion can ripple through a class in seconds. Transitions unravel, behaviour incidents rise, and responses vary from teacher to teacher. Staff want a shared approach that’s practical, inclusive, and doable with limited time. Tools that support reducing stress and burnout.

Polyvagal Theory For Organisations (services, charities, trusts)

Consistent, polyvagal-informed practice across teams. Services - whether charity or corporate want fewer incidents, better safeguarding conversations, and approaches that survive staff turnover. You need policy-friendly, accessible tools that are neuro-affirming and practical across roles-from leadership to front-line practitioners.

Get to know your nervous system

We believe understanding your nervous system is the first step to steadier days. Because when you know how your body reads safety and stress, you can build better bonds—with yourself and with the people around you. So, small moments start to feel more manageable.

At Polyvagal Teen®, we turn polyvagal theory into simple, pressure-free tools. In other words, we make nervous system regulation doable – without jargon or shame. As a result, you can notice what’s happening, name it, and choose one gentle next step. Over time, you spot the clues soonerso you choose the next step, instead of the next step choosing you.

Why this matters (in plain English)

When you can name what your nervous system is doing - through polyvagal theory - you get language, choices, and kinder timing. As a result, everyday moments become easier to navigate. More self-awareness. Less guessing, less shame. Kinder communication. Sounds good? These are possibilities, not promises. We always work within consent, culture, and scope of practice - while staying neuro-affirming and trauma-informed and beyond.

Where it can help

People use our approach to navigate things like: anxiety, toxic stress, burnout, low mood, explosive anger, binge-eating patterns, and trauma histories. We use gentle, neuro-affirming methods - not force.

How we support you

To get started we recommend The R.U.D Process® (free): Recognise · Understand · Diffuse. A one-page, feelings-optional self-awareness tool. Programmes & CPD: polyvagal-informed training for schools, services, and teams. Resources: cards, worksheets, and short videos for home, classroom, and session use.

Who we’re for

Young people, parents and carers, educators, practitioners, and organisations who want practical, trauma-sensitive ways to build steadier days.

Download The R.U.D Process®

People use our approach to navigate things like: anxiety, toxic stress, burnout, low mood, explosive anger, binge-eating patterns, and trauma histories. We use gentle, neuro-affirming methods - not force.
Don`t copy text!

Wellbeing Practitioners (counsellors, coaches, youth workers, CAMHS, community services)

Common struggles

  • Avoidance/shutdown; rapid escalations that derail sessions

  • Limited time; difficult to translate insight into actions between sessions

  • Parents/carers asking “what can we actually do?”

  • Tools that feel too complex, clinical, or not teen-friendly

How we help (benefits)

  • Teen-friendly prompts that spot patterns and identify needs fast

  • Doable next steps (in-session and between sessions) to keep momentum

  • Take-home visuals/scripts that families and schools can follow

  • Neuro-affirming materials (concrete, visual, choice-based) that respect sensory and processing differences

Featured resources

  • What’s My State? Card Deck with session flow guide (first 3 sessions)

  • Polyvagal toolbag with fold out board. 

  • Printable worksheets and micro-practice library

  • Glad We Talked® – Finding My Steady Practitioners Programme. 

Parents & Caregivers

Common struggles

  • Meltdowns/shutdowns and power struggles around routines

  • “Nothing works” fatigue; strategies that collapse under stress

  • Siblings riding the emotional wave; parents second-guessing themselves

  • ADHD/autistic needs missed or labelled as attitude

How we help (benefits)

  • Step-by-step scripts and routines for mornings, transitions, and evenings

  • Faster recovery after flare-ups; fewer arguments that spiral

  • A shared, simple way to spot patterns and choose a next step together

  • Tools that fit real homes (short, visual, repeatable) and build confidence

Featured resources

  • Polyvagal Teen Toolbag ( visuals –  cards to help understand behaviour is a clue to what is happening to the nervous system)

  • What’s My State? Card Deck for naming the moment and choosing support

  • Glad We Talked – Finding My Steady for parents & caregivers  

Educators (schools, AP, SEND)

Common struggles

  • Escalations during arrival, lesson changes, and end-of-day transitions

  • Inconsistent responses across staff and settings

  • High load for SEND teams; strategies that don’t transfer beyond one classroom

  • Neurodivergent pupils masking, shutting down, or being misread as “won’t” vs “can’t”

How we help (benefits)

  • A shared language and simple routines that support steadier starts and smoother transitions

  • Fewer behaviour incidents; quicker recoveries after flashpoints. 

  • Neuro-affirming tools (visuals, choices, sensory supports) that work for ADHD/autistic pupils – and everyone else

  • Practical training with ready-to-use templates so staff implement on day one

Featured resources

  • What’s My State? Card Deck for check-ins and de-escalation

  • Glad We Talked Program – Finding My Steady for educators to share knowledge with their pupils. 

Organisations (services, charities, MATs, trusts)

Common struggles

  • Inconsistent responses between teams, sites, or shifts

  • Rising incidents, complaints, and staff burnout

  • Training that doesn’t translate into daily practice

  • Gaps for neurodivergent young people and families navigating multiple services

How we help (benefits)

  • A common framework and response pathways that create steadier routines service-wide

  • Measurable reductions in incidents and faster de-escalation

  • Train-the-trainer model, implementation playbooks, and fidelity tools

  • Materials that are inclusive, accessible, and suitable for multi-agency work

Featured resources

  • Organisation roll-out kit (policies, templates, measurement)

  • Train-the-trainer package + briefing decks for leadership and front-line

  • Bulk resource packs (Card Decks, Tool Bags, posters)

Our Polyvagal World

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Wed. 7th of Feb 2004 7.15PM GMT
Live With Dr Stephen PORGES

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