WEVAS® skills are relevant for anyone who has a relationship, interacts with the public, children, youth, adults in any capacity.

People have been WEVAS® trained across fields of Education, Health, Family Services, Justice, and other public and private sectors (e.g., bus drivers, early childhood educators, teachers, educational assistants, group home staff, disability services staff, human resources personnel, managers, administrators, police officers, volunteers, parents, Indigenous organizations, newcomers).

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WEVAS® is Working Effectively with Violent and Aggressive States. It utilizes the concept of psychological states of being. People have times when they are in an optimal state, referred to as the Competent State. Sometimes they move into problem states in which they become anxious, agitated, aggressive or even assaultive.  WEVAS® teaches differentiated communication strategies that are targeted to match these psychological states. The appropriate strategy can be practiced to facilitate a return to their competent state.
In the yellow band of the diagram below, WEVAS® identifies the four problem states. In the green band, WEVAS® differentiates the four types of communication strategies that are most effective when people are in these problem states.