Understanding the Impact of Stress: A Relational Approach to Working Well under Pressure

Overview

🕮 Off the shelf (OTS)

Audience: Public service professionals in leadership, HR, inclusion, team or workforce development, and frontline roles. This course provides participants with an understanding of how stress affects human behaviour and shapes performance at both individual and organisational levels. Drawing on attachment theory, trauma-informed practice, and the latest neuroscience research, participants will explore how stress impacts brain function, emotional regulation and interpersonal relationships.

Participants will learn the difference between everyday stress that provides focus, flow and motivation, and toxic stress, which impairs performance and resilience. The course examines the cumulative impact of unhealthy stress in work and personal lives, acknowledging that factors outside of the workplace also affect team dynamics and effectiveness.

Using the principles of trauma-informed practice, this course offers practical strategies to support co-regulation, promote psychological safety, and enhance resilience within the workplace and when working with external stakeholders. These approaches promote inclusive, compassionate, and high-performing environments, enabling teams to better manage the complexity and change often experienced in public service.

This course supports development across the Civil Service Success Profiles, particularly in:
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together
Support Developing Self and Others
Making Effective Decisions
Managing a Quality Service

All content is rooted in rigorous scientific theory and tailored to the realities of delivering public services. This is not a “soft skills” course. Rather it recognises that supportive, compassionate working environments are critical to high performance and effectiveness and demonstrates the theoretical basis for this.
This training can be delivered in person or online, with four format options to suit all needs.
•Full day in-person and virtual learning options provide opportunities for group discussion, application to context, and reflection on daily practice.
•Half day in-person and virtual learning options provide opportunities for group discussion and reflection on daily practice.
•Two hour in-person option is ideal for team building/awaydays and promotes awareness, engagement and reflection.
•The 90minute webinar (virtual) option is ideal for building awareness and introducing key concepts.