About The Center for Violence Prevention and Self-Defense CVPSD

The Center for Violence Prevention and Self Defense (CVPSD) is a nonprofit NGO dedicated to creating safer communities through education. We equip professionals, organizations, and everyday people with the awareness, emotional intelligence, and practical skills needed to recognize risk early, prevent violence before it begins, and respond to crises with confidence, compassion, and dignity.

 

Our training spans the full spectrum of prevention, from situational awareness and behavioral threat recognition to verbal de-escalation, boundary setting, and personal safety, serving healthcare workers, educators, social service professionals, security personnel, and community members alike. Learn More

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​Our programs have been developed for over more than 30 years through the research of criminal violence, occupational violence, domestic violence, and social violence. The program was further expanded through consultation with professionals and experts in behavioral analysis, crisis intervention, nonviolent tactics, and defensive tactics.

The program is also supported by an advisory board with expertise in crisis intervention nursing, law enforcement, and neuroscience. This multidisciplinary perspective helps ensure that the program addresses violence prevention and personal safety from behavioral, psychological, medical, and practical defensive perspectives

Our Approach

A Philosophy of Balanced Safety

Most crisis intervention programs focus primarily on the person in crisis. We believe effective intervention protects everyone involved. Every encounter involves two people under stress, and both deserve safety, dignity, and support. Our trauma-informed approach emphasizes that prepared, confident responders communicate more effectively, de-escalate more successfully, and create safer outcomes for all.

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Direct Access to the Program Architects

Clients work directly with the instructional designers and safety experts who developed the curriculum, not sales representatives. This allows us to customize training around your organization's risks, operations, compliance requirements, and unique challenges, resulting in a practical, defensible program built specifically for your workforce.

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Comprehensive Conflict Lifecycle Training

Our training addresses the entire conflict continuum, from early recognition and prevention through verbal de-escalation and, when necessary, defensive tactics for surviving violence.

 

Even organizations seeking only verbal intervention benefit from this comprehensive perspective, because our de-escalation strategies are informed by a deep understanding of how conflicts escalate in the real world. The result is training that prepares staff for the situations they are most likely to face, while equipping them for those they hope never occur.

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Customizable Content

CVPSD offers course customization opportunities for clients that are scalable according to client's compliance policies. 

• Credentials

• Transformative Solutions That Provide Measurable Results

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​​Leadership

• William DeMuth  Connect on LinkedIn  - Bio

• Melissa Dill Connect on LinkedIn  - Bio

 

Executive Advisory Board Members

• Dr. Bridget Truitt, Ph.D., Neuroscience - Bio

• Ann O'Brien, Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) RN - Bio

• Andrew DeMuth, Law Enforcement, Crisis Management - Bio