Testimonials
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Before your workshop there was no empathy for the population we served all because most of our staff had never experienced homelessness.
Your trainings are awesome. Thanks for all you do to promote empathy, care, and hope for all members of our society, especially our most vulnerable community members.
I always learn something new from your emails about empathy-based approaches to dealing with people in all areas of life – not just at work. Your core homelessness training was probably the best (and most useful) I have taken for the Library. I still quote it and refer back to it.
I continue to get unsolicited praise for your content. I've been in this job for 5 years and I have never had this much staff approval for training opportunities. I have been especially pleased with the continued relevant topics and excellent research/organized and charismatic delivery. You're the best!!
Thanks for all your valuable webinars and being an advocate for the most vulnerable, and teaching us how to treat everybody with respect and empathy!
You know the scene from the Grinch Christmas special, where the Grinch's tiny heart grows three sizes bigger so he can rescue his pup and the teetering sled of stolen Christmas goodies? I feel like that's what [Ryan’s] training has done for my colleagues and me. I feel the love, the compassion, the empathy, and the understanding now permeating our workplace in how our folks work with each other and our patrons. It's been nothing short of transformative.
I have found all of your trainings to be most useful. Just earlier today, I had a patron upset by her perception that she was not be treated fairly. After profusely apologizing, and explaining that I was trying to attend to everyone’s needs while keeping them safe and to be better able to help her, she was fine. Without your training, I may not have recognize the issue was her perception of fairness. Very legit, very real, very helpful to know, which helped diffuse the situation and get to what she needed.
Your amazing mix of wisdom and knowledge, empathy and reason, is an incredible boon to our library system, and to me. I feel enriched every time I read one of your emails, and conversations among staff always benefit when we're able to remind one another of things you have said. I very, very much appreciate how much work you put into helping others learn to be better.
The training was great…just what I have been looking for. We have had countless “workshops” on dealing with problematic behavior or developing sensitivity over the years, but without the comprehensive core training that provides the WHY and links everything else together, they aren’t easily or consistently applied or transferable. It is also difficult to schedule frontline staff for attending in person workshops since, well…they need to be on the frontline…so a digital platform is a really great resource. I work for a municipality as one of the supervisors at our community centre. My team (aquatics and reception staff) is on the frontline for all of our hours of operation and, pre-COVID, we were a very busy centre welcoming many diverse users including those experiencing homelessness and those with mental health or addiction issues. I see value in this type of training for ALL municipal employees.
You are a great speaker and you finally cleared up my confusion over this topic. I appreciate the handout also. The staff members in my library that weren’t able to attend in person are all reading the handout over the next week.
I am finding a wonderful sense of positive energy welling up inside me as I look forward to the training. Beyond the information shared, I am attracted to a sense of compassion and empathy that I find with Ryan Dowd’s work.
I just wanted to say how much your training and tips have helped me understand homelessness better. I’ve worked in libraries for about 7-8 years and have always been a compassionate person. Here in Australia, I work at a library in Queensland called Caloundra Library and we deal with many homeless people who unfortunately have been homeless for much of their lifetime. The tools I use from your training are incredibly valuable in addition to being compassionate. I really like the ‘cup full of pennies’ approach and have used this my entire life probably without realising!
I was surprised at how I felt so much more empowered and confident I now feel to be able to hopefully stop any fights that I may encounter at work or elsewhere. I never realized there were stages to fights. I enjoy this webinar very much and will recommend it to my fellow co-workers. I appreciate you taking your time in sharing these webinars with us.
