Behind the Behaviour: Understanding Aggression and Violence in Young People

Why do some young people respond with aggression, violence or behaviours that challenge — and what might be happening beneath the behaviour? This engaging professional training explores aggression & violence through a trauma-informed, neuro-affirming & developmental lens, helping participants move beyond simply managing behaviour to better understand what is driving it. Explore the impact of trauma, neurodiversity, attachment, brain development, and environmental influences, while developing practical strategies to recognise escalation, reduce risk and respond effectively. Through interactive activities, case studies and practical tools, participants will build confidence in responding to complex behaviour while balancing empathy and connection with safety, boundaries and accountability. Learning Outcomes By the end of Behind the Behaviour: Understanding Aggression and Violence in Young People, participants will be able to: • Understand what sits behind aggression and violence, moving beyond the behaviour to consider the young person’s needs, experiences and environment. • Explore aggression through a trauma-informed, neuro-affirming and developmental lens, including the impact of trauma, attachment, neurodiversity and brain development. • Understand the stress and threat-response systems and how dysregulation can contribute to reactive, impulsive and aggressive behaviour. • Differentiate between different drivers and functions of aggression, recognising that similar behaviours may have very different underlying causes. • Identify risk and protective factors associated with aggression and violence in children and adolescents. • Adapt responses for neurodivergent young people, including consideration of sensory needs, communication differences, executive functioning, demand avoidance and overwhelm. • Balance empathy with accountability, maintaining appropriate boundaries without shame, punishment or inadvertently reinforcing harmful behaviour.