A Brief History of NAPPI

1977 – The NAPPI program is born. At the request of an organization working under a justice department consent decree, Kurk Lalemand developed the first-in-the-country NON-ABUSIVE physical intervention (NAPI) program.

1979 – Recognizing that physical techniques are insufficient to keep people safe, NAPPI begins to deliver defusing skills within the physical training course.

1982 – NAPPI adds extensive verbal skills modules and begins to focus on three distinct aspects: the assessment, prevention and physical management of violent behavior– the first true NAPPI (Non Abusive Psychological and Physical Intervention) Program.

1983 – NAPPI delivers the first completely non-physical course, focusing strictly on assessment and prevention of dangerous or unwanted behavior.

1983-1994 – NAPPI continues to expand and refine course content, ensuring that each segment contains safe, useful tools and skills; hundreds of thousands are trained in four countries.

1995 – NAPPI overhauls course content – instead of solely teaching staff members to recognize and respond to the early warning signs of violence, NAPPI teaches them to look for early signs that someone is ready, willing and able to cooperate – which in turn opens up a new world of opportunity to affect the staff-recipient interaction.

2001 – NAPPI moves upstream from the urgent or emergent event, and delivers the first course aimed at helping organizations create an environment that supports a move away from a control framework toward a non-coercive relationship-based framework. This course helps staff develop powerful and positive influence with the people they serve.

2003 – NAPPI begins developing parallel NAPPI courses to be delivered to service recipients.

Today – While continuing to improve on, and add to, course content, NAPPI continues to innovate, including web-based training.

Since the beginning, NAPPI, International has remained the safety leader, committed to developing innovative, effective, and humane staff safety training.