Behavior Breakthrough: A Trauma-Informed, Neurodevelopmental Approach to Behavior
Are you seeing an increase in challenging behavior? Struggling to know how to help students without losing your mind?
You are not alone. Teachers across the country (world?!) are struggling.
It isn't easy to support a classroom full of children when they can't seem to regulate their emotions, the disrespect is off the charts, and that one student is always ignoring your instructions like you didn't even speak. It is exhausting.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
With the right behavior supports, coaching, and real-world strategies, you can feel confident, capable, and equipped to handle behaviors without frustration or burnout.
That’s where Behavior Breakthrough comes in.
If you're like, "Say no more, I'm in," choose your grade level to sign up:
Looking for more details? No problem, scroll on, sweet teacher friend.
Before we go further, you should know: This isn't one of those trainings.
Do any of these sound familiar?
- You sat through professional development seminars led by someone who has not been in a classroom in a decade (or a few decades)...and left without a single helpful strategy...
- You left a PD session feeling angry--they gave you the problem, but didn't give any practical help or solutions...
- You wish that they would just let you set up your classroom instead of making you sit through another useless training!!!
- OR, you bought an online course before that you never even finished because it was all so overwhelming...
Same, friend. Same.
And trust us, this is nothing like any training you've ever had before!
We are spilling the tea. And it might change your life.
For those of you who don't know what it means to "spill the tea," it means we are sharing the good stuff--all of our deepest insights and helpful tools that we learned about after more than a decade (each) of learning about AND implementing brain science to help with the most challenging behavior.
This is not your average behavior course. No dense theory without application. No lectures that leave you guessing. No useless activities and assignments that keep you bored and waste your time. Just brain-based, practical strategies that support your students and your sustainability. And it is taught by two educators who actually know what's up!
- Confidently identify the root causes behind disruptive behavior using trauma-informed, brain-based strategies—not guesswork or outdated discipline models.
- Apply the Five Ives™ Framework to real classroom scenarios to de-escalate conflict and keep learning on track.
- Create a classroom environment that reduces chaos and power struggles—even with students who test every boundary.
- Respond effectively to aggressive, withdrawn, or oppositional students without escalating the situation or exhausting yourself.
- Use the Window of Tolerance to spot and shift students’ nervous system states before they melt down or check out.
- Build your own regulation toolkit to stay grounded in the moment—even when you're out of patience and time.
- Design classroom routines and systems that actually support dysregulated students while preserving learning time for everyone else.
PLUS, you will:
- Access plug-and-play strategies you can use immediately—no fluff, no extra prep.
- Feel validated and supported by a cohort of real educators navigating the same struggles.
- Earn 4.5 graduate credits from the University of Pennsylvania to boost your credentials and advance your career.
Don't believe it is possible? Hear from teachers who took this course in past semesters:
"This coming year will be a new approach for me with a fresh new toolbox and LOTS of tools!"
"This course was amazing! I wish I knew what I learned in this class long ago."
"Had I had these strategies and this understanding of the brain connections, I think some of my harder classes may have been better for me."
"Everything was so powerful!"
"I am so incredibly grateful to have taken this class and to have learned so much valuable and practical information. So, from the bottom of my heart - thank you! I’m truly excited to put all this into action and do amazing things with my students this year!"
Ready to get in on this help? Click the link for your grade level:
More of the deets (or "details" for our proper friends):
- Credits: 4.5 graduate credit hours through the University of Pennsylvania
- Cost: $1,950 (If your district has a tuition reduction agreement with UPenn, send us an email at lauren@fiveives.com and we will send you a custom link to register.)
- Dates: Fall semester course begins September 15.
- Format: Online, mostly asynchronous with videos, guides, a community discussion page, and three live coaching sessions
- Official Course Description: This online course helps school-age educators understand and respond to student behavior through a trauma-aware, nervous system-informed lens—while also sustaining their own well-being. Participants will explore what drives challenging behaviors, how to support regulation in real time, and how to create safe, responsive learning environments without burning out. Grounded in the Five Ives and Five Needs frameworks, the course blends brain-based strategies with practical tools for de-escalation, connection, and classroom management. Each module includes short training videos, ready-to-use resources, and reflection prompts that link student support with educator self-awareness. Topics include co-regulation, behavior decoding, environmental impacts, and sustainable educator care using the AWARE model.
I am ready to have a calm, peaceful classroom again:
Research-Backed Interventions:
Neuroscience and Traumatology
When you work with us, expect more than buzzwords and feel-good phrases that don't move the needle.
Our interventions are backed by science and they really work. We give you practical and simple steps to make an impact right away.
In bite-sized content, we equip you with tools that are game-changing (and often life-changing--it was for us!).
Behavior Breakthrough is a behavior support system designed to equip you with practical strategies, expert coaching, and real-time solutions for managing challenging behaviors.
Teachers aren't looking at the clock, waiting for the training to end.
They are literally begging admin to bring us on to train their whole staff because they love learning with us so much!
Odds are, you will love this course, too. And you’ll love the results: less time spent managing challenging behaviors and a more fulfilling career.
Okay, just take my money:
Behavior Breakthrough: What's Inside?
Five Ives exists to help you, and we want to show you how Behavior Breakthrough does just that. Here is what's inside the course.
Behavior Breakthrough Training Curriculum
All Behavior Breakthrough students receive access to eight self-paced online training modules that address challenging behavior in a trauma-sensitive way.
In addition to the video content, you receive targeted support through implementation support tools that help you take action right away.
Each lesson also comes with a quick reference guide, making it easier for supervisors to revisit the content with classroom teachers and aides who need behavior supports.
The topics include:
- Why Kids Act Out: The Five Ives
- The Five Needs that Drive Behavior
- Emotional Regulation: Helping Kids Manage Big Feelings
- Behavior-Supportive Classroom Space Design
- Communication That Disarms: Handling Defiance & Noncompliance
- Stopping Dangerous Behaviors and Addressing Aggression
- Teacher & Staff Well-Being: Preventing Burnout in High-Need Classrooms
Coaching Sessions
Take your behavior support strategies to the next level with our coaching sessions designed to provide targeted, real-world solutions to your most pressing behavior challenges.
You will receive:
Personalized Support: Submit your toughest behavior scenarios, and our experts will provide practical, research-backed guidance tailored to your needs.
Targeted Solutions: Take the theory into the practical, with an opportunity to talk with our trauma care experts about challenges, concerns, questions, and hiccups as you implement the curriculum.
Community Support: Collaborative Learning
The Behavior Breakthrough course comes with an exclusive private online community where you can connect, ask questions, and get real-time support.
Exclusive Private Online Community: Gain direct access to our experts and fellow educators in a dedicated online space, where you can ask questions, share challenges, and receive ongoing support between live sessions.
Real-Time Expert Insights: Get faster responses and deeper discussions on behavior challenges—so you’re never left wondering what to do next.
A Support Network That Learns With You: Connect with like-minded professionals, share experiences, and build a powerful support system to help you navigate even the toughest behavior challenges.
Powerful, Game-Changing Care in Simple, Easy Steps
Our goal is to equip you with the tools and strategies to transform your program from reactive to resilient—moving beyond survival mode into a space where staff feel supported, children thrive, and peace becomes the norm. With a focus on practical, trauma-sensitive solutions, we help you build sustainable systems that reduce stress, improve job satisfaction, and create a healthier environment for everyone. Hear from some of our former trainees who have experienced this transformation firsthand:
"Brilliant. I just don’t see this being taught anywhere."
"I appreciated the content of this training tremendously. It really got me thinking about things in a different way."
"This training is so thought-provoking! Thank you for offering it."
"This was so valuable! Looking forward to the next course!"
BEHAVIOR BREAKTHROUGH
$1,950 for 4.5 graduate credit hours from University of Pennsylvania
- Practical strategies, tools, and resources for getting your program out of survival mode and into a place of healing and calm
- Implementation support guides that give space for digesting and processing the material
- Ongoing access to experts throughout programming
Meet the Course Instructors:
Hey, I'm Lauren Spigelmyer, M.Ed,!
As a teacher who knows what it is like to have to give yourself a pep talk to force yourself to walk into the building every day, I know what it feels like to be stressed out, overwhelmed, and frustrated when serving people.
Out of desperation and a deep love for the kids I served, I began studying neurobiology and nutrition and learned how trauma impacts the brain and body. I began implementing what I was learning in my own classroom and saw the difference it made for my students!
Word began spreading with other educators about the work that I do--this led me to start coaching teachers, parents, and children how to heal. I have since helped thousands of people who help people to understand the impacts of trauma and how we can enter into caring professions without burning out.
I have taught at UPenn for several years and love to help teachers with behavior supports, brain science for the classroom, and caring for themselves as they care for students.
Hey there! I'm Jessica Doering, PhD!
I have spent the last decade serving people who have experienced trauma in various capacities: as a teacher, foster/adoptive parent, nonprofit volunteer, business owner, and nonprofit leader.
This topic is so personal to me, as I have walked alongside people professionally and personally who have been through really hard things. I spent thousands of hours reading and researching trauma-informed care culminating in a PhD in STEM Education with a dissertation on trauma-informed education and the preschool-to-prison pipeline.
I started training people in how to care for people well and have since helped thousands of people who help people all over the world. I have taught at the high school and college level and have personally served thousands of teachers, bringing helpful resources, tools, and strategies to help them as they work with children!
It is my personal mission to make the world a more compassionate place through helping people help people!
IT'S THE PERFECT MATCH!
When we met and started talking about the work we do, we realized that we both had similar thoughts about how to do this work better.
We had been working hard with individuals for a long time, trying to train people who were working within systems that were broken.
This was leading to a lot of spinning wheels and frustration--people knew they needed to change their individual practices, but were frustrated by the difficult systems around them.
That's where Five Ives began: with a desire to make change at a systemic level within organizations who help people.
To help people who help people, the organization needs to be healthy and have practices in place that consider the trauma of those they serve.
You'll learn from us about how trauma and chronic stress impact people, systems, and communities--and what you can do about it.
BUT WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY DO?
Blah blah blah, trauma-informed care. That's how a lot of people hear what people say they do, and we get your hesitation. A lot of people use the right words, but what makes us different is that not only do we have the education and experience to back up the claims that we are experts in trauma care, but we are transparent about how we show up and serve people. Nothing fuzzy or woo-woo around here--we are all about data driven, research-backed practices and practical help that make a difference.
FOMO is real, but what's worse: actually missing out.
Get the help you deserve:
Still thinking?
That's okay. In crisis mode, it can be hard to make big decisions.
But picture what life will be like next year if you don't make a change, if things stay the way they are.
Children carrying the unimaginable weight of trauma will still come in. Staff will still be walking into difficult situations every day. You will still have staffing problems. And the mental health crisis isn't going away anytime soon, so hoping things get better isn't going to work.
You need a solution that can meet you in the crisis and not be just one more thing. And you need experts who get it. That's us.
But, working with us is always an invitation, with no pressure tactics or slippery sales routines. So if you aren't ready to take the course now but want a free toolkit and course info in your inbox , drop your email here:
