KIRBY™ TRAINING 2026
Practitioner Safeguarding, Client Agility
& Strategic Communication

KIRBY Training book on a wooden table beside a coffee mug and glasses

Ready to work differently, not just harder?

KIRBY™ Training is a structured, three-level professional development pathway designed for youth and community sector practitioners working in complex, high-pressure environments.

Each level builds on the last, strengthening practitioner safety, supporting client capability, and developing advanced communication skills that are ethical, trauma-informed, and effective in real-world practice.

Developed by sector veteran Viki Hannah, KIRBY™ is where ethical practice meets relational safety, transforming how we show up for young people… and for ourselves.

📬 Want to know more or book a place?

Click here to: Book Your Spot now Via Email

The Heart Behind KIRBY™ Training

Viki Hannah is more than an educator; she’s a systems challenger.
With over 20 years in the youth and community sector, Viki saw firsthand how traditional models often failed to meet the emotional needs of both workers and young people. She founded KIRBY™ Training to rehumanise practice, blending ethics, relational safety, and trauma-informed insight into one transformative framework. Viki’s leadership through CoPCircles® fosters reflective, courageous spaces where professionals grow not just in skill, but in presence and purpose.

Connect with Viki on LinkedIn

THE 3 LEVELS OVERVIEW
LEVEL 1 — PRACTITIONER SAFEGUARDING

Two women are sitting under a tree talking.

KIRBY™ Pillars & HHA™ Triage

Level 1 focuses on safeguarding the practitioner.

Participants learn to recognise early indicators of overwhelm, vicarious trauma, and burnout, and apply structured frameworks to maintain regulation, boundaries, and professional judgement.

This level establishes the foundation for sustainable practice in trauma-exposed roles.

Focus areas include:

  • Practitioner regulation and capacity
  • Boundary setting and ethical decision-making
  • HHA™ Triage for risk and load assessment
  • Building long-term career sustainability

LEVEL 2 — CLIENT AGILITY & STABILISATION

Legs and feet standing around the words We are All in this Together

MEANTIME™ Framework & Internal Family Systems

Level 2 shifts focus to client engagement and agency.

Participants learn to work effectively with ambivalence, resistance, and internal conflict without rescuing or escalating dependency.

The MEANTIME™ Framework and Internal Family Systems principles support stabilisation, pacing, and client-led change.

Focus areas include:

  • Supporting reclaimed client agency
  • Working within the “in-between” moments
  • Reducing escalation and practitioner fatigue
  • Language that promotes internal safety and choice

LEVEL 3 — STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION & INFLUENCE

A women talking to a young person with his hands clasped around his face

VAT/VAK, STAR™ & Precision Language

Level 3 develops advanced communication capability for high-stakes interactions.

Participants learn to adapt language, tone, and delivery to cut through resistance while remaining trauma-informed and ethical.

This level supports confident communication with clients, colleagues, and systems.

Focus areas include:

  • VAT/VAK communication styles
  • STAR™ Profiling
  • Precision language under pressure
  • Strategic influence without coercion

The KIRBY™ Mandate: A Framework for Ethical Presence

Before we can offer safety to others, we must understand our own internal landscape. The KIRBY™ acronym anchors the training in five foundational ethics that help practitioners stay present, clear, and connected — even in the most complex frontline moments.

Each letter represents a principle that strengthens relational safety:

  • K – Know Yourself: Locate your internal ‘parts’ and recognise how the work lives in your body
  • I – Integrity in Action: Stay transparent, within ethical and mandated limits
  • R – Relational Recovery: Repair ruptures without rescuing, restoring autonomy
  • B – Boundaries that Build: Hold safe limits without controlling or fixing
  • Y – Yield Objectives: Focus on the moment, not the outcome. Connection before correction.

KIRBY™ Values in Action

What begins as practitioner training becomes a shared language for young people, too. The KIRBY™ values are more than just principles; they are relational tools that help young people understand themselves and feel safe with adults.

These youth-facing lanyards were created to translate KIRBY™ into accessible, affirming messages that support healing, growth, and autonomy:

  • K – Know Yourself: I can figure out who I am, with people who get me.
  • I – Integrity & Inclusion: I’m treated honestly, and I belong here.
  • R – Real Deal Repair: We fix hurt with care, not silence.
  • B – Boundaries That Help: Limits are there to help me feel safe.
  • Y – Yield & Listen: Grownups adjust to me, and listen as I grow.

These messages reflect what young people want adults to know and what they need us to practice.

“KIRBY Training is not something we learn; it is something we become.”

Become part of the KIRBY™ network — click the link to connect Book Your Spot Now Via Email

PROGRAM FAQS

Who is this program for?

KIRBY™ Training is designed for:

  • Youth & Community Support workers

  • Practitioners and Lived Experience Peer Support and Caseworkers

  • AOD, DFV, housing, youth development, justice, advocates, first responders, educators and mental health practitioners

  • Supervisors, sector leaders, and both emerging and experienced practitioners.

Do I need to complete the levels in order?

While Levels 1–3 are designed as a progressive pathway, each level may be completed as a standalone professional development option.

Level 1 is strongly recommended as a foundation.

Is this trauma-informed?

Yes.

All content is grounded in trauma-informed, ethical, and sector-aligned practice, with a strong emphasis on practitioner safety and sustainability.

Is this theoretical or practical?

KIRBY™ Training is practice-focused.

Frameworks are applied directly to real-world scenarios, decision-making, communication, and casework contexts.

Is this suitable for supervision or leadership roles?

Yes.

Levels 2 and 3 are particularly relevant for supervisors, team leaders, and practitioners managing complex systems and stakeholder communication.

What format is the training delivered in?

Delivery options may include:

  • Self-paced learning or LIVE VIRTUAL SESSIONS

pre-recorded videos: resources: learn at your own pace within 12 months when seeking

 KIRBY™️CERTIFICATION STATUS


ENROLLMENT INCLUDES membership into

COMMUNITY of PRACTICE: CoP Circles

Invitations to :

  • Live facilitated sessions

monthly MASTERCLASSES & SKILLS SESSIONS

  • Professional development workshops

TOOLBOX TALKS : SECTOR NEEDS

  • Graduate Reduced Fees 1:1 Career Coaching       

 

KIRBY™ GRADUATES 2025-26

"After more than a decade in Child Protection, where I no longer believed we were helping young people move from stuck to safe or offering them a genuine voice and choice, I was ready to step away. The KIRBY™ Framework and Viki Hannah helped me reconnect with why I started this work in the first place. Through the relational tools, precision language, and focus on practitioner safeguarding, I’ve learned how to stay grounded, work ethically, and support meaningful change without burning out. For the first time in a long time, I feel both hopeful and sustainable in this work." Jo Cross
Viki Hannah
Designer
"Attending the Kirby Method Masterclass was an empowering experience that provided a dual benefit I didn't expect. Not only did it equip me with innovative tools to better support my clients, but it also placed a vital emphasis on our well-being as practitioners. Viki is an incredibly passionate and knowledgeable facilitator who truly understands the nuances of this work. Learning how to integrate ourselves into the method to prevent burnout is a game-changer. It’s a versatile approach that enhances both our professional practice and our personal lives." Deb
Viki Hannah
Designer
What I liked about the Kirby model was how strengths-based it is. It really focuses on what the client is already doing well rather than just their problems, which helps build confidence and motivation. I also liked how collaborative it felt, with the client actively involved in setting goals and direction instead of being told what to do. I also liked the language in this framework it isnt clinical and easy to remember. Overall, it felt practical, respectful, and empowering both for workers and the person receiving support. Roman
VIKI HANNAH
Designer

Acknowledgement of
Traditional Custodians

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands, seas and skies where we walk, live and work, and of the many different nations across Australia.

I acknowledge the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation, pay my respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, as the holders of the memories, the traditions, the culture and the spiritual wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation.

I also acknowledge the Strengths, Resilience and Endurance of the Stolen Generations Survivors, and extend my respect to all First Nations People who might visit this site.