I am Vernon L. Williams.

Over the years, I have observed that most stress remedies focus on “managing” stress. Those remedies include deep breathing, going for a walk, spending time with loved ones, and watching a funny movie.

I have also observed that those remedies address stress after it has taken hold.  

I sought to find a way to help people deal with stress before it takes hold. 

Using my background in applied behavioral science and cognitive behavioral therapy, I developed what I called the Stress Prevention Method, or SPM.

I used SPM to teach workshops for federal and state government and private-sector employees.

At the same time that I was doing those workshops, I became a patient safety advocate, a role that I would hold for more than two decades. In that role, I spent many hours in hospitals. I got to observe multiple nurses over many shifts in various circumstances. The majority of the nurses said they were stressed out. But I noticed that, despite being in the same circumstances, a few nurses neither stated that they were stressed nor acted as though they were stressed. As I talked with those “unstressed” nurses, it turned out that they were operating on one of the core principles that I had used in developing SPM – You may not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond to your circumstances.

So, I began coaching those stressed nurses based on that same core principle that I had used with government and private sector employees.

These comments typical are typical of the nurses’ reaction to coaching: Vernon’s coaching was extremely valuable to me. It was helpful to learn the impact of my thoughts and the power I have to control them. -Med-Surg Nurse

Stress was making me sick. The SPM Method showed me that when I think differently about my circumstances, my stress is reduced. – Med-Surg Nurse

Since the patient advocacy days, I have done two things: 1) Changed the name of the stress prevention program from Stress Prevention Program (SPM) to Calm in the Chaos™2) created an audio program, a workshop, and a book to help bedside nurses prevent stress. They provide structured, practical stress prevention education for bedside nurses.

Those resources are not therapy or general wellness advice.