Endorsements for Everyday Self Defense​

"Our Kansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers also hosted a class with Janet Nelson.  This type of instruction, I feel, should be required nation wide.  The woman is absolutely amazing in her teaching of self-defense.  Social workers deserve to be prepared for any situation presented to them, just as police officers.  All of the social workers that attended classes provided positive feedback.  Each conveyed they felt more confidence after completing the course, and more prepared for situations."

-- Matt Zenner
Social Worker Safety Advocate - Kansas

Janet Nelson's excellent book Everyday Self Defense for Social Workers fills an extremely important void in the social work practice literature and complements existing work on client violence in social work practice very well.  Everyday Self Defense provides social work practitioners with information and concrete guidance on how they can protect themselves in the office and in the field. Combining nearly thirty years of experience teaching martial arts and active practice as a social worker, Janet Nelson offers a clear, balanced and easy to follow approach to personal and workplace safety that all social workers can benefit from. I highly recommend her book and believe she has provided a very valuable contribution and service to the social work profession.

-- Christina E. Newhill, PhD, LCSW
 Professor, University of Pittsburgh
and
Author,  Client Violence in Social Work Practice:  Prevention, Intervention and Research

If anyone is looking for a fantastic instructor on social worker self defense training, look no further than Janet Nelson, ACSW, LCSW and martial arts expert with 30 years teaching experience.  She is a superb presenter who takes the awkwardness out of thinking about self-defense.  She helps social workers and others understand that when being seriously threatened or attacked, your client is no longer your client but rather your attacker.  This helps to quickly shift the ability to respond to the violence, protect yourself and maintain professional ethics and practice standards.  Her simple techniques are something that one can remember forever, especially if faced with actual life threatening danger.  Her training on prevention is top notch as well.  She assists social workers by increasing their personal safety choices and raising their awareness about self-care on the job.  You will not regret having her do a training.  In fact, her training may very well save a life.  Her rates are reasonable and she is worth every dime and dollar.

-- Sky Westerlund, LMSW, Former Executive Director
National Association of Social Workers - Kansas

Participant Comments

"A must for everyone!  Janet's full of wonderful ideas and really knows her stuff."

"I think this is an excellent class, and perfectly done.  The material presented is exactly what everyone should know to keep themselves safe."

"Excellent for the mental preparation as well as the physical."

"Definite confidence builder!"

"It was a great class!  I learned alot and have become more aware of my environment and how to protect myself."

"I have discovered that self-defense requires not just a reactive approach, but also a proactive approach."

"She has brought me back to a sense of myself in the physical world."

"Janet was a great instructor who gave some very practical and easy ways to respond in stressful situations."

"I feel much more assured I could defend myself."

"It was also a good reminder that we can never let our guard down or become naive about what can happen in any home."

​"I thought it was a good class and provided a lot of practical situations and how to deal with those situations.  I also thought the instructor provided the material in an easy and fun-to-learn manner."

​"I have taken several other trainings through the years and this one is by far the best and most targeted to our jobs."