Testimonials

Joseph Haraszti, Ph.D.

Medical Director, Las Encinas Psychiatric Hospital


As a practicing Psychiatrist within the medical community and Medical Director of Las Encinas Psychiatric Hospital in Pasadena, California, I have known Doc Elliot for thirty years now. During that time, I have watched as Doc has distinguished himself in every aspect of clinical psychiatry and in doing so, has created a respected reputation of being able to understand and solve every situation that he is faced with. He has a unique gift of possessing an intuitive understanding of very complex problems concerning the assessment of potentially explosive and violent situations before they occur and handles crisis with great courage, skill and confidence. Not only can Doc handle these very challenging situations superbly within the psychiatric setting, but he also has the ability to share his knowledge by educating others with his very creative, pertinent and entertaining training, using a rare combination of wisdom and empathy. I recommend his training highly.

Kathi Hemphill

RN, BSN, Administrative Nsg. Supervisor/Clinical Nurse Education Director, Emanate Health


Doc Elliot has been instructing our facility in Assaultive Behavior Management classes for some time now and the employees who have attended have commented on how informative Mr. Elliot’s classes are, in comparison to classes they have taken in the past. I decided to sit in on one of the classes given by Mr. Elliot and found that the class was very interesting and enjoyable. His teaching style is professional and supportive, demonstrating effective hands on techniques and very realistic situations. He consistently displays excitement and kept the participants interested. At the end of the class, all participants were able to demonstrate and verbalize all of the required objectives. I have also found Mr. Elliot to be flexible, motivated and very approachable. It is refreshing to meet such a motivated, sincere and positive person. Doc Elliot is a professional instructor with excellent leadership qualities. I am confident that he would be an asset to any facility needing his services and would continue to exceed your expectations.

George Cardoso

Chief Executive Officer, Flex Ed, Inc.


Since Doc has been directing and teaching our assault response training/violence awareness courses, we’ve seen a much higher level or interest and understanding among our facilities and participants. Doc makes the courses easy to understand, enjoyable and applicable to a wide variety of environments.

Adam Herdina

Psy.D., LAPD Police Psychologist, Crisis Negotiation Team


The Assaultive Behavior/Crisis Negotiation Workshop that I attended from Doc Elliot provided practical, hands-on experience to assist individuals in crisis. Mr. Elliot’s class provided the psychological tools necessary to de-escalate a hostile or suicidal person, helping reinforce the use of non-physical means to provide a safe environment. His professional and soothing demeanor, coupled with his real-life experiences, engages his audience and provides an atmosphere to utilize critical thinking skills in various situations. This information would be highly beneficial for anyone working with the public, including nurses, office staff and anyone, both clinical or not, who has possible contact with aggressive, suicidal, or potentially violent individuals.

Joseph Haraszti, Ph.D.

Medical Director, Las Encinas Psychiatric Hospital


As a practicing Psychiatrist within the medical community and Medical Director of Las Encinas Psychiatric Hospital in Pasadena, California, I have known Doc Elliot for thirty years now. During that time, I have watched as Doc has distinguished himself in every aspect of clinical psychiatry and in doing so, has created a respected reputation of being able to understand and solve every situation that he is faced with. He has a unique gift of possessing an intuitive understanding of very complex problems concerning the assessment of potentially explosive and violent situations before they occur and handles crisis with great courage, skill and confidence. Not only can Doc handle these very challenging situations superbly within the psychiatric setting, but he also has the ability to share his knowledge by educating others with his very creative, pertinent and entertaining training, using a rare combination of wisdom and empathy. I recommend his training highly.

Kathi Hemphill

RN, BSN, Administrative Nsg. Supervisor/Clinical Nurse Education Director, Emanate Health


Doc Elliot has been instructing our facility in Assaultive Behavior Management classes for some time now and the employees who have attended have commented on how informative Mr. Elliot’s classes are, in comparison to classes they have taken in the past. I decided to sit in on one of the classes given by Mr. Elliot and found that the class was very interesting and enjoyable. His teaching style is professional and supportive, demonstrating effective hands on techniques and very realistic situations. He consistently displays excitement and kept the participants interested. At the end of the class, all participants were able to demonstrate and verbalize all of the required objectives. I have also found Mr. Elliot to be flexible, motivated and very approachable. It is refreshing to meet such a motivated, sincere and positive person. Doc Elliot is a professional instructor with excellent leadership qualities. I am confident that he would be an asset to any facility needing his services and would continue to exceed your expectations.

George Cardoso

Chief Executive Officer, Flex Ed, Inc.


Since Doc has been directing and teaching our assault response training/violence awareness courses, we’ve seen a much higher level or interest and understanding among our facilities and participants. Doc makes the courses easy to understand, enjoyable and applicable to a wide variety of environments.

Joshua Merino


Doc is an excellent instructor and is invested in the class material. The VIP Response training is a terrific blend of de-escalation training, negotiating and hands on techniques to safely disengage and protect yourself, others and your patients. Doc is passionate about what he does and it shows in the class instruction.

Jeli Falanai


The instructor (Doc) presented the course material in a very engaging and informative way. Unlike many classes that can be hard to stay focused in, this one kept my attention throughout. I genuinely believe this course should be a mandatory requirement in all workplaces. The knowledge gained is not only valuable in a professional setting but also highly applicable to everyday life.

Ricardo Medina


This training was the most comprehensive training I’ve experienced. Doc is an incredible teacher and does a great job tailoring the material to relate to many different settings. The information and strategies when it comes to deescalation will definitely be helpful in not only professional life but personal life as well. I cannot recommend this enough!

Alex Avila


VIP Phoenix Training Group is a tool everyone needs to know in our daily life and in a workplace. I’ve learned skills that I will implement everyday. Their training material is very informative. I most definitely recommend this training to anyone.

Marisa Engle


Phoenix Assault Training is an amazingly comprehensive course and its interventions are highly effective in de-escalating individuals in the field. The founder, Doc Elliott, genuinely cares about the material and the people he works with.

Mitch Burns


It has always been an awesome experience having Doc come to our facility and train us in VIP. The training is very relevant and Doc is always willing to listen and come up with new ideas to help us tailor fit VIP to our population. I world highly recommend this program.

Rob Gentry


Provided with very useful and informative tools that I can apply daily at work. Excellent at answering all questions posed by the learners. Provided with an abundance of reading/resource materials for future use.

Amy Cooper


I have thought this training several times and it seems to get better and better each time. It has helped me greatly in doing my job in the safest way possible and has provided me with many tools to utilize. It has been an honor to be able to train individuals in my organization these techniques to ensure that the staff and the youth are safe but also staff are trauma informed. Thanks Doc!

Skyler Carroll


I have been trained in VIP since 2017, and have been an instructor since 2018. Doc is always evolving the program to aid our organization in the best ways possible. We see nothing but positive results from our VIP implementation, and I couldn't imagine our jobs without it. If you are looking for a holistic approach to de-escalation training and understanding your clients then you need to learn VIP.

Richard R


The training is though and varied with applications both in professional and personal life. Topics cover verbal de-escalation, threat assessment and evasion, along with physical escape techniques.