Welcome to  S & P Consulting Services, LLC!

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S&P Consulting Services, LLC provides professional development training & consultation to leadership and teams by creating a balance between independence AND connection while building effective problem solving through "Tapping the B.R.A.K.E.S."  

At S & P Consulting Services, LLC, we bring decades of experience working with youth and teams in a variety of settings to help them find balance.  We have worked with leadership and teams in our professional and personal lives (including supervisors, educators, administrators, mental health workers, camp counselors, childcare providers, volunteer organizations, parents, and more) to provide concrete tools to bring joy back to their work.  

Our passion is in working with adults that work with youth how to teach youth skills to thrive.  While this is our first  love, we realize that the same skills are beneficial in ALL team environments - not just when working with youth!  Our expertise in working with youth, though, brings a unique skill set that allows us to break down concepts in an engaging manner for all team members to learn ways to create balance between independence AND connection rooted in effective problem solving with "Tapping the B.R.A.K.E.S."

Whether you are a business executive, camp counselor, child care worker, educator, administrator, therapist, social worker, or simply someone who is seeking out balance for yourself, our services will help you find balance while being both independent AND connected.  

Contact us to see how we can help you find balance in your work AND your life!

Pam grew up in the Chicagoland area. She is the fourth out of five siblings and believes this has made her a master at conflict resolution. She continues to reside in the Chicagoland area with her husband and three children. Pamela enjoys coaching and watching her children do all the sports. 

Sandra has lived in many places, born in California, raised in Nevada, college in Indiana, grad school in Colorado, and then settling in Illinois.  She credits her ability to understand a variety of people and their perspectives to having lived in and visited many places.  She lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband and two wonderful daughters.  She likes to garden, read, go for long walks, volunteer for the high school band and as Girl Scout Leader, and chauffeur/cheer for her daughters’ activities.

We did it!  Thanks to all of you, our book was the #1 new release in two categories on Amazon!  We are so grateful for everyone's support.  Check it out and buy one for yourself or the professional who works with youth in your life!

“Tapping the B.R.A.K.E.S” Training:

This training is our introductory course that helps leadership and staff learn the importance of being trauma-informed in their interactions.  Many people do not have “large” trauma, and yet they may have relational trauma or work trauma that contributes to their challenges working together.  Key strategies for in the moment regulation are discussed to help individuals feel prepared for working in a balanced, cohesive, and successful way!  

The second half of this training focuses on teaching ways that “Tapping the B.R.A.K.E.S” can help problem solve individually AND as a team to bring a balance between independence AND connection.  The acronym is broken down with examples of each step, so leadership and staff learn ways to identify when and how to use each step to thrive!  

For those teams that work with youth, the focus can be on how to teach these skills to youth of all ages so that THEY can problem solve while finding balance between independence AND connection.  When youth are able to build these skills, it makes working with them joyful again!

“Mapping the Route to Balance” Training:

Our longer training has all the same content as the four hour training in the second half, but the first half is spent exploring how to create a culture of curiosity and growth to be the foundation for the "Tapping the B.R.A.K.E.S" training.  We will bring in the analogy of “mapping your route to balance” as a way to understand and build strategies for leadership and staff to become more independent AND connected.  

 When on the road, we have rules and we have choices.  When we ae “mapping our route to balance,” we also have to learn the rules, understand our choices, look at the impact of our choices, and decide what makes sense for us AND for others.  

This additional training will help leadership and staff:

*  See how their everyday efforts in finding balance lead to innovation and charting new territory

* Learn how to navigate their own drive to be independent while balancing connection within the team

* Connect to and foster relationships with others while building an independent team

These mapping exercises create a cohesive, balanced team that is more effective and successful.

For teams that work with youth, specific strategies for teaching the concepts to youth are included.  When youth are in the driver's seat, they thrive and make working with them joyful again!

Ongoing Consultation:

All the training in the world cannot replace ongoing consultation about challenging situations.  Once staff have learned the strategies, it may be time for having someone from the outside to bounce ideas off of.  When we are in it, we often can’t see the whole picture.  That is where the ongoing or “as needed” consultation can come in handy.  We will meet with you and your team to discuss specific situations and talk through ways to approach them within YOUR structure.

All services include an initial meeting to determine specific needs so that all content is tailored to your staff needs and population. 

We were so excited to have Sandra present at the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education conference "Alone Together: Confronting Loneliness Across the Lifespan!"  She had a great response to her presentation on how "Tapping the B.R.A.K.E.S." can help find a balance between independence AND connection in order to fight loneliness.  

We also spent an amazing day at the Monona Park District helping get their camp counselors ready for summer!  They learned all about how to Map a Route to Balance AND how to teach Tapping the B.R.A.K.E.S. to youth!  So much fun and energy...we know they are off to a great start!