Truth in fiction: The Alternatives to Violence Program that Dana mentions is real, though she has heavily adapted the conceptual framework to a particular situation and dramatically compressed what is usually a three-day workshop into one. My local chapter has been successful with it in prisons, rehab centers, and high schools, and I've personally found AVP tools and concepts useful in many parts of my life. I've assisted in several workshops but am not yet an AVP trainer - we were trying to get trainer training scheduled for a couple of us when, ahem, the pandemic lockdown started.
(Gosh, that last phrase sounds familiar … )
Dana's difficulty explaining how the workshop experience is so powerful matches my own.