"Dení was a FANTASTIC facilitator who wove humor, joy, perspective and practical content into a caring, psychologically safe learning environment."

— Catherine Deschepper, Facilitator & Coach, Interweavers

Dení Dayan, school psychologist and certified TBR facilitator

Meet Dení

School psychologist. Certified TBR facilitator. Focused on creating the most engaging training your team has ever had.

Her Story

Dení Dayan has been a school psychologist since 2001 — which means she has spent over two decades inside schools, watching what works and what doesn't when it comes to adult learning.

What she noticed early on was a paradox: the same educators who understood child development, learning theory, and the neuroscience of attention were sitting through professional development that ignored all of it. Passive delivery. Information overload. No time to practice, reflect, or connect new ideas to existing ones. The same pattern held in the clinics, agencies and colleges she went on to work with: wherever adults were being trained, the training ignored how adults learn.

She knew there had to be a better way.

In 2009 she launched Dení Education Consulting and began building a practice around training that actually respects how the adult brain learns. She became certified in Positive Discipline, Dynamic Mindfulness, and trauma-informed practices — all frameworks rooted in the same core conviction: that people learn better when they feel safe, engaged, and respected.

Then she found TBR.

Why TBR

Training from the BACK of the Room — developed by Sharon Bowman and grounded in six principles of cognitive neuroscience — was the framework Dení had been looking for. It didn't just describe how people learn. It gave her a precise, repeatable system for designing and delivering experiences that made learning stick.

She became a certified TBR facilitator and hasn't looked back.

Today, Dení is one of a select group of certified TBR trainers in the world. She has brought TBR to educators, clinicians, trainers and leaders across California — in the Central Valley, San Diego, and beyond.

"I enjoyed the session. Our instructor provided a safe atmosphere for participants to engage in the prompts, presentations, and sharing out."

— Marcella Camino, ELA 8th Grade Teacher, West Fresno Middle School

"This training was outstanding! It left me feeling confident in my ability to build and conduct meaningful & engaging trainings about any topic."

— Jordan Roescheln, Regional Manager, San Diego Center for Children

"Dení is such a fantastic facilitator and she made the material relatable, useful, and fun. I never want to be stuck in a boring lecture again now that I know it can be fun."

— Rebecca Brisky, Clinician Supervisor, All 4 Youth

Dení doesn't lecture. She facilitates.

There's a difference — and you'll feel it within the first ten minutes of being in her room. Every session is designed on TBR principles from the ground up: participants are moving, connecting, creating, and applying ideas before they've had a chance to zone out. The experience is energizing, occasionally surprising, and consistently described by participants as the best training they've ever attended.

Where clinical insight meets restorative design

As a school psychologist, Dení brings something most facilitators don't: a deep clinical understanding of stress, burnout, and what the nervous system actually needs in order to learn. She designs her sessions to be as restorative as they are instructional — which is why participants leave not just with new tools, but with renewed energy for the work.

Credentials

  • Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP)
  • Credentialed School Psychologist
  • Training from the BACK of the Room - Certified Trainer
  • Positive Discipline Trainer
  • Certified Dynamic Mindfulness Trainer
  • Certified Parent-Child Interaction Therapist

Consulting since 2009 · International experience in Mexico, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, and Italy

Dení works with anyone who stands in front of a group of adults and needs to make learning happen — in school districts and county offices of education, clinical and behavioral-health agencies, colleges, nonprofits, and HR and training teams.

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