"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
Meet Dení
School psychologist. Certified TBR facilitator. And possibly the most engaging professional development experience your staff 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.
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 across California — in the Central Valley, San Diego, and beyond — who have expressed universal appreciation for her unique and engaging delivery, demeanor, and knowledge.
— Marcella Camino, ELA 8th Grade Teacher, West Fresno Middle School
"I enjoyed the session.. Our instructor provided a safe atmosphere for participants to engage in the prompts, presentations, and sharing out."
— Jordan Roescheln, Regional Manager, SD Center for Children
"This training was outstanding! It left me feeling confident in my ability to build and conduct meaningful & engaging trainings about any topic."
— Rebecca Brisky, Clinician Supervisor, All 4 Youth
"Her background as a school psychologist means she 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 teachers leave not just with new tools, but with renewed energy for the work."
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 professional development 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 teachers leave not just with new tools, but with renewed energy for the work.
Credentials
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Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP)
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Credentialed School Psychologist
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Training from the BACK of the Room - Certified Trainer
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Positive Discipline Trainer
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Certified Dynamic Mindfulness Trainer
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Certified Parent-Child Interaction Therapist
Consulting since 2009 · International experience in Mexico, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, and Italy
Dení works with K-12 school districts, county offices of education, individual educators, instructional coaches, and anyone else who needs to stand in front of a group and make learning happen.