Project duration: 4 months
Tools: LearnWorlds LMS, Articulate Rise, Adobe Creative Suite, CANVA
Delivery method: eLearning (self-paced)
Objective: To convert the 2-day Shark Cage® live practitioner training into a self-paced, 8-hour online course accessible to counsellors, social workers, and family violence practitioners worldwide.
Deliverables: Self-paced eLearning course (8 hrs); Completion certificate; LearnWorlds LMS setup and configuration
Learning strategies: Short video demonstrations; Guided reflections; Section knowledge quizzes
About the organisation
Ursula Benstead is an Australian psychologist, clinical supervisor, trainer, and the creator of The Shark Cage® trauma-informed framework. With over 30 years of experience in complex trauma, family violence and sexual assault, Ursula has trained thousands of helping professionals across Australia and internationally.
The Shark Cage® is a five-step, evidence-informed framework used widely in group and individual settings to help practitioners support women who’ve had more than one experience of family, domestic and/or sexual violence. It provides a clear, memorable structure for challenging self-blame, strengthening boundaries, and building safety and empowerment.
Websites:
The need
Ursula’s face-to-face Foundational Practitioner Training had built a strong reputation — but live delivery meant capped reach, geographic constraints, and Ursula’s time in every room. Practitioners across Australia and internationally wanted access to the Shark Cage® framework but couldn’t attend in person. Ursula’s pivot to live zoom delivery tackled geography constraints to some degree, although different time zones were problematic globally. In addition, Ursula’s time and participant caps meant there was not enough capacity to meet demand with digital live delivery.
The opportunity was clear: build an online version that preserved the heart of the live experience — the connection, depth, and personal voice — while making it available on-demand and at scale. The target audience was counsellors, social workers, psychologists, family support workers, and family violence and youth practitioners seeking evidence-informed strategies they could apply immediately in individual or group work.
The learning solution
We partnered with Ursula to translate the two-day Foundational Practitioner Training into a rich, self-paced online course hosted on a custom-configured LearnWorlds platform (Pro Trainer plan), built to look and feel like an extension of The Shark Cage® brand.
Using our ADDIE process, we began with a 90-minute kick-off to define goals, structure, and scope, followed by a design workshop to map the learning journey. This allowed us to identify what had to stay, what could be adapted, and what new formats would serve learners better in a digital environment.
The course structure follows the proven arc of the live training, moving learners through the five-step framework with short video introductions from Ursula, practical demonstrations, and guided reflection tasks at each stage. Rather than producing heavily produced video content, we leaned into authenticity: direct-to-camera content from Ursula that preserves the warmth and clarity of her in-person facilitation.
Section knowledge quizzes are embedded throughout to consolidate learning before progressing, with a final assessment and downloadable certificate on completion. The course offers approximately 8 hours of seat time and is equivalent to the live Foundational Training. Learners have full access for three months from enrolment.
We set up and configured the LearnWorlds LMS, then handed over the keys with training so Ursula can manage enrolments and platform operations independently.
The outcome
The Shark Cage® Foundational Practitioner Training is now live and globally accessible at thesharkcage.learnworlds.com. Ursula can reach practitioners anywhere, anytime — without needing to be in the room.
The project delivered: a fully functional, self-paced eLearning course equivalent to the 2-day live training; a professional LearnWorlds platform configured for immediate enrolments; SCORM-ready content that Ursula owns outright; and a completion certificate practitioners can use for CPD.
The online course is a scalable commercial asset that extends the reach of 30+ years of expertise and allows The Shark Cage® framework to reach more practitioners, and ultimately more clients, than live delivery alone ever could.
“I knew I needed to create a learn on demand option for The Shark Cage Foundational Practitioner training. Agencies wanted to access the training immediately to skill up staff to deliver Shark Cage interventions in group and individual contexts in a timely way. After spending a considerable amount of time trying to create an e-course myself, I realised I did not have the skill set needed to build a professional, polished and engaging product. Fortunately, the talented folk at Hungry Minds did. I would highly recommend Hungry Minds to anyone considering developing an e-course”
The team
Michael Peart: Managing Partner
Bec: Senior Learning Designer
The Shark Cage® – Live to eLearning Conversion
Mitigating Vicarious Trauma