Seeking Safety is an evidence-based coping skills intervention that helps people attain safety from trauma and/or addiction. Seeking Safety offers a facilitator’s guide and client handouts on treatment topics that can be delivered to individuals or groups for any length of time. In collaboration with HIV experts, Seeking Safety experts, and community members, E2i adapted Seeking Safety for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) and produced a toolkit that provides the resources needed to implement Seeking Safety within RWHAP settings and other HIV care organizations.
Goal
To help people build safe coping skills relevant to trauma and/or addiction
Priority Populations
Seeking Safety is for anyone with a history of trauma and/or addiction, or who can otherwise benefit from learning new coping skills
Seeking Safety addresses several themes that are especially relevant to people with HIV
Core Elements
1. Safety as the Overarching Goal
Safety always remains front-and-center during treatment. Clients are guided to identify what safety means to them, which may include reducing addiction, letting go of dangerous relationships (e.g., a violent partner), and gaining control over unsafe behaviors (e.g., cutting, burning, and bingeing).
2. Integrated Treatment
Integrated treatment means that trauma and addiction are addressed at the same time if both issues are present. Trauma and addiction often reinforce each other; therefore, treating them simultaneously is more helpful than treating them individually.
3. A Focus on Ideals
To inspire hope for the future, Seeking Safety frames each topic as a positive ideal (e.g., compassion, honesty, healing from anger, creating meaning).
4. Four Domains
Seeking Safety topics cover four content domains:
Behavioral
Cognitive
Interpersonal
Case Management
Duration
Seeking Safety offers up to 25 sessions that can be delivered over any length of time.
Settings
Seeking Safety can be delivered in any type of organization at any level of care.
Seeking Safety can also be delivered virtually.
Toolkit Components
This Guide includes:
How to plan and implement the intervention.
Lessons learned during implementation in RWHAP settings.
A Spanish version of the Implementation Guide is coming soon.
Watch an instructional dramatization of how to deliver Seeking Safety to clients.
Download posters and a brochure that explain Seeking Safety and its benefits for clients. You can add your organization's contact information to these materials and distribute them in your clinic.
