Safety,
The concept of Safety is central to recovery for both SUD and PTSD. Safety is necessary for healing to begin. No matter what negative life events the client has experienced they can learn to cope safely.
Coping skills are on a continuum from unsafe to safe. The client will need to be honest in order to identify all unsafe coping mechanisms. They must then make a conscious effort to replace unsafe coping with safe coping alternatives.
A safety plan provides the client with a diagram of changes that need to be made. Clients should use this diagram to change their, people, places, and things. This diagram should be revisited throughout treatment and is called “the safety zone.”
Un-Safe
| SAFETY ZONE |
Un-Safe
(figure 1)
*Everything inside the box clients write what is safe.
*Everything outside the box clients write what is not safe.
*Yes, it is that simple.
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