Seeking Safety for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The Seeking Safety intervention is an evidence-based, present-focused counseling model to help people attain safety from trauma and/or addiction. It can be delivered in group or individual sessions. It directly addresses trauma, but without requiring participants to delve into the trauma narrative. It covers 25 coping skills, including: Setting Boundaries in Relationships; Honesty; Compassion; Healing from Anger; and Recovery Thinking. The main aim of skill acquisition is to help participants achieve safety in their relationships, thinking, behavior, and emotions. Sessions have a common agenda:

1. Check-In, during which participants practice labeling their current mood
2. Quote, which is used to engage participants emotionally and to provide inspiration for discussion
3. Discussion, which is intended to support participants in relating the material to problems in their lives
4. and Check-Out, during which people name one thing they learned from the session, identify one commitment for the following week, and identify community resource(s) to help with following through on the commitment.

Seeking Safety has been adapted for use with people who have IDD and MH issues. Descriptions of the changes in content and intervention delivery have been summarized by two groups:  1) Dr. Mayra Mendez, program coordinator for intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health services at Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica; and 2) a group of clinicians from the USC UCEDD and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine (see below). One adaptation strategy involves selection of topics according to the needs and developmental level of the group. Another adaptation strategy is altering quotes to be concrete, developmentally appropriate, and utilize easily understandable language. Yet another adaptation strategy is to present information simply, in small segments, without ambiguity, and with checks for understanding.

A version of the Seeking Safety manual (which is copyrighted) can be viewed here:

Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse

And is available from the publisher here:

https://www.treatment-innovations.org/seeking-safety.html

A PowerPoint presentation on Seeking Safety:

https://www.slideserve.com/lynne/seeking-safety

An article describing adaptations to Seeking Safety for use with adolescents and young adults with IDD and mental health diagnoses is available here:

Social Skills Groups Adapted from Seeking Safety Model for Adolescents and Young adults with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health Diagnoses