Seeking Safety: An Evidence-based model for trauma and/or substance abuse with adolescents

The goal of this presentation is to describe Seeking Safety, an evidence-based model for trauma and/or substance abuse (clients do not have to have both issues). Anyone who attends can implement Seeking Safety in their setting if they choose to. Seeking Safety teaches present-focused coping skills to help clients attain safety in their lives. It is highly flexible and can be conducted in any setting by a wide range of clinicians and also peers. There are up to 25 treatment topics, each representing a safe coping skill relevant to trauma and/or substance abuse, such as “Asking for Help”, “Creating Meaning”, “Compassion”, and “Healing from Anger”. Topics can be done in any order and the treatment can be done in few or many sessions as time allows. Seeking Safety strives to increase hope through emphasis on ideals; it offers exercises, emotionally-evocative language, and quotations to engage patients; attends to clinician processes; and provide concrete strategies to build recovery skills. In this training we cover (a) an overview of Seeking Safety; and (b) key points on clinical implementation with adolescents. Resources are also provided. Learning methods include powerpoint, video, exercises, and discussion. For more information on Seeking Safety see www.seekingsafety.org.

Objectives:

1) To increase empathy and understanding of trauma/substance abuse among youth;

2) To describe Seeking Safety counseling strategies for youth;

3) To provide treatment resources and steps for getting started with the model.

Methods of instruction include:

1. Lecture

2. Brief video segments related to treatment issues 

3. Question/answer discussion with participants

Presented by: Summer Krause, LPC LADCIII

Summer Krause, LPC, CADCIII is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor III, with a clinical practice in Oregon that includes adolescent and adult Seeking Safety, in both individual and group modality. She has worked with Treatment Innovations since 2011. She counsels children, adolescents and adults and has spent the majority of her career working with adolescents. Her specialities are grief, trauma and addiction. She has worked in nonprofit, group home, juvenile justice, residential and outpatient settings. After being trained by Lisa Najavits in Seeking Sagety, Summer implemented Seeking Safety groups for adolescent boys and girls in a residential treatment program.