what's a safe space?
and why build trauma-informed communities?
The phrase “safe space” has become used in a variety of circumstances, environments, and with a unique meaning to different people. We’ll explore that topic in this essay as well as talking about how safe spaces can improve wellness.
At the end of this post there is a coloring book page - as I intent to include one with most posts from here on…
What is a Safe Space?
A safe space is an environment where individuals feel secure, respected, and free to express themselves without fear of judgment, discrimination, or harm.
Key attributes of safe spaces include:
Inclusivity - welcoming persons from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. Some safe spaces actively promote diversity to the extent that diversity doesn’t have an unintended consequence of making one feel unsafe (i.e. boundaries that relate to a specific trauma recovery group, such as a group whose safety is built on being able to relate to others of the same background — gender, race, sexual orientation).
Respect - mutual respect, active listening, acknowledging different viewpoints, and engaging in respectful dialogue. In a more open space - a ‘code of conduct’ - or as written prior - setting and respecting boundaries in a public space
Setting and Respecting Boundaries in a Public Space
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Personal Boundaries as a topic has come up in my feed and life recently as a catalyst for me to take it on as a topic for this blog, in particular with how the topic relates to Toward Wellth.
Confidentiality - Trust is an essential element of a safe space. There is a social contract, a pact, that when personal experiences or feelings are shared, they will be kept confidential.
Support — Safe spaces provide emotional and psychological support. The goal of support is to offer a sense of community and belonging, helping individuals navigate challenges and share their experiences - regardless of where they are in their own healing journey.
Some examples of safe spaces include educational institutions, workplaces, online communities (groups), support groups, and community centers.
Effect / Impact of Safe Spaces
Safe spaces promote mental health, foster inclusivity, and build trust - leading to strengthened communities. Individuals feel empowered to express themselves authentically and engage in meaningful conversations.
Relating Safe Spaces to Building Trauma Informed Communities
In 2022 the CDC published a blog titled “Building Trauma Informed Communities”.
The title didn’t do it a whole lot of favors, as the real action was in the content - and how you can interpret the analysis.
This is the center for disease control discussing the need for communities. Specifically trauma-informed communities. They specifically targeted it at emergency response in the post, although as you review it, it relates to any organized group (in particular the examples of safe spaces above are also good fits).
They included this simple, yet informative infographic:
Further laying out the six guiding principles of trauma informed care:
Safety
Trustworthiness and transparency
Peer support
Collaboration and mutuality
Empowerment and choice
Cultural, historical, and gender issues
Which require the following keys to enact:
Creating a safe environment
Hiring and training for a trauma-informed workforce (clinical and non-clinical staff)
Preventing secondary traumatic stress in staff
Engaging patients in organizational planning
Leading and communicating about the transformation process
Relating to Toward Wellth
In this design phase, it’s acknowledged that everyone from the barista to the general manager will need additional training and institutional support. This will put them in positions to better meet the needs of patrons as well as maintain healthy personal boundaries.
Diverse resources will be made available in addition to diverse programming - to meet the needs of various backgrounds - all with needs to recover from their traumas. This includes human resources - clinical and nonclinical - as well as non-human resources (reference materials, equipment, concierge services to link persons to other subspecialized resources beyond the scope of TW).
Feedback from patrons and staff will be regularly reviewed and acted on. The primary responsibility of Toward Wellth is to serve the unmet mental health needs that are driven by isolation and increasing lack of safe spaces. Transparency to the public is paramount to retain and grow additional trust, and is a cornerstone of community relations.
Managing the varying levels of boundaries needed to ensure a safe space is partially covered by the physical layout and staff training, although more design may be needed to better help orient patrons to understanding ‘safe space etiquette’.
Safe, Social Spaces
It seems as if Toward Wellth, with effort and focus, will become one of those “trauma informed communities”. Combining personalized focused programming with a safe social environment can help recovery from traumas and patrons may even be able to take what they learn into their own social spheres outside the walls of Toward Wellth.
If you’re reading this article on Saturday night and appreciate what being social does for your happiness and Wellth, forward this post to a friend that you want to spend time with... send them this article as a way to show that you want to deepen your relationship.
If you reading this after Saturday night and if the topic resonates with you, forward it to a friend who might also benefit.
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And here’s your coloring page related to this topic if you want to print it out to color…and see how many AI faults you can find (like the kid with 6 fingers)…
It apppears that this topic is causing a convergence of my professional life and personal life and is introducing me to a whole new perspective on deepening understanding of mental health issues and concepts. This article is helping me to broadening my working knowledge. Thank you.