Seeking Safety: A Specialized Program for Treating PTSD and Substance Abuse

A Center for Substance Abuse Treatment sponsored meeting regarding trauma and substance abuse treatment, a specialized treatment approach called Seeking Safety was featured. Developed under a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse by Dr. Lisa Najavits, this approach is designed to treat both substance abuse disorders and PTSD.

1. Seeking Safety is a present-focused therapy designed to help people attain safety from both PTSD and substance abuse ¹⁰
2. The treatment is available as a book providing both client handouts and guidance for clinicians ¹⁰
3. It can be conducted in group and individual formats for women, men or both genders in a variety of settings (e.g., outpatient, inpatient, residential) and for both substance abuse and dependence¹⁰

Key Principles of Seeking Safety

• Safety is the overarching goal (helping clients attain safety in their relationships, thinking, behavior and emotions)¹⁰
• It is an integrated treatment - working on both PTSD and substance abuse at the same time ¹⁰
• There is a focus on ideals to counteract the loss of ideals in both PTSD and substance abuse ¹⁰
• The four content areas are: cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, case management ¹⁰
• Attention is paid to clinician processes (helping clinicians work on counter-transference, self-care and other issues) ¹⁰

For more information about ordering Seeking Safety, please visit www.seekingsafety.org or call 617-731-1501.