Why I don't believe in safe spaces...

I don't say this is a safe space, here's why...

Safety is a core human need and an essential in building human relationships.

But what may feel safe for me, may not feel safe for you.

Because we have different lived experiences, identities, social and cultural contexts, bodies, neurodiversity, etc.

There is no way I can guarantee you will feel safe in my presence when trust has not been established.

Therefore, I can't assume or guarentee safety however what I can do is actively ensure I am resisting harm and promoting safety for it to be felt by all.

When I am talking about safety, I am not just talking about physical safety.

I of course believe that we can be accountable and proactive to create safety especially when it comes to things within our control.

When I speak of safety I am talking about our felt sense of safety.

Physical, psychological, emotional, moral, social, cultural safety.

Are you considering how people will access safety when designing, delivering and leading your programs and services?

It’s not enough to have good intentions, it needs to be followed by aligned actions.

If you are not thinking about this reality, then you could be not only ignoring this very human need of your clients but also the fact it will directly impact their experience and outcomes in working with you.

Here are 5 reasons why promoting safety is essential when both designing, delivering and leading your services, courses and programs:

• creates an opportunity for trust to be built over time with each and every person you work with
• centers each person in their own expereinces rather than centering them in the experience you hope for them to have
• reduces possible pathways for harm and opens lines of communications for accountability checks
• increases client engagement so they’re more likely to engage in the conversation, service, program, etc. in a way that feels best for them (hello autonomy and consent)
• leads to more successful outcomes -whatever success looks or feels like for each person

Leading with a trauma-informed lens helps us ensure we are offering cues of belonging and safety.

This approach helps us ensure we are creating space for people to feel like they can access safety given their identities, lived experiences and current season of life.

When we enter a space whether it is 1:1, group, team, a community-our nervous system is scanning for those cues of safety and belonging.

If the space is not set up for safety to be felt, then it is likely that some people's nervous system's will not access safety.

That is why it is essential to adopt a trauma-informed approach so we can integrate these skills and tools into everything we do for safety to be promoted.

Because trauma-informed care is centered on promoting trust, a felt sense of safety, belonging, and autonomy. The approach includes actionable skills and tools that when applied offer cues of belonging and safety.

We hold the power as a space holder to ensure we are creating and sustaining cues of belonging and safety in our spaces for others to access.

We can remain open to feedback and flexible to adapt when someone let’s us know we are offering cues of othering.

We can stay actively attuned and create expectations in the spaces we hold so people in those spaces don’t offer cues of othering.

We can stay centered and communicate when we notice othering happening and seek collaborative solutions to addressing it.

When we adopt a trauma-informed lens, we are increasing our capacity and deepening our skillset to ensure we are able to create cues of belonging, safety and trust in our spaces.

CULTIVATE is a capacity building program. Your not just guided in the training materials but in the full experience to find ways to nurture and build your capacity to show up for yourself and others.

I'm curious what comes up for you as you read this. Have you considered the cues of belonging or othering for yourself and the spaces you hold?

Feel free to hit reply and let me know and I will hold judgment-free, solution and fix-it free space to witness you.

In this with you,

Katie

P.S. Enrollment closes this Friday for our final cohort of CULTIVATE. If you feel called to join us, you can do so here. Payment plan available.