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EXERCISE
Workshop exercise . Make an emotional safe place for the child This can either be as a grounding exercise in a group or a conversation with a child . Ask the participants to sit in a comfortable position . Do the Safe Place exercise . ( The version below is a shortened version . For the full exercise , see Additional Tools .)
EXERCISE
Exercise . Imagine your own safe space
WORK WITH CHILDREN
Think about the best place to be in the whole world . It can be your favourite place , a place you have been before , a place that you have seen in a film , or heard about . Or it can be your own fantasy place . Where are you ? What does it look like ? Are you alone , or with someone else ? Imagine the colours , the smells , the sounds around you . Perhaps you can feel totally relaxed and safe inside . How does your body feel ? Imagine that you have a special space inside you where this feeling of safety exists and that you can go here whenever you need to . Maybe the feeling has a colour . What is the colour ? Or does it remind you of an animal ? What animal is it ? Maybe you can describe this special place with a word or a sentence ? What words come to you ?
You can end the exercise with the “ Butterfly Hug ”. Cross your hands on your chest , as if you are giving yourself a hug . Then clap your chest with your hands rhythmically , left hand then right hand . At the same time , say a comforting sentence inside yourself ( such as “ I ’ ll be fine ”).
HELP AND ACTION
How do you feel ? Do you feel more or less relaxed ?
• Ask the participants to discuss the Safe Place exercise . Ask whether anyone wants to share their safe place with the group .
• If you do the exercise with a child who has been sexually abused , the child may not come up with anything and you may need to make suggestions . Test out your suggestions . Ask “ Is this OK ?”, “ Is it like that ?”, “ We are safe here ”, “ You will be fine ”.
• How can you use this exercise with the children you work with ?