80 your eyes and leave your Safe Place for now . You can come back when you want . As you open your eyes , you feel even more calm and happy .
Well done ! What was that like ? Would any of you like to describe your Safe Place ? How did it make you FEEL being there ?
You can see that you can choose what to see in your mind and that this makes a difference to how you feel .
Your Safe Place can be the first tool in your Toolbox . You can take it out whenever you need to , whenever you feel sad , or scared .
Note . For some children it may be difficult to imagine a quiet place , or being immobile . When this happens , suggest to the child that it can think about a favourite sport or an activity it loves , like dancing or playing football .
You can end the exercise with the “ Butterfly Hug ”. Instruction for 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 to yourself ( such as “ I will be fine ”).
How do you feel ? Do you feel more or less relaxed ?
HELP AND ACTION
REFLECTION QUESTION
Questions to reflect on
• At the end of the Safe Place exercise , ask the participants to discuss it .
• 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 place right ?”, “ Is this what it is like ?”, “ Are you feeling safe here ?”.
• How can you use this exercise with the children you work with ?
• You can also make a physical safe place , a comfort zone for the child , with different sensory inputs . Fill it with safe , comforting materials so that the child can rest and feel comfortable . Include books to read and toys to play with . The safe place can be at home , in school , or in kindergarten . Say that this is a special place for the child , to go to and rest whenever it needs a break , or space to itself .