frequently asked questions about training
What training is available?
We are happy to provide various training topics and training formats, which can be flexibly combined to suit your goals. See our website page on how to set up a training. Our training topics include Seeking Safety, fidelity rating, supervisor training, gender-based recovery, trauma-informed care, and more. Our training formats include on-site training, DVD training, fidelity training, supervisor training, theme-based consultation calls, and general phone consultation. We also provide training and three levels of certification for programs, which are optional for general implementation but required for publishable research studies. You can also attend an upcoming training listed in our calendar, obtain a Teaching Guide to help introduce Seeking Safety to your agency, read from our library about implementation.
Who can attend a training?
Anyone can attend. Seeking Safety, for example, has been found to be an extremely safe model. No specific degree, license, or experience is required to conduct Seeking Safety or to attend a training on it. Training can also be helpful to administrators, policy makers, and others who may be interested in learning but may not be planning to conduct the model. Such people may want to attend just the first part of the training (day 1, morning) and then others who will conduct the model would attend the full length of the training. As there is no limit on the number who can attend a training, the more the better-- helping everyone in an agency become trauma-informed and learn about Seeking Safety can be a wonderful way to build sustainability.
Who can conduct training?
We have a training team of experts certified to conduct training on Seeking Safety and other topics; Lisa Najavits also conducts training. All of our team can conduct webinars and travel to other locations. All have been trained by Lisa to conduct the same training she does, using the same slides, videos, and exercises, and are directly supervised by her. With regard to train-the-trainer see the next FAQ below regarding that. Note that the Seeking Safety training is trademarked and only our team provides the certified training. This is kept in place because we don't actually require training (except for research that will be made publicly available), so when training is provided we want to ensure it's high quality. We sometimes hear of people who create their own training on Seeking Safety. In that case, neither their content nor quality has been verified by us-- they can do it, however, as long as they don't charge people or entities for that as that is not legally acceptable unless there is an advance written agreement with us. We often create partnerships, collaborations, and cohosting for training, so contact us if you're interested in that (info@treatment-innovations.org). We also welcome inquiries from people who are interested in joining our training team as certified trainers.
Is a train-the-trainer option available?
We are happy to offer a Teaching Guide to Introduce Seeking Safety to Your Agency and also a Teaching Guide to Introduce A Woman's Path to Recovery. These guides can be used by anyone to introduce the models within your own agency (but you can't charge people or entities to attend, and it can't be provided outside your own agency unless there's advance written permission; please email training@seekingsafety.org regarding setting up a written agreement if you are interested in that). The facilitator can be anyone who wants to help bring others on board to learn about the models within their agency. It's a great way to create sustainability of the model. Note that we do not call this person a "trainer" but rather a "facilitator" or a "Seeking Safety champion." We distinguish it from a "trainer" because simply attending a “train-the-trainer” workshop is no guarantee of quality. We also currently offer many options on training, including onsite training, DVD training series, online training, webinars, and consultation calls that can be used alone or with any of those other options (see our Training page). What may also be especially helpful is to become certified; this is not required (unless research is being conducted), but we do have three levels of certification that may be of interest. Some people within an agency do the Fidelity Rater and Supervisor Rater certification, for example.
Is certification required?
Our goal is to create as few obstacles as possible for implementation and we have never heard of adverse events with Seeking Safety (it is a very safe model). Thus, certification is not a requirement for routine implementation. However, it can be very helpful to verify and improve the quality of delivery of Seeking Safety. We offer three levels of certification. Also please note that certification is required for any research where the results will be published or made publicly available.
Is training and/or fidelity required?
It depends on the goal. To achieve fidelity in the model, training and review of actual session tapes and/or consultation calls is needed to verify the quality of work being conducted. As stated above, this is required for research studies. However, for clinical implementation (outside of research), training and fidelity are optional. Indeed, clinicians who simply want to use the model on their own, without formal training, have done so successfully for over 20 years and we have not heard of any adverse events when done in this way. Training can also be helpful to help introduce the model, to inspire confidence in using it, and to discuss specific implementation issues. Training is offered in various ways; see next FAQ.
What are training options?
Training options include the following. See also our Fact Sheet on Training for more detail on costs of setting up on-site training and phone consultation.
For more on training in general, see training.
Where can I find an existing Seeking Safety training?
See the calendar on our training page.
Can I get into a training that is listed as "closed"?
Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, any training listed as "closed" does not allow people outside the agency to attend. Please keep checking our Training page calendar as new trainings are being set up all the time, and there may be one set up in your area that is open to the public.
What does training cost?
If you would like to organize a training at your site, the cost will depend on factors such as length and which of our associates provides it. Please see our website page on how to set up a training, which includes current costs. We also have regular one day trainings that anyone can attend; the cost is listed on our open trainings
page.
Do you provide fidelity monitoring?
Yes. We can also train and certify people on your team to rate fidelity (see our certifications page). Our fidelity training and/or monitoring can be done via phone or onsite. Fidelity monitoring or training is required for research that will be published or made publicly available; and it is an often desired by non-research programs to determine that clinicians are conducting the model with high quality. The clinicians would tape one or more sessions or do a role-play with one of our team, and this work sample would be rated on the Seeking Safety Adherence Scale (also known as a fidelity scale). The clinician receives feedback over the phone and the clinician and/or program can receive the completed adherence scale. Our goal with this certification process is to provide clinically-useful feedback based on real samples of sessions. Once clinicians achieve strong fidelity, they can be identified as “certified.” Note too that we can train others to do fidelity monitoring, which is the lowest-cost way to do it. This involves having a designated person(s) at your location, who receive training on how to use the fidelity scale and then co-rate tapes with one of our associates to verify equivalent ratings. It is generally a quick process. Contact us to learn more about our fidelity options..
We are happy to provide various training topics and training formats, which can be flexibly combined to suit your goals. See our website page on how to set up a training. Our training topics include Seeking Safety, fidelity rating, supervisor training, gender-based recovery, trauma-informed care, and more. Our training formats include on-site training, DVD training, fidelity training, supervisor training, theme-based consultation calls, and general phone consultation. We also provide training and three levels of certification for programs, which are optional for general implementation but required for publishable research studies. You can also attend an upcoming training listed in our calendar, obtain a Teaching Guide to help introduce Seeking Safety to your agency, read from our library about implementation.
Who can attend a training?
Anyone can attend. Seeking Safety, for example, has been found to be an extremely safe model. No specific degree, license, or experience is required to conduct Seeking Safety or to attend a training on it. Training can also be helpful to administrators, policy makers, and others who may be interested in learning but may not be planning to conduct the model. Such people may want to attend just the first part of the training (day 1, morning) and then others who will conduct the model would attend the full length of the training. As there is no limit on the number who can attend a training, the more the better-- helping everyone in an agency become trauma-informed and learn about Seeking Safety can be a wonderful way to build sustainability.
Who can conduct training?
We have a training team of experts certified to conduct training on Seeking Safety and other topics; Lisa Najavits also conducts training. All of our team can conduct webinars and travel to other locations. All have been trained by Lisa to conduct the same training she does, using the same slides, videos, and exercises, and are directly supervised by her. With regard to train-the-trainer see the next FAQ below regarding that. Note that the Seeking Safety training is trademarked and only our team provides the certified training. This is kept in place because we don't actually require training (except for research that will be made publicly available), so when training is provided we want to ensure it's high quality. We sometimes hear of people who create their own training on Seeking Safety. In that case, neither their content nor quality has been verified by us-- they can do it, however, as long as they don't charge people or entities for that as that is not legally acceptable unless there is an advance written agreement with us. We often create partnerships, collaborations, and cohosting for training, so contact us if you're interested in that (info@treatment-innovations.org). We also welcome inquiries from people who are interested in joining our training team as certified trainers.
Is a train-the-trainer option available?
We are happy to offer a Teaching Guide to Introduce Seeking Safety to Your Agency and also a Teaching Guide to Introduce A Woman's Path to Recovery. These guides can be used by anyone to introduce the models within your own agency (but you can't charge people or entities to attend, and it can't be provided outside your own agency unless there's advance written permission; please email training@seekingsafety.org regarding setting up a written agreement if you are interested in that). The facilitator can be anyone who wants to help bring others on board to learn about the models within their agency. It's a great way to create sustainability of the model. Note that we do not call this person a "trainer" but rather a "facilitator" or a "Seeking Safety champion." We distinguish it from a "trainer" because simply attending a “train-the-trainer” workshop is no guarantee of quality. We also currently offer many options on training, including onsite training, DVD training series, online training, webinars, and consultation calls that can be used alone or with any of those other options (see our Training page). What may also be especially helpful is to become certified; this is not required (unless research is being conducted), but we do have three levels of certification that may be of interest. Some people within an agency do the Fidelity Rater and Supervisor Rater certification, for example.
Is certification required?
Our goal is to create as few obstacles as possible for implementation and we have never heard of adverse events with Seeking Safety (it is a very safe model). Thus, certification is not a requirement for routine implementation. However, it can be very helpful to verify and improve the quality of delivery of Seeking Safety. We offer three levels of certification. Also please note that certification is required for any research where the results will be published or made publicly available.
Is training and/or fidelity required?
It depends on the goal. To achieve fidelity in the model, training and review of actual session tapes and/or consultation calls is needed to verify the quality of work being conducted. As stated above, this is required for research studies. However, for clinical implementation (outside of research), training and fidelity are optional. Indeed, clinicians who simply want to use the model on their own, without formal training, have done so successfully for over 20 years and we have not heard of any adverse events when done in this way. Training can also be helpful to help introduce the model, to inspire confidence in using it, and to discuss specific implementation issues. Training is offered in various ways; see next FAQ.
What are training options?
Training options include the following. See also our Fact Sheet on Training for more detail on costs of setting up on-site training and phone consultation.
- On-site training by Lisa and associates. You can attend an existing training (see the calendar) or book one for your agency or co-host one with us. It can be conducted in any length. Typically it ranges from one day to two days, and offers the following topics: background; in-depth description of the model; clinical demonstration of a session; implementation ideas; and experiential exercises (small-group conduct of a session; grounding exercise; role-play of “tough cases”, etc.). The training can be adapted to focus on particular client populations (adolescents, military or veterans, prisoners, women or men, domestic violence, etc.). There is ample time for question-and-answer, and discussion is encouraged. There is no limit on the number of people who can attend a training. Presentations at professional conferences are often shorter, such as a panel or workshop. We provide trainings all over the US and internationally.
- Video training. Four and a half hours of training videos are available.
- Phone consultation can be used either after a training or on its own. It provides support for clinicians who are implementing Seeking Safety, for as few or many phone sessions as desired.
- Certification is also available for programs or researchers who want to determine that clinicians are conducting the model with strong fidelity. There is also Fidelity Rater Training and Certification available, as well as Supervisory Training and Certification available. However, none of these are required to conduct or offer Seeking Safety. It is a very safe model even when conducted without any certification. It is an extremely safe model to conduct, even without any certification, and we strongly value a public health goal of providing easy access to Seeking Safety (i.e., making it easy to use and implement at very low cost). For further information on all types of certification available, please see our Fact Sheet on Training
- Training facilitation guide. The Seeking Safety Training Facilitation Guide is designed for a training facilitator– someone who wants to help staff within an agency to learn about Seeking Safety, but who is not a formal trainer. Please note that to conduct Seeking Safety, you will need the Seeking Safety book (which includes the clinician materials and client handouts). The Seeking Safety Training Facilitation Guide is used in conjunction with the Seeking Safety Training DVDs. You will need to have or order those DVDs to use the Seeking Safety Training Facilitation Guide. Who can be a training facilitator? Anyone in the agency who has at least some clinical background. Click on the link for the Seeking Safety Training Facilitation Guide.
- Note: There is also a Training Facilitation Guide for A Woman's Path to Recovery (the clinician-led model that uses A Woman's Addiction Workbook). You will need to have or order the A Woman's Addiction Workbook to use the Training Facilitation Guide for A Woman's Path to Recovery.
- HIV guide. This guide was written to help HIV/AIDS clients and clinicians in their use of Seeking Safety. The HIV guide is 41 single-spaced pages. It was written by Lisa Najavits as part of a project for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control. For each topic of Seeking Safety, it provides several pages of client handouts that can be used in conjunction with the regular Seeking Safety book handouts. Pages can be copied for your clinical work with your own clients. It also includes resources for clinicians and background on the intersection between HIV/AIDS, trauma, and substance abuse. Click on the link to obtain the HIV guide. This guide is designed to be used with the Seeking Safety book. You can obtain the Seeking Safety book here.
- Online training. Thank you for your interest in online training related to Seeking Safety. We have 6 courses: 4 are related to the Seeking Safety DVDs, and 2 are related to the Seeking Safety book. Click here for more information.
For more on training in general, see training.
Where can I find an existing Seeking Safety training?
See the calendar on our training page.
Can I get into a training that is listed as "closed"?
Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, any training listed as "closed" does not allow people outside the agency to attend. Please keep checking our Training page calendar as new trainings are being set up all the time, and there may be one set up in your area that is open to the public.
What does training cost?
If you would like to organize a training at your site, the cost will depend on factors such as length and which of our associates provides it. Please see our website page on how to set up a training, which includes current costs. We also have regular one day trainings that anyone can attend; the cost is listed on our open trainings
page.
Do you provide fidelity monitoring?
Yes. We can also train and certify people on your team to rate fidelity (see our certifications page). Our fidelity training and/or monitoring can be done via phone or onsite. Fidelity monitoring or training is required for research that will be published or made publicly available; and it is an often desired by non-research programs to determine that clinicians are conducting the model with high quality. The clinicians would tape one or more sessions or do a role-play with one of our team, and this work sample would be rated on the Seeking Safety Adherence Scale (also known as a fidelity scale). The clinician receives feedback over the phone and the clinician and/or program can receive the completed adherence scale. Our goal with this certification process is to provide clinically-useful feedback based on real samples of sessions. Once clinicians achieve strong fidelity, they can be identified as “certified.” Note too that we can train others to do fidelity monitoring, which is the lowest-cost way to do it. This involves having a designated person(s) at your location, who receive training on how to use the fidelity scale and then co-rate tapes with one of our associates to verify equivalent ratings. It is generally a quick process. Contact us to learn more about our fidelity options..