Therapies · Seeking Safety · Phoenixville · Philadelphia · Avondale
Seeking Safety groups run in our PHP and IOP at Phoenixville, Center City Philadelphia and Avondale, and in virtual IOP across Pennsylvania.
It treats trauma and substance use at the same time, in the present, without asking you to tell the story of what happened before you are ready.
Seeking Safety is a present-focused, evidence-based model designed for people living with PTSD and substance use at the same time. Its first principle is safety: in your relationships, your thinking, your body and your behavior.[1]
Every session teaches one coping topic — asking for help, setting boundaries, compassion, grounding, honesty, healing from anger — and connects it to both the trauma and the using.
Crucially, there is no requirement to describe traumatic events. That makes it a safe entry point for people who are too early in recovery for reprocessing work like EMDR.
For many clients the sequence is Seeking Safety first, then EMDR once stability holds. Both are available here, so you do not have to change providers between them.
Clinically reviewed by Andrea Kiotis, MA, LPC, CAADC — Clinical Director.
Last updated:
Group topics rotate so you can join at any point in the cycle, and your individual therapist follows up on the same topics twice a week.
Concrete steps that reduce danger now — housing, relationships, self-harm urges, using — before anything else is asked of you.
Structured techniques to bring you out of a flashback or dissociation in the moment, practiced in group until they are automatic.
Compassion, honesty, setting boundaries, taking back your power, healing from anger — each tied to both PTSD and substance use.
The work is about what you will do this week, not a retelling of the past. No graphic detail is required or requested.
Because topics stand alone, new clients can start immediately instead of waiting for the next cycle.
When you are stable and want to go further, EMDR with a trauma-trained clinician is available in the same program.
Want to know if Seeking Safety is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342Choose the right schedule
Start with the support you need now, then step down as recovery becomes more stable.
About 6 hours a day · 5 days a week
Our most structured outpatient level of care, with a full clinical day at our Phoenixville, Philadelphia or Avondale office while you continue living at home.
Explore our PHP program →9–15 hours a week · Day or evening
A flexible in-person schedule for people who need substantial addiction treatment while balancing work, school, family or a step down from PHP.
Explore our IOP program →Secure online care · Statewide access
Clinically appropriate Pennsylvania residents can join structured groups and therapy from home without traveling to one of our three offices.
Explore our statewide virtual IOP →This is the model we reach for when trauma is clearly driving the substance use but reprocessing would be too much, too soon.
Seeking Safety is one of the most studied treatments for co-occurring PTSD and substance use disorder, and SAMHSA guidance supports integrated treatment of both conditions rather than treating them in sequence.[1][2]
Sequential treatment — get sober first, deal with trauma later — is what fails most often, because the trauma symptoms are exactly what pull people back to using.[2]
In our small groups of five to seven people, the safety and boundary topics are not abstract; they get applied to this week's actual situations.
Seeking Safety runs alongside CBT, DBT skills, psychiatry and EMDR here, so your care plan can shift as your stability changes.
Want to know if Seeking Safety is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342We track every client from admission to discharge with the BARC-10 recovery capital scale and the PHQ-9 / GAD-7 mental health screens. These are our own program results.
53%
of clients complete our PHP and IOP programs — vs. a national average near 26% for similar outpatient programs.
+9
point average gain on the BARC-10 recovery capital scale from admission to discharge.
-5.95
point average drop in combined PHQ-9 / GAD-7 anxiety and depression scores during treatment.
2215 Kimberton Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460
Serving Phoenixville, Kimberton, Royersford, Collegeville, Spring City, Pottstown, King of Prussia, Norristown, Malvern, Exton, Downingtown and West Chester.
Learn about our Phoenixville office →1026 Winter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Serving Center City, Chinatown, Washington Square West, Rittenhouse, South Philadelphia, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, University City and the Main Line.
Learn about our Philadelphia office →1284 Gap Newport Pike, Avondale, PA 19311
Serving Avondale, Kennett Square, West Grove, Oxford, Landenberg, Coatesville and the Route 41 corridor of southern Chester County.
Learn about our Avondale office →In person at Phoenixville, Center City Philadelphia and Avondale, and by virtual IOP for clinically appropriate clients anywhere in Pennsylvania.
Seeking Safety is one part of a treatment plan built around you. These are the other approaches your therapist may combine with it.
The backbone of our groups and individual sessions — mapping triggers, thoughts and behavior.
Learn more about CBT — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy →Distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal skills for high-intensity emotions.
Learn more about DBT — Dialectical Behavior Therapy →Trauma reprocessing for the memories driving cravings, panic and nightmares.
Learn more about EMDR Therapy →Brain-based training for focus, sleep and nervous-system regulation in early recovery.
Learn more about Neurofeedback →Two one-on-one sessions a week with your own therapist — not one a month.
Learn more about Individual Therapy →Small process groups of five to seven people, so you actually get time to talk.
Learn more about Group Therapy →Insurance accepted
Don't see your plan? Call (610) 233-4342 — we'll check your benefits.
Need detox or inpatient first?
If you need medical detox or a residential stay before outpatient care, call us — we'll help coordinate placement with trusted partners and plan your step-down into our PHP or IOP when you're ready.
No. Seeking Safety is present-focused by design. You are never required to describe traumatic events, in group or individually.
EMDR reprocesses specific memories. Seeking Safety builds coping skills and stability in the present. Many clients do Seeking Safety first and EMDR later.
No. Trauma symptoms without a formal diagnosis are common, and the coping topics help regardless.
Yes. Each session stands on its own, so you can begin as soon as you are admitted.
It is delivered inside our PHP and IOP levels of care, which most major insurance plans cover. Call (610) 233-4342 to verify your benefits.
Want to know if Seeking Safety is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342Citations link to the original government and research sources. This page is educational and is not medical advice.
Confidential assessment, trauma-informed clinicians, and groups you can join this week. Our phones are answered 24/7.