The Sanctuary Model is a method for creating a trauma-informed, trauma-sensitive culture. Culture matters. As Edgar Shein has pointed out, "Culture matters because it is a powerful, latent, and often unconscious set of forces that determine both our individual and collective behavior, ways of perceiving, thought patterns, and values. Organizational culture in particular matters because cultural elements determine strategy, goals, and modes of operating." (Schein, E. The Corporate Culture Survival Guide).

The needs of trauma survivors are complex and the numbers of people who need help so staggering that we must find cultural methods for helping people to heal that do not rely exclusively on one-to-one interventions. The Sanctuary Model is a method for creating a culture that inherently promotes healing and recovery.

If the methods for treating trauma are like the furniture in a house, Sanctuary is the house itself.

External Commitment	Internal Commitment
Tasks are defined by others	Individuals define tasks
The behavior required to perform tasks is defined by others	Individuals define the behavior required to perform tasks.
Performance goals are defined by management	Management and individuals jointly define performance goals that are challenging for the individual.
The importance of the goal is defined by others.	Individuals define the importance of the goal.

The Sanctuary Commitments: Creating an Alternative Reality

• Commitment to nonviolence

  • GOAL: Development of safety skills

• Commitment to emotional intelligence

  • GOAL: Development of emotional management skills

• Commitment to social learning

  • GOAL: Development of cognitive skills

• Commitment to democracy

  • GOAL: Development of social/political skills

• Commitment to open communication

  • GOAL: Development of trust, of flexible but firm boundaries

• Commitment to social responsibility

  • GOAL: Development of relationship skills

• Commitment to growth and change

  • GOAL: Ability to cope positively with change

	Mental Models
	Sanctuary Model of Organizational Change
	Components of the Sanctuary Model
	Social Legacy of Trauma
	Trauma Theory

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Last modified: 05/23/08