Course Description & Objectives

Deaf sign language users in the United States experience nearly triple the rate of lifetime problem drinking and twice the rate of trauma exposure compared to the general population. Although there are several treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in hearing populations, none have been developed for or tested with Deaf clients. Behavioral health treatments available for hearing individuals often fail to meet Deaf clients’ unique cultural and language access needs.

Leveraging extensive community engagement to address these barriers, our team of Deaf and hearing researchers, clinicians, filmmakers, actors, artists, and Deaf people with AUD/PTSD developed and pilot tested Signs of Safety, a Deaf-accessible toolkit to be used with the Seeking Safety cognitive-behavioral treatment protocol. During this 75-minute presentation, we will describe our intervention development process, show examples from the Signs of Safety toolkit, and share concrete ways that audience members can learn more about the Signs of Safety treatment approach and/or become involved in ongoing clinical research.

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the distinction between the Seeking Safety therapy approach and the Signs of Safety Deaf-accessible therapy toolkit.
• Identify the basic structure of a Seeking Safety therapy session and how to use the Signs of Safety toolkit within this format.
• Know where and how to access resources about Seeking Safety and Signs of Safety, including opportunities to support ongoing clinical trials research.