Long Bay Correctional Centre inmates take part in Australia-first trauma therapy program, Seeking Safety

For a long time, NSW prisoner “Pete” hated himself. Now, thanks to a first of its kind program he likens to a jigsaw, he realises there’s a reason he used to be “a piece of shit”.

Inmates in a recreational area inside Long Bay Correctional Centre. Picture: Jane Dempster

A small group of men in green tracksuits sit in a semicircle, taking turns to eagerly discuss their feelings, “triggers” and “safe people”.

It is a striking scene, not least because the men are inmates at Sydney’s Long Bay Correctional Centre.

The group is voluntarily taking part in the pilot of a new program called “Seeking Safety”, which is the first of its kind in Australian prisons.

Based on the link between post-traumatic stress disorder and offending, the ultimate aim of the 12-session program is for inmates to unlearn the trauma-informed behaviours that led to their incarcerations and instead adopt constructive coping mechanisms.

Participants learn about boundaries, the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, green and red flags, having compassion for themselves and how to ask for help.

Therapy notes at Long Bay Jail. Picture: Jane Dempster

This masthead was invited to observe a debrief session at the Sydney jail, where participants reflected on the program and whether it had helped them.

The results were telling.

Participants from Seeking Safety share how the program helped them. Picture: Jane Dempster

“If I knew then what I know now, then I wouldn’t be here,” participant Pete — not his real name — told The Saturday Telegraph.

“It’s put a lot of things into light, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

“For a long time, I hated myself and I couldn’t forgive myself.

“I’m learning to have compassion for myself.

Long Bay Jail working therapy notes related to the new Seeking Safety program. Picture: Jane Dempster

“Like, there’s a reason why you were a piece of shit. You weren’t just born a monster.”

Asked whether he thought the program should be made permanent, Pete said: “Definitely.”

“The young ones need it,” he said.

“There are good kids in here who have been dealt bad cards. They deserve a chance to do better.”

Inmates in a recreational area inside Long Bay Correctional Centre. Picture: Jane Dempster

Pete said he had already observed fundamental growth in a fellow participant, describing a younger inmate recently released on parole.

“You could just tell in his face, how he was acting, what he was saying, that something changed,” Pete said.

“He’s out now, and I don’t think he’s ever coming back.”

Speaking to the group, one man said he had learned about things he “didn’t know were intertwined”, a revelation which made him “want to stay clean” and “just try a bit”.

He spoke about the power in vulnerability and being open.

“It’s OK to feel things”, he told the room.

“I realise it’s OK to hurt sometimes. You have to learn to let that feeling in, instead of just going and getting off your face.

“This is what being a man is all about, sitting down and talking about it.

“I realise now it’s OK to cry. It’s OK to feel. You’re actually less of a man if you don’t reach out and you keep it all inside.

“You need to be open and honest about your triggers so everybody’s on the same page.”

Correctional officers walk through a Long Bay Jail accommodation wing. Picture: Jane Dempster

Another man stressed the power of setting boundaries.

“I didn’t know what those were before,” he said

“I used to just say ‘yes’ to everyone because I was scared they’d leave me, but then they walked all over me and so I’d just blow up over the littlest things.”

A third inmate reflected on the importance of “reaching out” and having “anchors” to guide people through times of emotional turmoil.

“If you don’t have anchors, you’ll sink,” he said.

According to program team leader Fotini Pikos, many participants didn’t know they had post-traumatic disorder, nor did they understand how the trauma experienced in their earlier life was connected to their offending.

“It was light bulb moment after light bulb moment, like: ‘This is what happened to me, this is why I was using substances and doing what I was doing instead of trying to work through my trauma’.

“Just the education around trauma and how it can be linked to substance abuse was something they’d never considered.

“This was a program about validating their experiences and how it’s affected them, and providing them with the tools to work through it.”

Inmates inside a recreational area of Long Bay Correctional Centre. Picture: Jane Dempster

Ms Pikios also said the group setting had resulted in inmates encouraging one another to open up, and it was validating for them to hear others’ experiences.

“The more comfortable they became with each other, the more open they were with their feelings,” she said.

“The older ones would help the younger ones.

“This was something we saw a lot, just telling them: ‘You can do this buddy. Keep going. It’ll get better. Don’t listen to those unhelpful voices.’

“They were reflecting on their own experiences from when they were 20 years younger, and it’s like ‘don’t go down that road’.

“They get really passionate about helping that person not go down that path.”