SAFE AND SOUND PROTOCOL (SSP)
What Does an SSP Session Look Like?
SSP is an individualized, collaborative process. We don't ask clients to push through discomfort or complete listening faster than their nervous system can comfortably tolerate.
1. Assessment & Preparation
We begin by exploring your history, treatment goals, sensory needs, and current stress responses. Together, we determine whether SSP is an appropriate fit and establish strategies to support comfort and regulation.
2. Guided Listening
You'll listen to specially filtered music through headphones in a calm, supportive environment. Depending on your needs, listening may be paired with quiet activities, gentle movement, drawing, or therapeutic play.
3. Individualized Pacing
Listening time is adjusted based on your responses. We monitor for signs of discomfort or increased activation and may shorten sessions, take breaks, or slow the process when needed.
4. Integration & Support
Throughout the process, we explore changes you notice in your emotional, physical, and relational experiences. We also identify ways to incorporate regulation strategies into everyday life.
How Long Does SSP Take?
The core SSP listening program contains approximately five hours of specially filtered music, but treatment involves more than simply completing the listening.
The music is divided into manageable sessions based on each person's needs, tolerance, and nervous system responses.
Some clients complete the program over several weeks, while others benefit from a slower approach over multiple months. Preparation, integration, and ongoing therapeutic support may also be part of the process.
There is no expectation to complete the program as quickly as possible. The pace is determined by your needs, not the length of the music.
How Does SSP Fit Into Therapy?
SSP can be incorporated into an existing treatment plan or used alongside other therapeutic approaches.
At Safe Haven Counseling, we may integrate SSP with:
Play Therapy: Supporting emotional regulation and connection through developmentally appropriate activities.
Attachment-Based Therapy: Strengthening relational safety, trust, and connection.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): Supporting regulation as part of a broader trauma-focused treatment plan.
Family Systems Therapy: Helping individuals and families understand how stress responses affect relationships and communication.
Parent Coaching: Helping caregivers recognize their child's nervous system needs and respond with greater understanding and connection.
For some clients, SSP may be introduced before more emotionally demanding therapeutic work. For others, it may be integrated throughout treatment.
SSP is not intended to replace psychotherapy. Instead, it offers an additional, body-oriented intervention that may complement the emotional and relational work happening in therapy.
Supporting nervous system regulation, emotional safety, and connection.
At Safe Haven Counseling, we offer the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), a gentle, non-invasive, listening-based intervention designed to support nervous system regulation. Whether you're navigating the overwhelming emotions of grief and loss, processing trauma, or struggling with anxiety and chronic stress, SSP offers a different way to support your body's response to difficult experiences.
Using specially filtered music, SSP is designed to help the nervous system respond more flexibly to stress and cues of safety. By addressing the connection between our bodies, emotions, and relationships, SSP may help individuals feel more grounded, emotionally regulated, and connected to themselves and others.
We recognize that healing isn't always about talking through difficult experiences. Sometimes, supporting the body's ability to feel safe is an important part of the process. SSP can be particularly valuable to explore when stress, grief, or trauma leaves you feeling constantly on edge, overwhelmed, or disconnected.
At Safe Haven Counseling, we provide a calm, supportive environment where children, teens, and adults can experience SSP at their own pace. Whether you're grieving the loss of someone you love, navigating unresolved trauma, or looking for additional support with emotional regulation, our goal is to help you build greater stability, connection, and well-being.
How Does SSP Work?
Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges and informed by Polyvagal Theory, SSP uses specially filtered music delivered through headphones to engage the auditory system and support nervous system regulation.
The listening experience is designed to exercise the auditory system's sensitivity to frequencies associated with human speech, supporting the processes involved in responding to stress and social interaction.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, SSP doesn't require you to discuss difficult memories or revisit traumatic experiences. Instead, it offers a way to work with the body's responses to stress alongside other therapeutic approaches.
Who Might Benefit from SSP?
SSP may be helpful for children, teens, and adults experiencing:
Grief and loss: Supporting regulation when loss leaves you feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or emotionally exhausted.
Trauma and PTSD: Addressing heightened stress responses, hypervigilance, and difficulty feeling safe.
Anxiety and chronic stress: Supporting the body's ability to settle and recover from stressful experiences.
Emotional dysregulation: Helping individuals who struggle with intense emotions, frustration tolerance, or feeling easily overwhelmed.
Sensory sensitivities: Supporting individuals who experience auditory or environmental overwhelm.
Difficulty with connection: Exploring nervous system responses that may contribute to withdrawal, social discomfort, or difficulty feeling connected to others.
Neurodivergence: SSP may be incorporated into treatment for some individuals with ADHD or autism when clinically appropriate.
SSP is not a cure for these conditions, and individual responses vary. Research into its effectiveness for specific concerns is still developing.
SSP for Children & Teens
Children don't always have the words to explain what they're experiencing. Sometimes stress appears as meltdowns, withdrawal, difficulty with transitions, sensory overwhelm, or behaviors that seem disproportionate to the situation.
SSP provides a listening-based intervention that can be incorporated into developmentally appropriate therapy.
For younger children, listening sessions may include play, drawing, movement, or other calming activities. For adolescents, SSP may be integrated into therapy focused on anxiety, emotional regulation, trauma, or relational challenges.
We also work with parents and caregivers to help them understand their child's nervous system, recognize signs of dysregulation, and develop strategies that support regulation outside the therapy room.
Our goal isn't simply to reduce challenging behaviors. It's to help children feel safer, more connected, and better equipped to navigate everyday experiences.
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During your first session, you will be welcomed into a calm and comfortable environment where you can feel at ease. You’ll start by having a conversation with your therapist about your goals and any specific challenges you are facing. This helps us tailor the experience to your individual needs.
Next, you will listen to specially filtered music through headphones. The music is designed to engage your auditory system and stimulate the nerves involved in social engagement and emotional regulation. It’s important to note that this isn’t just about listening; it’s about creating a safe space for your nervous system to respond and recalibrate.
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This is different for each client and depends on multiple factors. The length of treatment can range from 10 days to multiple months. You and your provider will discuss what your specific timeline might look like.
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SSP and talk therapy can happen simultaneously. Typically, an SSP session starts and ends with a check-in, allowing you to discuss your feelings and experiences before and after the music. This helps create a supportive environment for your healing journey.
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The cost for SSP is $1500, and it is broken up into 6 session charges of $250.