A safe place will usually offer some privacy. It might mean freedom from interruption, or somewhere that is familiar and reassuring. It may mean waiting for the person’s supporters to join them, either to listen or to be participants in the conversation, giving the person a sense of security; or it may mean beginning sooner, so they can seize a chance to talk without the pressure of extra people in the room.

The power of that invitation was to give Irene a sense of control. That simple change enabled her to choose when to talk, and she also decided what to do to cheer herself up at the end of the conversation.