​The key to therapeutic and relational security is recognizing is that the relationships between staff, physicians and patients are vital to developing a safe environment. Staff and physicians who have a thorough understanding of patients, past traumas, their triggers, how they relate to others, and more will often be able to stop violent incidents before they happen.

"An example of therapeutic and relational could be a patient asking for something and the staff member says no. The staff member may have a really good reason for saying no; it may be something that's creating a risk," says Connie Coniglio, our chief operating officer of complex mental health and substance use.

"It's about how they say no and how they manage that interaction with the patient. Perhaps there's an offering of something different or an opportunity to be distracted and given an activity or a conversation that's de-escalating."

Take a look at this video to find out more from our experts:

BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services leaders plan to adopt the approach in other programs as well. Based on a curriculum suite called See Think Act , it has been used to great success in the U.K., which has 55 forensic hospitals.

To learn more about therapeutic and relational security, visit our website .