SAAM Is Every Day: Building Trauma-Informed Sets That Actually Feel Safe

Jimanekia

April 2, 2025

SAAM Is Every Day: Building Trauma-Informed Sets That Actually Feel Safe

Every 98 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted.

That’s not a shock statistic—it’s a reality. One that hits a little too close for too many people.

And still, a lot of folks never say a word. Not to a friend. Not to a partner. Not to a cop. Some don’t even fully say it to themselves. And we need to talk about what that silence means, especially this month.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). At CINTIMA, this isn’t just something we nod to—it’s part of our everyday practice. As an Intimacy Coordinator training organization, we’re here to build a safety-centered culture—on screen, behind the scenes, and within ourselves.

Trauma-Informed Is Not Just a Buzzword—It’s Our Backbone

Let’s star here: Intimacy Coordinators are not therapists. That’s not our lane.
But what is our responsibility? Creating containers of care, being prepared for the “what ifs," knowing how to recognize when something shifts, and responding without causing more harm.

That’s precisely why Module II in our training program exists.
This module isn’t just about external skills. It’s about internal growth. It pushes our trainees to look at themselves and expand their capacity to hold space for others.

One core section of this module is dedicated to trauma—to ensure they’re ready for the moments that require tenderness, awareness, and presence.

Because those moments happen. And if you're not prepared for them, you may cause more harm without even realizing it.

From Ally to Accomplice: Showing Up With Intention

We don’t train people to perform allyship. We support them in practicing accompliceship—real, consistent, messy, intentional presence.

Using the Ally to Accomplice model (you can download a worksheet HERE), we break it down into four levels of awareness:

Individual: What’s going on in you? What biases are you carrying?
Relational: How are you building trust? Are you centering yourself or others?
Community: What kind of culture are you helping to shape?
Societal: Are you challenging the more significant systems that uphold harm?

And to be clear—this work is ongoing. It can be uncomfortable, but it’s necessary.

As the worksheet says:

“Listen and believe.”
“Echo that it’s not their fault.”
“Respect boundaries.”

It’s simple—but if you do it with consistency and care, it changes lives.

This Is Not a Performance—It’s a Practice

Let me be extra clear on this:

It is not the job of an IC to pry information out of someone.
It’s not your place to go digging. And it’s not okay to treat someone like they’re fragile the moment they share something vulnerable.

When someone chooses to share with you, it means they trust you. That’s not permission to shift into “fixer” mode. That’s not a cue to make it about you.

Your job is to hold the space, stay present, and meet them where they are.

Sometimes, that means silence. Sometimes, it means checking in. But it always means listening with intention and never centering your comfort over someone else’s safety.

At CINTIMA, our trainees don’t just learn how to coordinate—they learn how to care. You can’t create safe scenes if you don’t know how to be a safe person.