When I was working in the book the courage to heal one of the first activities is create a safe place. The basic idea of this is finding a spot in the home where it is the one place where you can go to just be, work on the books, or any way that you need to be. This gave me an idea for what I call "the quiet area". I bought 2 six foot bookcases and arranged them in a corner so that the bookcases (one facing inside and one facing outside) and the two walls formed a room, with a walk space between the two bookcases. Inside that room I put a rocking chair, a comforter, and a pillow. On the shelves I had notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, plain white paper, color pencils, crayons, construction paper, scissors, glue, rulers pencil sharpeners, relaxation CDs and cassettes, walkman style CD and cassette players, 4 sets of headphones (one attatched to the CD player and cassette player and 2 spares for I learned the speakers always go in them at the wrong times), a lap style desk (mine was a crayola lap desk storage box bought in the crayons and markers isle of the store), workbooks and other books I always find helpful such as the courage to heal. Orr to the side but in reach of the rocking chair is what I call the mad box - a box full of newspapers, magazines and cardboard that I can cut up or rip up any way that I need to for anger or creating colloges or other projects in works. My son and I both used this room with the understanding that when one of us was in there that person was to be left alone. I still use my quiet area concept only it has recently been expanded into my sons bedroom (since I have been told he wont be home until he is 18) and now includes two full size desks and this computer, file cabinet and lock trunk.