This article features the Sanctuary Model[R], a trauma-informed method for creating or changing an organizational culture. Although the model is based on trauma theory, its tenets have application in working with children and adults across a wide diagnostic spectrum. Originally developed in a short-term, acute inpatient psychiatric setting for adults who were traumatized as children, the Sanctuary Model is an evidence-supported template for system change based on the active creation and maintenance of a nonviolent, democratic therapeutic community in which staff and clients are empowered as key decision-makers to build a socially responsive, emotionally intelligent community that fosters growth and change. The therapeutic community addresses the needs of traumatized youth through a psychoeducational model called S.E.L.F. which deals with the challenges of Safety, Emotional management, Loss, and Future. The Sanctuary Model has been effective with children and adults across a range of human service organizations, including residential treatment centers, public and private schools, domestic violence shelters, and drug and alcohol treatment centers. (Contains 1 footnote.)