About Us

 

DRE’S Safe Place was created from a very real need. A place to go when life feels heavy and words are not enough.

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In the face of unimaginable grief of losing my only son, Drequan, to an unintentional drug overdose, I sought peace by attending support groups and therapies, desperately trying to navigate my own journey of loss. One day, overwhelmed with emotions, I felt an urge so powerful that I had to release a scream from the depths of my soul. Others who understood this need suggested the woods as a sanctuary, as we had no place to release.  Little did I know, this experience would shape my path for years to come.

 

As a psychiatric nurse and New York State certified addiction recovery coach, I kept seeing the same thing in the clients I served. Teens, parents, adults. So many people holding stress, grief, anger, and exhaustion in their bodies, with nowhere safe to put it. DRE’S Safe Place was created to meet that need.

This isn’t a therapy office. It’s not clinical. It’s not a place where you have to explain yourself. It’s a space you walk into and feel, “I can just be here.”

 

DRE’S Safe Place is a non-clinical wellness center designed to complement the support you may already have. Whether you’re in therapy or not, whether you’re doing well or barely holding on, this is a place to pause, release, rest, and reconnect in your own way.

Each space inside DRE’S Safe Place was created with purpose. To help regulate emotions. To lower stress. To give your body a chance to move through what your mind can’t always make sense of. Some days that looks like movement. Some days it looks like stillness. Some days it just means having a quiet place to breathe.

 

OUR MISSION
To provide a safe, intentional, and accessible space where individuals and families can pause, release stress, and reconnect with themselves through immersive, non-clinical wellness experiences.

OUR VISION
A community where self-care is accessible, supported, and recognized as a necessary part of overall well-being and mental wellness.

These values guide how the space is designed, how experiences are facilitated, and how we partner with community organizations and agencies.

 

AFFILIATIONS & CREDENTIALS

Professionally Grounded. Community Rooted.

DRE'S Safe Place isn't just a wellness concept, it is a professionally recognized, trauma-informed, community-connected healing center.

Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS)  Connected to New York's leading statewide mental health network, ensuring our community has access to the resources and support they deserve.

Certified Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) Training Center We are an official Mental Health First Aid training center, equipping individuals, families, schools, and organizations across Central New York with the skills to recognize and respond to mental health crises.

Trauma-Informed Network & Resource Center (TINRC) Every experience at DRE'S Safe Place is rooted in trauma-informed principles, because we understand that healing is not one-size-fits-all, and your story deserves to be honored, not rushed.

NAMI Syracuse Board Member (2025)

As a Board Member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness : Syracuse Chapter, DRE's Safe Place is directly connected to one of the nation's most trusted mental health advocacy organizations.

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DRE’S Safe Place is rooted in care....

You Don't Need a Plan to Walk Through Our Doors.

You don't need a diagnosis. You don't need a goal. You don't need to explain yourself to anyone.

Life can be demanding, unpredictable, and overwhelming. Self-care here is not a luxury. It is not something cute to post online. It is an intentional reset, a real step toward wholeness, on your own terms, in your own way.

You are welcome here. Just as you are. 💛