Forthcoming book, Psychological Safety in Practice, reveals how to create the conditions for individual and team development.

Psychological safety is built in the everyday work of a team: how a new person is welcomed, how feedback is given, how disagreement is handled, and how mistakes are discussed. Amongst increasing pressure and workloads, emerging technologies, and global uncertainty, these moments have never been more important. Team leaders have a crucial opportunity to embed practical, supportive, and humanistic ways to help people thrive.

This is the call-to-action of Psychological Safety in Practice: An evidence-based guide for HR Professionals (Kogan Page), the new book by international consultant and pioneer of person-centred approaches in health, social care and education, Helen Sanderson MBE. The founder of Helen Sanderson Associates and creator of Wellbeing Teams - self-managing teams in home-care services - Sanderson is globally recognised for building cultures that combine kindness and high performance.

Much of the writing on psychological safety treats it as something leaders create through their behaviour. Sanderson’s book takes a different view. It sets out fifteen practices that a whole team owns and uses together, so the conditions for speaking up are built into how a team meets, decides and reviews its work. Team leaders shape the conversations where psychological safety is formed and HR leaders shape the systems around them. Because the practices are shared, any member of a team can begin them and they continue working when a leader changes.

While psychological safety is commonly discussed, it is not always understood or translated into consistent daily practice. Central to her approach are the Five Foundations for psychological safety, and each one asks a question anybody would recognise: Mattering, 'do I matter here?'; Clarity, 'do I understand what is expected of me and how I contribute to decisions?'; Voice, 'can I speak up and will it be taken seriously?'; Connection, 'do we know what is expected in how we behave together?'; Learning, 'do we use experience to improve how we work?'

Fifteen practices answer those questions. Workplace relationships are fundamental, with Sanderson reminding readers that psychological safety is not only strengthened - or undermined - by processes, the everyday interactions between colleagues, and the shared routines of team life, especially day-to-day meetings. To embed these practices as daily habits, Sanderson summarises rigorous research, real-world examples, and reflective exercises for readers to explore with their own teams. Amongst the resources are one-page profiles, which set out what people appreciate about somebody, what matters to them and how best to support them.

For team leaders, HR and OD professionals, and managers in health and social care, Psychological Safety in Practice provides an immediately actionable process to consistently model psychological safety and build the conditions and systems needed to support individual and team development. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all or tick-box exercise; it is about recognising and reflecting the different strengths and working styles of individuals to create a culture where people feel safe to contribute, learn and grow. When psychological safety is a continuous thread built into everyday work, it becomes lived experience, not an aspiration.

Psychological Safety in Practice: An evidence-based guide for HR Professionals (Kogan Page), written by Helen Sanderson MBE, is available to buy from 3rd October on Amazon and in all good bookshops.

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About the author:

Helen Sanderson is an international consultant, author and founder of Helen Sanderson Associates, known for pioneering person-centred approaches in health, social care and education. Helen created Wellbeing Teams, an innovative model of self-managed home-care services inspired by the Dutch Buurtzorg approach. Helen is the author or co-author of more than twenty books and guides on person-centred practice and leadership. She has written guidance for the Department of Health and the Department of Education. She received an MBE in 2020 for services to Adult Social Care. Her work continues to focus on helping people-centred teams bring kindness and high performance together, turning the principles of psychological safety into everyday practices that help people thrive at work.

About the book:

Launch date: 3rd October 2026 (UK)

ISBN: 9781398629400Price: £32.99

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“Every person has a voice worth hearing, one that can improve a team, solve a problem, or spark a breakthrough. Whether they share it depends on the environment around them. Psychological Safety in Practice is an evidence-based, practical guide to creating that environment. Every leader should read and re-read this book.” Zach Mercurio, Ph.D., Author of The Power of Mattering and The Invisible Leader