Depression · Safety

How to Create a Safety Plan

The six Stanley-Brown steps, in order

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A safety plan is a written, prioritised list of coping steps a person works through when suicidal thoughts intensify — created collaboratively with a clinician, in the client's own words, before the next crisis. This page walks the six steps of the Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention in the order they are meant to be completed, with space to draft each one.

Warning signs

The thoughts, images, moods, situations and behaviours that come before the crisis. Ask what happened in the hours before the last episode, not in general.

Internal coping strategies

What the client can do alone, without contacting anyone: cold water, a walk, a specific playlist, a shower, one paced-breathing round. Test each one for 'could you actually do this at 2am?'

People and settings that distract

Social contact for distraction, not disclosure — a coffee shop, a sibling's kitchen, a gym. Nobody has to be told anything for this step to work.

People to ask for help

Those the client would actually tell. Initials only on paper; the numbers live in their phone.

Professionals and crisis services

Therapist, prescriber, out-of-hours line, 988 or local equivalent, nearest ED. Written down before it is needed, because nobody looks anything up mid-crisis.

Making the environment safer

One specific, agreed reduction in access to means — who holds it, where it goes, for how long. This is the step with the strongest evidence behind it and the one most often skipped.

Order matters

The steps run from what the client can do entirely alone to what requires other people. Working down the list rather than jumping to step 5 is what builds the sense that a crisis is survivable without rescue — and it is the reason a plan handed over as a finished form does not work.

Step 1 — my warning signs, in the order they show up

Thoughts / images

Mood and body changes

What I start or stop doing

Step 2 — what I can do on my own

How doable these are at my worst (0-10)

none

most

Step 3 — where I can go, who I can be around

Places (no addresses)

People, by initials or role

Step 4 — who I would tell

Initials or role only — numbers stay in my phone

Step 5 — professional and crisis support

Therapist / prescriber (role only)

Crisis line

Nearest emergency department

Step 6 — making my environment safer

What is being moved or secured

Who is holding it, and until when

One reason worth staying for

Small and true beats large and abstract

Before the session ends

The client read the whole plan back out loud
The client rated how likely they are to use it (and we problem-solved anything under 7/10)
A photo of the plan is on the client's phone
Step 6 has a named holder and a timeframe, not an intention
A review date is set

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About this worksheet

A safety plan is a written, prioritised list of coping steps a person works through when suicidal thoughts intensify, created collaboratively with a clinician in the client's own words before the next crisis. This worksheet walks the six steps of the Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention (Stanley & Brown, 2012) in the order they are meant to be completed, with drafting space for each: warning signs in the order they appear; internal coping strategies the client can use alone; people and settings that provide distraction; the people the client would actually tell; professionals and crisis services written down in advance; and one specific reduction in access to means, with a named holder and a timeframe. It closes with one reason worth staying for and a before-the-session-ends checklist — plan read back out loud, likelihood of use rated and problem-solved, photographed on the client's phone, review date set. Support people are recorded by initials or role only and no phone numbers appear on the page.

When to use it

The first safety planning conversation with a client — the sheet is a script as much as a form.
Discharge planning from inpatient or emergency care, where the first weeks carry the highest risk.
Training, supervision and induction — clinicians new to safety planning often skip step six.
Refresher after a crisis has passed, when warning signs and reliable coping moves have changed.
Not a risk assessment and not a substitute for treating the underlying condition.

How to use it

1
Start from the last crisis, not from generalities
Ask what happened in the hours before it, in what order. Early-recognisable warning signs beat a complete list.
2
Build step two from something that already worked
Test every entry against one question: could you actually do this at two in the morning?
3
Keep step three about distraction, not disclosure
A coffee shop or a sibling's kitchen where nobody has to be told anything. Clients who resist step four will often complete step three fully.
4
Make means restriction specific
What is being moved or secured, who is holding it, until when. This step has the strongest evidence and is the one most often left as an intention.
5
Read it back and photograph it
Have the client read the whole plan out loud, rate how likely they are to use it, and put a photo on their phone before they leave.

Frequently asked questions

How do you create a safety plan?+

Work the six Stanley-Brown steps in order, from what the client can do entirely alone to what requires other people, using the client's own language. Draft it together in session, finish with a specific means-restriction agreement, and have the client read it back and photograph it before they leave.

How long does it take?+

Twenty to thirty minutes for a first plan done properly. Shorter than that usually means step six was skipped.

Should the client complete it alone as homework?+

No. The collaboration is the intervention. A form filled in alone is paperwork.

Does it need updating?+

After any crisis, and at least quarterly. Warning signs and reliable coping moves drift.

Is this worksheet free?+

Yes. Free printable PDF. Sign in to send as a secure client link.