Universal · Skills
Safety Plan Worksheet
A six-step Stanley–Brown-style crisis plan
About this worksheet
The Stanley–Brown Safety Planning Intervention is the evidence-based crisis plan that replaced no-suicide contracts. A meta-analysis of safety planning shows roughly a 43% reduction in suicidal behavior compared with usual care. The structure is six stepped layers the client moves through in order during a crisis: warning signs they're heading toward an episode, internal coping strategies they can do alone, distractions and social settings that interrupt the spiral, individual people they can call (not for crisis talk — just contact), professionals and emergency contacts, and means restriction. The whole plan ends with one written reason worth living for. This worksheet is the one-page version clinicians can complete with a client in 20–30 minutes and the client can keep in a wallet, phone, or bedside drawer. Use it any time suicidal ideation, self-harm urges, or post-discharge risk is present — and revisit it whenever the risk picture changes.
When to use it
- Suicidal ideation with any level of intent, plan, or means access.
- Self-harm urges in adolescents and adults.
- Post-discharge from inpatient or partial hospitalization (the highest-risk window).
- After a crisis call or ED visit, as the bridge back to outpatient care.
- With family caregivers when a loved one is at risk — modified with their input.
How to use it
- 1Identify warning signs
Thoughts, images, mood states, situations that precede an episode. Be specific — 'when I can't sleep three nights in a row,' not 'when I feel bad.'
- 2List internal coping
Things the client can do alone to take their mind off the suicidal thoughts. Music, walking, a shower, a known YouTube playlist.
- 3Distractions and social settings
Places to go and people to be around — for contact only, not to talk about the crisis. Coffee shops, family, gym.
- 4People to call for help
Three names with numbers. Friends or family willing to be on the list. Confirm with them ahead of time.
- 5Professional and crisis contacts
Therapist, psychiatrist, 988, local crisis line, nearest ER. Write the numbers down on the plan — not just stored.
- 6Make the environment safe
Means restriction. Lock up medications, remove or store firearms with a third party, restrict access to high-lethality means during the high-risk window.
Frequently asked questions
What is a safety plan in therapy?+
A written, stepped crisis plan a person uses when suicidal thoughts intensify. The Stanley–Brown Safety Planning Intervention is the standard model — six layers from internal coping through professional contacts plus means restriction. It is NOT a no-suicide contract; those are not evidence-based.
Is the Stanley–Brown safety plan evidence-based?+
Yes. A 2018 cohort study in JAMA Psychiatry of 1,640 ED patients showed a 45% reduction in suicidal behavior in the six months following discharge for patients who received safety planning plus follow-up calls. It's the most-studied brief suicide-prevention intervention.
How is a safety plan different from a no-suicide contract?+
A no-suicide contract asks the client to promise not to attempt suicide. It has no evidence base and may increase risk by undermining honest disclosure. A safety plan instead gives the client a stepped set of actions for when ideation intensifies — focusing on what to do, not what to promise.
Should the safety plan include means restriction?+
Yes — means restriction is one of the strongest individual contributors to reduced suicide deaths. For firearms specifically, ask directly and arrange off-site storage with a trusted third party during the high-risk window. Locking medications in the home is the minimum standard.
Can clients fill out a safety plan on their own?+
The plan should be collaboratively built in session the first time. Once built, the client carries it and uses it independently — but reviewing and updating it during sessions is part of ongoing care.
Related worksheets
Worksheet — Safety Plan Worksheet — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.