Universal · Safety

Stanley-Brown Safety Plan Worksheet

The 6-step evidence-based suicide safety plan, in printable form

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The Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention is the most-tested brief suicide-prevention tool in the literature. Six steps, done with a therapist while the client is calm. Read step 1 first when the crisis begins; move down only as needed.

1 · Warning signs (thoughts, images, moods, situations)

2 · Internal coping strategies — things I can do alone

3 · People and places that provide distraction

4 · People I can ask for help (initials only)

5 · Professionals and agencies

Therapist · crisis line (988 in US) · nearest ED

6 · Making the environment safer (means restriction)

What is removed, locked, or given to someone else

Means restriction is the single best-supported suicide-prevention step. It is not overkill — it is care.

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About this worksheet

The Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention is the most-tested brief suicide-prevention protocol in the literature. It has six steps, completed with a therapist while the client is calm and used when the client is not. Step 1: warning signs — the thoughts, images, moods, and situations that mean a crisis is starting. Step 2: internal coping strategies the client can do alone. Step 3: people and settings that provide distraction. Step 4: people to ask for help (initials only on the printed page). Step 5: professional and agency supports, including the 988 US crisis line. Step 6: making the environment safer through means restriction — removing, locking, or handing off access to lethal means. Read step 1 first when a crisis begins and move down only as needed. Means restriction is the single best-supported step: removing access to lethal means saves lives, and every safety plan should include it.

When to use it

Any clinical safety planning conversation.
ED and inpatient discharge planning.
Outpatient work with clients reporting suicidal ideation.
As pocket reference for the client — kept on the phone or wallet.
Reviewed and updated at least quarterly, and after any crisis.

How to use it

1
Complete with a therapist, not alone
The evidence base is for collaborative completion. A client filling this out alone in crisis is not the intervention.
2
The client's own words, not clinical language
'When I feel the buzz behind my eyes' beats 'when I experience prodromal dysphoria' every time.
3
Means restriction is not optional
Step 6 is where lives are saved. Removing, locking, or handing off lethal means is not overreach — it is the intervention.
4
Update after every crisis, not only at intake
The plan that worked last time may not work next time. Safety planning is iterative.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from a no-suicide contract?+

Safety planning has evidence; no-suicide contracts do not. The Stanley-Brown SPI is a stepped coping plan, not a promise not to die.

Can this be used with adolescents?+

Yes — adapted for developmental level, and completed with the caregiver aware of and supporting step 6 (means restriction).

Is this worksheet free?+

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

Related interactive tool

Interactive tool

Interactive Stanley-Brown Safety Plan builder

Complete the 6-step Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention with a client in-session. Auto-formats, saves, and generates a shareable link the client can keep on their phone.

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