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What is a safety plan?

A safety plan is a short written plan, completed by a client with their clinician, listing what to do when suicidal thoughts escalate: the warning signs they recognise, the first thing they will try alone, who to contact, which professional or crisis line to call (988 in the US, or text 741741), one thing to remove or lock away, and one concrete reason to stay. It is filled in during the session in the client's own words, and it is kept where the client can reach it in a crisis — phone, wallet, fridge. Plans written collaboratively are associated with roughly half as much suicidal behaviour over the following six months as usual care.

Source — Stanley & Brown Safety Planning Intervention (2012); Stanley et al. (2018), JAMA Psychiatry

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Universal · Safety

Suicide Safety Plan Template

One-page printable template for pocket or phone

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A one-page suicide safety plan template. Built for the client to keep on their phone or wallet. Completed in session so the words are theirs, not a script.

Warning signs I know now — what tells me a crisis is starting
What I will do first, alone — cold water, walk, music, breathing
Who I will contact if step 1 isn't enough (initials, no numbers on printed page)
Professional support — therapist and crisis line I trust
One thing I will remove or lock up so I stay safer
One reason to stay — written in my own words

If in immediate danger: 988 (US) · 111 press 2 (UK) · local emergency services.

References & further reading

Conceptual background and further reading, not validation of this handout. Named instruments and methods belong to their original authors; custom prompts and trackers are not validated versions of those instruments.

© 2026 TherapistAssist · For clinical use · Not a substitute for assessment
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About this worksheet

A one-page suicide safety plan template built for the client to keep on their phone or in a wallet. Not a substitute for the full Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention — this is its pocket version, using the same evidence-based structure in a tighter form. Sections: the warning signs the client knows now; the first thing they will do alone (cold water on the face, walk, music, slow breathing); the person to contact if the first step isn't enough (initials only on the printed page — numbers stay off paper); professional support (therapist, crisis line); one item they will remove or lock up so they stay safer; and one reason to stay written in their own words. The template is meant to be completed in session, with the client's own words, not a script.

When to use it

  • Any suicide risk conversation.
  • ED discharge planning where a full SPI form isn't available.
  • Refresher after a crisis has passed.
  • For clients who prefer a shorter format than the full six-step SPI.

How to use it

  1. 1
    Complete with a therapist

    A client filling this out alone in crisis is not the intervention — collaboration is.

  2. 2
    Client's own words

    The template's power is in the specificity of the client's language, not the template itself.

  3. 3
    No phone numbers on the printed page

    If the sheet is lost, initials protect the contact. Numbers live on the client's phone.

  4. 4
    One reason to stay — real, not aspirational

    'My dog' beats 'I have so much to live for'. Small and true carries more weight in a crisis than large and abstract.

Frequently asked questions

Is one page enough?+

For pocket reference, yes. For the full clinical safety plan, use the Stanley-Brown format.

How often should this be updated?+

After any crisis, and at least quarterly. Reasons to stay and reliable coping moves drift.

Is this worksheet free?+

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

Worksheet — Suicide Safety Plan Template — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.