A safety plan is a written, step-by-step list of coping strategies and support contacts that a person can turn to during a suicidal crisis. It works like an emergency action plan: created in advance when thinking is clear, so it’s ready to guide you through moments when distress makes it hard to think of options on your own. The standard model includes six steps, moving from personal coping techniques all the way up to calling a crisis professional.
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that safety planning was associated with 45% fewer suicidal behaviors over a six-month follow-up period compared to usual care, roughly halving the odds of a suicide attempt. That makes it one of the more effective brief interventions in mental health crisis care.
The Six Steps of a Safety Plan
The most widely used format follows a model developed by psychologists Barbara Stanley and Gregory Brown. It’s designed as a prioritized list, meaning you start at step one and work your way through only as needed. Each step escalates the level of support.
- Step 1: Recognize your warning signs. These are the specific thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that signal a crisis is building. They’re personal to you. For one person it might be withdrawing from friends; for another it might be a recurring thought like “no one would care.” Identifying these early gives you a head start.
- Step 2: Use internal coping strategies. These are things you can do on your own, without contacting anyone, to take your mind off distress. Examples include physical activity, a relaxation technique, listening to music, or going for a walk. The goal is distraction and self-regulation.
- Step 3: Reach out to social contacts or settings for distraction. This step involves people or places that can shift your focus. You’re not necessarily telling them you’re in crisis. You might call a friend to talk about something unrelated, visit a coffee shop, or go to a gym. The point is breaking isolation.
- Step 4: Contact someone you trust for direct support. This is where you reach out to family members or close friends who know about your situation and can help you through it. The plan includes their names and phone numbers so you don’t have to search for them in a difficult moment.
- Step 5: Contact a mental health professional or crisis line. If the earlier steps haven’t eased the crisis, this step lists your therapist, psychiatrist, or a crisis service like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988).
- Step 6: Make your environment safer. This involves reducing access to anything that could be used for self-harm, particularly firearms and medications. The principle is creating time and distance between a moment of crisis and access to lethal means.
Why It Works During a Crisis
When someone is in acute emotional distress, the ability to problem-solve and think flexibly drops sharply. A safety plan compensates for that. Because it was created during a calmer moment, it provides concrete, pre-decided actions rather than asking someone to generate solutions when they’re least able to. It’s a cognitive shortcut through the worst moments.
The prioritized structure also matters. Starting with internal strategies means you’re not immediately jumping to calling 911 or going to an emergency room. Many crises can be managed earlier in the sequence, which gives a sense of agency. But if those steps aren’t enough, the plan naturally escalates toward professional help.
Making Your Environment Safer
Step six often gets the least attention, but it may be the most consequential. Lethal means safety is the practice of voluntarily limiting access to the most dangerous items during periods of risk. Most suicidal crises are temporary, often lasting minutes to hours, so creating physical barriers during that window can be lifesaving.
For firearms, this might mean storing them with a trusted person, using a gun safe with the combination held by someone else, or using a cable lock. For medications, it could mean having someone else hold onto surplus prescriptions or keeping only a few days’ supply accessible. The VA recommends these steps for anyone at elevated risk, and the approach extends to other means like securing access to high places or removing stockpiled substances from the home.
Safety Plans for Young People
The standard six-step model can be adapted for children and teenagers. Clinicians at the University of Pittsburgh’s STAR Center compare safety plans to fire drills: if the alarm (a warning sign) goes off, you already know how to get outside (things you can do on your own). Teachers might have fire extinguishers (people who can help). And if the fire is out of control, you call the firefighters (trusted adults or professionals).
For younger kids, the plan often includes specific instructions for a trusted adult, like a code word the child can use to signal they need help without having to explain everything in the moment. Social contacts can be creative: pets count as a coping resource, and reaching out might happen through text, video call, or in person depending on what the child has access to. Clinicians also “test-drive” the plan by asking how likely the young person is to actually use it, then problem-solving any barriers together. If a child says they’d never text their school counselor, that contact gets swapped for someone they would reach out to.
Digital Tools for Safety Planning
Several apps now let you build and carry a safety plan on your phone. The VA’s Safety Plan app walks you through all six steps, stores your contacts, and lets you share the finished plan with a loved one. Having it on your phone means it’s accessible at 2 a.m. when a paper copy might be in a drawer somewhere.
These apps typically include quick-access buttons to call crisis lines and built-in self-assessment questionnaires. They’re designed to be used on their own if needed, though creating the plan alongside a therapist or counselor tends to produce a more personalized and realistic version.
How a Safety Plan Differs From a Contract
Safety plans are sometimes confused with “no-suicide contracts,” where a person agrees not to attempt suicide. These contracts have largely fallen out of clinical practice because there’s no evidence they reduce risk. They place the burden on the person in crisis to simply resist, without giving them any tools.
A safety plan is the opposite approach. It assumes a crisis will happen and equips you with a sequence of actions to get through it. It’s written in your own words, tailored to your life, and meant to be revised as your circumstances change. New coping strategies get added, outdated contacts get removed, and the plan evolves with you.
Crisis Resources
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988, or chatting online at 988lifeline.org. Services are offered in English and Spanish, with interpreter access for over 240 additional languages. Veterans, service members, and their families can press 1 after dialing 988 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line, or text 838255. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can dial 988 on a videophone to connect with counselors who communicate in ASL.