If you are thinking about suicide right now, you do not need to finish a worksheet first. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Otherwise call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and you can build this plan with the person who answers.
How to use it
- Fill it in on a calmer day, not in the middle of a crisis.
- If you see a therapist or counselor, build it with them or bring it to your next session.
- Be specific. “Call my sister Ana” works better than “talk to family.”
- Work through the boxes in order when things start to slide. If one step does not help, go to the next.
- Keep copies where you will find them: your wallet, your nightstand, a photo on your phone, and with one person you trust.
- Update it after any crisis, and whenever a phone number or person in it changes.
This worksheet follows the same general order as published safety planning interventions. It is not the Stanley-Brown Safety Plan form and has not itself been tested in research.
The guide How to make a mental health safety plan explains each box in more depth.
My warning signs
The thoughts, feelings, situations, or changes in sleep and behavior that tell me a crisis may be building. Examples: not answering texts, staying in bed past noon, thinking “everyone would be better off.”
Things I can do on my own to get through the next hour
Small, doable things that have helped before. Examples: a cold shower, a walk around the block, a specific playlist, slow breathing, writing it out.
People and places that get me out of my own head
Somewhere to be around others, or someone to be with, without having to explain anything. Examples: a coffee shop, the gym, a neighbor, a meeting, a friend’s couch.
People I can tell what is really going on
People I trust to hear “I’m not okay” and help. Write their numbers here so I do not have to search for them.
Professionals and crisis lines
My therapist, psychiatrist, or doctor, plus after-hours numbers. Ask each office what to do if you need them outside business hours.
Emergency: 911 · Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (veterans press 1) · Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741 · Nearest emergency room: ______________________
Making my space safer
What I will put distance between myself and when things get bad, and who will help. Examples: someone else holds my medications, I keep only a few days’ supply, anything dangerous is stored away from home or locked by someone else.
What I am holding on for
People, pets, plans, beliefs, or small things worth staying for. Write at least one, even if it feels small today.
If I am in immediate danger, I call 911. If my plan is not enough, I call or text 988. · Worksheet from mhrecovery.ai
Make it easy to reach
Once it is filled in, take a photo of it and save it as a favorite on your phone. Give a copy to the person in box 4 you are most likely to call, so they know what you have agreed to try and what you will want from them.
This worksheet is an educational tool, not a substitute for care from a qualified clinician. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.