Tips for supporting your clients to create a suicide safety plan

Encourage your client to develop a suicide safety plan. It is most helpful to involve and invite important people (a trusted family member or friend, or a professional) in the planning process, as they need to know how best to care for your client, if they are feeling suicidal. 

Try to find a time when your client is feeling well, calm and clear-headed, rather than suicidal or distressed to write their safety plan. Encourage your client to write her own safety plan if she can, and keep it in a place where she can easily find it. Alternatively, you can write out the safety plan for your client, and ask her to read it out loud, as a way to feel more connected to it.

A client suicide safety plan should include:

Ask your client to list the kinds of situations, thoughts, feelings or other warning signs that lead to feeling suicidal.  Also ask your client to create a list of things that she can do that help her feel calm and comforted. 

Encourage your client to list all of her reasons for living so that she can be refer to this list when she is feeling suicidal. Invite your client to focus upon the positive aspects of her life instead of concentrating on the pain she is experiencing. 

Client should have a list of people that they can talk to when they are feeling suicidal. A list of names and contact details, with back-ups should be nearby.

Professionals that your client can talk to, including their names, and up-to-date contact details should also be close at hand. 

A plan should include how to make their environment safe.  Ask your client to think about items she might be likely to use to hurt herself, and detail how she can remove or secure them. A safety plan may also include avoiding things your client know makes her feel worse.

Encourage your client to have emergency contact details nearby that they can use if they are still feeling unsafe. The name and address of the nearest emergency department or crisis helpline should be nearby. 

Encourage your client to make a commitment to her safety plan. This means promising self and others that she will implement their plan if she needs to. A client's commitment could also involve promising (out loud) to a family member, friend or professional that he/she will follow the plan.