Safety planning

Not medical advice. This is a research summary to help design journal pages. It is not therapy and does not replace a clinician or crisis service.

If you are in crisis right now: in the US, call or text 988, or text HOME to 741741. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Outside the US, check your local services and emergency number. Trans Lifeline (peer support, trans operators) is (877) 565-8860, weekdays 10 am–6 pm Pacific. You don't have to read the rest of this.

Checked 2026-09-28. Where a point is uncertain it is marked (uncertain). This doc stays factual and non-graphic on purpose.

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1. At a glance

2. Summary

A safety plan is a short, personal, written list of steps to follow when a crisis starts, made on a calmer day so it is ready on a hard one. The Stanley–Brown version has six steps in a set order: notice your warning signs; do things on your own that help; go to people and places that take your mind off it; ask family or friends for help; contact professionals and crisis lines; and make your surroundings safer, especially by putting distance between yourself and anything you could use to hurt yourself. Many versions add a final line: the thing most worth living for. The plan is meant to be made together with a clinician or a trusted person, in your own words, and kept where you can reach it. In a large study of veterans seen in emergency departments, safety planning plus follow-up phone calls was linked to about 45% fewer suicidal behaviours over six months and more people attending treatment. Journalwright Studio books print a seven-question safety plan page at the back (a protected page that can be moved but not removed), and the optional X4 companion shows a plan after a long press of Back. This doc sets out the method, the evidence, and small changes that would bring those closer to the evidence-based form. It is a guide to the structure of the plan, to use with a clinician or crisis resources, not a substitute for them.

3. History and origin

Who created it. Barbara Stanley was a psychologist and suicide researcher at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Gregory K. Brown is a clinical psychologist and Research Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, known for cognitive therapy for suicide prevention. The official site credits both as developers.

Timeline.

Cultural context. Safety planning spread through the US Veterans Health Administration, then emergency departments, schools and the Zero Suicide framework. It replaced "no-suicide contracts", where a person promised not to harm themselves. Reviews found no evidence those contracts work and raised ethical concerns about coercion (McMyler and Pryjmachuk, 2008). Safety planning moved the question from "promise you won't" to "here is what we'll do".

Key quotes. From the official site: "The Safety Planning Intervention is more than completing the Safety Plan form," and it is "a collaborative process between the clinician and the individual." From Means Matter (Harvard): "Many suicide attempts occur with little planning during a short-term crisis."

4. Philosophy and principles

• Crises pass. Suicidal crises often rise and fall over a short time. A plan helps you get through the peak.
• Prepare when calm. Thinking is harder in a crisis, so decide the steps in advance.
• Start with yourself, widen out. Each step brings in more support: your own coping, then people and places, then help from friends and family, then professionals.
• Your words, not a clinician's. Warning signs and coping steps work better when they sound like you.
• Specific and doable. "Call Jo at 555-0100" beats "reach out"; "walk to the corner store" beats "exercise".
• Plan for barriers. For each step, ask "what might get in the way?" and solve it now.
• Make the environment safer. Distance from lethal means during a crisis saves lives.
• Reachable. A plan in a drawer at home doesn't help at work. Keep it where you'll be.
• A living document. Review and revise after use, after big life changes, and at follow-ups.
• Not a contract. Nobody is promising anything. It's a tool, not a test.

The problem it solves. In a crisis, people often can't recall what helps, who to call, or the crisis number, and they may be alone with something dangerous. The plan answers those questions ahead of time.

5. Core components

The intervention also includes tasks beyond the form: a brief review of the recent crisis, explaining how the plan works, asking how likely the person is to use each step, solving barriers, deciding where to keep the plan, and follow-up contact to review it (Stanley et al., 2018; official site).

Step 1: Warning signs

Personal signs that a crisis may be starting: thoughts ("I'm a burden"), moods (numb, agitated), situations (a certain anniversary, a fight, a sleepless week), or behaviour (isolating, not eating). Written in your own words. These should be specific enough that you'd recognise them. Two to four signs is typical.

Step 2: Internal coping strategies

Things you can do alone, without contacting anyone, to take your mind off things or lower distress: a shower, a walk, a familiar show, a breathing exercise, holding ice, a playlist, drawing, a specific game. The test is "would I actually do this when I feel this way?" Ask what could get in the way and fix it (for example, keep the playlist downloaded).

Step 3: People and social settings for distraction

Places and people where you can be around others without talking about the crisis: a café, library, a friend's place, a bus ride, a community group, an online game with friends. The goal is distraction and connection, not disclosure.

Step 4: People I can ask for help

Family or friends you can tell "I'm having a hard time" and ask for support. Names and numbers. Many people prefer texting; the Studio's page has a "text OK" tick for each person. At least two names, so one busy person doesn't end the plan.

Step 5: Professionals and agencies

Therapist, prescriber, doctor, local crisis line, 988, Crisis Text Line, the nearest emergency department address, and for trans people, Trans Lifeline (peer support, limited hours). Include numbers and hours. This is where people who prefer text can list text options.

Step 6: Making the environment safe (lethal means)

Talking through how to keep yourself safer by putting time and distance between yourself and anything you could use to hurt yourself during a crisis. Covered briefly in the lethal-means subsection below.

Reason for living

The official form ends with a line for the one thing most important and worth living for. It can be a person, a pet, a plan, a value or a small thing. The Studio page's version: "What matters to me, worth staying for".

Lethal-means counselling (brief)

Means Matter (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) summarises why this matters: many attempts happen with little planning during a short crisis; the method used strongly affects whether someone survives; and about 90% of people who survive an attempt do not go on to die by suicide later. Counselling means a calm, practical conversation about temporarily reducing access, especially to firearms and to large amounts of medicine, for example:

• storing firearms locked and unloaded, or temporarily with a trusted person or outside the home;
• keeping only small quantities of medicine at hand, locking the rest, or asking someone to hold it; disposing of old medicine through a pharmacy take-back;
• deciding in advance who could help with this during a hard stretch.

An observational study of over 1.1 million emergency department patients found lower odds of suicide death within 30 days (adjusted odds ratio 0.62) at hospitals that routinely provided lethal-means counselling (Marcus et al., 2025). This doc deliberately gives no method details.

Follow-up

In the 2018 VA study, staff called patients at least twice after discharge (starting within 72 hours) to check in, review and revise the plan, and support getting to treatment. In a journal system, the equivalent is a scheduled review with a trusted person or clinician, and a "last reviewed" date on the page.

6. Setting it up

Ideally with someone. The intervention is designed to be done with a clinician or a trained person. If that's not possible, a trusted friend can help, or you can fill it in yourself on a calm day and show it to your clinician later.

First setup (20–45 minutes, on a steady day).

1. Think about the last hard time: what happened first, what you noticed, what helped even a little.
2. Warning signs: write 2–4 in your own words.
3. On my own: list 3–5 things. For each, ask "would I do this at 2 a.m. when I feel like that?" Keep only the yeses.
4. People and places for distraction: 2–3, with addresses or times if it helps (for example, the library's hours).
5. People to ask for help: 2–3 names with numbers. Tell them, if you can, that they're on your plan and what you'd like from them ("just text with me").
6. Professionals and lines: your clinicians' numbers and hours, a local crisis line, 988, Crisis Text Line, the nearest emergency department, Trans Lifeline if relevant.
7. Making my space safer: one or two concrete actions and who could help. Do what you can now, while calm.
8. Worth living for: one line.
9. Write a text you can send when talking is too hard.
10. Decide where the plan lives: the back of the journal, a photo on your phone, a wallet card, the X4.
11. Write a review date.

First day after. Put the plan where you'll see it. If you listed people, send the one text: "I've put you on my support list. Is it OK if I text you when things are rough?"

First week. Look at it once. Is anything unrealistic? Fix it. If you used it, note which step helped.

7. Daily practice

A safety plan isn't a daily practice. It is used when a warning sign shows up:

1. Notice the warning sign (step 1). Say to yourself, "this is on my plan".
2. Try step 2 for a set time, for example 15–20 minutes.
3. Still hard? Go to step 3: a place or people.
4. Still hard? Step 4: text or call someone on the list. Use the script if talking is too hard.
5. Still hard, or feeling unsafe? Step 5: 988 (call or text), Crisis Text Line, your crisis line, your clinician.
6. At any point, step 6: put distance between yourself and means.
7. If you are in immediate danger: 911 or the nearest emergency department.

You don't have to go in order if a later step fits better right now. Skipping to step 5 is always fine.

Light daily touchpoints (optional). Some people pair the plan with a daily mood check (the Studio's day page has a mood and anxiety check-in) so warning signs are noticed earlier. Keep this gentle: a daily check is for noticing, not scoring.

8. Rhythms

• After using it: jot what helped and what didn't; update the plan within a few days.
• Weekly (optional, 2 minutes): glance at it so it's familiar. If mood tracking shows a run of hard days, reread it.
• Monthly: a monthly Studio book prints a new safety plan page each time. Copy forward what still fits, or rewrite it. Check numbers and hours (crisis lines change: 988's LGBTQ+ option ended in July 2025).
• With your clinician: bring it to appointments; review after any crisis, medicine change, move, or relationship change.
• Yearly: a full rewrite. Keep old versions in the Keeper if you want a record of what helped.
• Contacts: when a number changes, update the plan, the phone and the X4 file (/kw/me.txt) together.

9. Page anatomy

Stanley–Brown style page (letter or 5.5×8.5; single page, generous lines).

+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| SAFETY PLAN                        last reviewed ________ |
| Step 1  Warning signs                                     |
|   1 ____________________  2 ____________________          |
|   3 ____________________                                  |
| Step 2  Things I can do on my own                         |
|   1 ____________________  2 ____________________          |
|   3 ____________________                                  |
| Step 3  People and places that take my mind off it        |
|   name ____________ ph ________  place ________________   |
|   name ____________ ph ________  place ________________   |
| Step 4  People I can ask for help                         |
|   name ____________ ph ________   [ ] text ok            |
|   name ____________ ph ________   [ ] text ok            |
| Step 5  Professionals and crisis lines                    |
|   clinician ________ ph ________   crisis line ________  |
|   988 (call or text)   Text HOME to 741741   ER ________ |
| Step 6  Making my space safer                             |
|   1 ____________________  2 ____________________          |
| The one thing most worth living for: ___________________ |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+

Journalwright Studio's current page (back matter, 7 questions + text script, a "last reviewed" line).

 MY SAFETY PLAN                                  Last reviewed ______
 Fill this in on a good day, so it is ready on a hard one. Work down the list until you feel safer.
 1. Signs a hard time is starting (thoughts, moods, situations)   ____ ____
 2. Things I can do on my own to feel a little better               ____ ____
 3. People or places that help me get my mind off it                ____ ____
 4. People I can text or call for help (name, phone, TEXT OK)       ____ ____
 5. Professionals and crisis lines (therapist, prescriber, 988 ...) ____ ____
 6. How I can make my space safer (meds, other things)              ____ ____
 7. What matters to me, worth staying for                           ____ ____
 +-------------------------------------------------------------+
 | A text I can send when talking is too hard:                 |
 | "Hey, I'm having a hard time. I'm not up for a call.        |
 |  Can you text with me for a bit?"                           |
 +-------------------------------------------------------------+

Wallet card (fold of a 5.5×8.5 page into quarters, or a cut-out).

+---------------------------+
| WHEN IT GETS HARD         |
| my signs: _______________ |
| try: ____________________ |
| go: _____________________ |
| text: ______ ph _________ |
| 988 call/text · HOME 741741|
+---------------------------+

X4 screens (480×800, 1-bit). Long-press Back anywhere → Support (numbers, text-first, paged) → Confirm → *My safety plan* (sections from /kw/me.txt, then a boxed "WHEN TALKING IS TOO HARD, SEND:" script) → Confirm → back to Support.

+------------------------------+
| (person icon) My safety plan |
| 1. Signs a hard time starts  |
|    no sleep; "burden" thought|
| 2. On my own                 |
|    shower; playlist; walk    |
| 3. ...                       |
|                              |
| +--------------------------+ |
| | WHEN TALKING IS TOO HARD,| |
| | SEND: "Hey, I'm having..."| |
| +--------------------------+ |
| Back            Support      |
+------------------------------+

10. Worked examples

All names, numbers and details are invented and generic.

A completed plan (Sam, made with their therapist).

last reviewed: 12 Oct
1 Warning signs
  - not sleeping two nights in a row
  - thinking "everyone would be better off"
  - cancelling plans and staying in bed after work
2 On my own
  - hot shower, then the comfort playlist (downloaded)
  - walk the loop around the block with headphones
  - cold water on my face, slow breathing for 2 minutes
3 People and places for distraction
  - the library (open till 8), sit by the window
  - Dana's game night, Thursdays (just show up)
4 People I can ask for help
  - Dana 555-0101 (text ok)
  - my sister Lee 555-0102 (call after 6)
5 Professionals and lines
  - therapist Dr R., 555-0110, Mon–Thu
  - county crisis line 555-0199, 24/7
  - 988 call or text · text HOME to 741741
  - Trans Lifeline (877) 565-8860, weekdays 10–6 Pacific
  - nearest ER: Main St hospital
6 Making my space safer
  - Lee keeps the extra medicine; I keep a week's worth
  - old prescriptions go to the pharmacy take-back on Saturday
Worth living for: my cat, Pepper, and seeing the lake in spring.
Text script: "Hey, I'm having a hard time. I'm not up for a call. Can you text with me for a bit?"

Using it on a hard evening (a note written afterward).

Tue 20 Oct. Signs: second bad night, the "burden" thought. Tried shower + playlist (20 min), a bit better.
Went to the library for an hour. Still low, texted Dana the script; we texted till 10. Slept.
Helped most: texting. Didn't help: breathing (too restless). Change: swap breathing for the walk.

A week around it. Mood check-ins on the day pages show three low days in a row (Sat–Mon). On Monday's day page, the "Was hard" column says "sign #1 again". Sam rereads the plan Monday night, texts Lee Tuesday, and brings the plan to Thursday's therapy session, where they add a second name to step 4.

A month. At "Closing the month", Sam copies the plan into the new book's safety plan page, updates Lee's new number, and writes "reviewed 1 Nov" at the top. The X4 file is updated from the Wi-Fi page the same evening, so both match.

11. Variations and offshoots

12. Community practice

• What people do. In peer and patient spaces, people describe keeping a photo of the plan on their phone lock screen or in favourites, a paper copy by the bed, and a card in the wallet. Many say the most-used parts are the list of small things to do alone and the named people to text. (General observation, not a study.)
• Customisations. Adding a "text script"; splitting "people" into "just be with me" and "I can tell them"; adding sensory tools (weighted blanket, earplugs); a "comfort box" of objects; a list of reasons for living with photos.
• Aesthetic vs minimalist. Some decorate their plan to make it inviting; others want it stark and fast to read. In a crisis, high contrast, large type and short lines are easier. The X4 companion's Support screen follows that.
• What people dislike. Being handed a blank form in an emergency department without help; plans that list only "call 988"; generic coping ideas that don't fit them.

13. Official products and formats

• Official form: free download (English), version dated 05-02-2024, plus authorised translations (https://suicidesafetyplan.com/forms/).
• Terms: individual use is permitted; written permission is needed to change wording, translate, or put the form into an electronic record or app; for-profit use needs permission from Drs Gregory Brown and Kelly Green (official forms page).
• Training: a web course through the University of Pennsylvania (official site).
• Apps: MY3 (free, iOS and Android). Others exist.
• Journalwright Studio note: the book's page uses its own wording and does not claim to be the official Stanley–Brown form. Keep it that way unless permission is obtained.

14. Tools and supplies

• A pen that works reliably; a pencil for numbers that change.
• The plan on sturdy paper (the back-matter page is removable along the frame).
• A wallet card (laminated or in a card sleeve).
• Phone: a photo of the plan; contacts saved with clear names; 988 and 741741 saved.
• Optional: a small "comfort kit" listed in step 2 (headphones, a textured object, a card with a breathing pattern).

15. Digital and hybrid versions

• Apps. MY3 lets people set three key contacts, a step-by-step plan and resources; free, English and Spanish. Research on safety planning apps is growing (for example co-design studies in 2025) but outcomes evidence for apps alone is limited (uncertain). Ferguson et al. (2022) found most studied plans were made in person with a hard copy.
• Phones. A lock-screen photo is quick. A phone in crisis can also be a source of distress (messages, social media).
• E-ink. A PDF of the plan on a reader works offline and is calm to read. The X4 shows the plan after a long press of Back, with no network and no notifications.
• Scanning. A scan of the plan in a private folder is a backup. Personal plans should not go to shared or public destinations.
• Lost versus gained. Digital gains quick dialling and backup; it loses calm (notifications) and sometimes privacy. Paper gains calm and reach without battery; it can be left at home. The best answer is both: a paper page and a copy on a device you always carry.

16. Evidence and research

Claimed versus supported.

• Supported: safety planning-type interventions reduce suicidal behaviour (meta-analysis), and safety planning with follow-up increases treatment engagement.
• Not supported: that a plan reduces suicidal thoughts on its own (no significant effect in the meta-analysis).
• Not studied well: self-made plans with no clinician, and journal-integrated plans like the Studio's. They are reasonable and low risk, but the evidence is for the clinician-guided intervention (uncertain).

17. Benefits

• Fewer suicidal behaviours when used as a clinical intervention (evidenced: Stanley 2018; Nuij 2021).
• More people attend follow-up treatment (evidenced: Stanley 2018).
• Better than no-suicide contracts (evidenced: Bryan 2017 for CRP; McMyler 2008 on contracts).
• Lower suicide death where lethal-means counselling is routine (evidenced, observational: Marcus 2025).
• A sense of control and a clear "what next" in a crisis (claimed, consistent with qualitative findings in Ferguson 2022).
• Easier to ask for help using a prepared text (claimed).
• Helps others know how to help (claimed).

18. Pitfalls

19. Accessibility and adaptations

• ADHD: short lines; one action per line; keep the plan in more than one place; the X4 long press is fast.
• Autism and sensory needs: concrete steps; sensory tools in step 2 (earplugs, dim light, pressure); text-first options (988 text, Crisis Text Line) for when speaking is hard; a pre-written script.
• Chronic illness and low spoons: step 2 items that need no energy (lie down with a familiar audiobook); contacts who can come to you.
• Depression: keep it very short; the reason-for-living line visible; don't wait for the "right" moment to use it.
• Anxiety: plan for panic-type warning signs too; grounding steps.
• Trauma: choose words that don't echo the trauma; list safe people and places carefully; note which services might involve police, since that can be distressing (see Trans Lifeline's no-nonconsensual-rescue policy).
• Dyslexia and dysgraphia: voice memo of the plan; icons; someone else can write it with you.
• Low vision: large type (letter size page), high contrast; X4 Support screen uses big type; phone accessibility.
• Motor or hand pain: fewer lines; a typed plan on the X4 via the Wi-Fi page; speed-dial contacts.
• Deaf and hard of hearing: 988 has a Deaf and hard of hearing option; text lines.
• Trans and gender-diverse people: Trans Lifeline (trans peers; weekdays 10–6 Pacific; will not call emergency services or police without an explicit request); The Trevor Project for LGBTQ+ people under 25 (call 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, chat); note that 988's LGBTQ+ "press 3" ended on 17 July 2025, but 988 itself still serves everyone. Include affirming people and places in steps 3–4.
• Shift workers: list who is awake at 2 a.m. and who at 2 p.m.; step 3 places open at odd hours; 24/7 lines.
• Low income: all listed lines are free; the plan needs only paper; include free places (library, parks, community centres).

20. Comparison

21. Combining

• Symptom tracking (symptom-tracking.md): mood, sleep and anxiety logs can show warning signs early (for example two short nights, a step 1 item).
• Bullet Journal (bullet-journal.md): keep the plan as a fixed collection at the front or back; index it.
• Gender euphoria and HRT log (gender-euphoria-and-hrt-log.md): moments of euphoria can feed the "worth living for" line.
• Five-year diary (five-year-diary.md): anniversaries of hard times can be warning signs to anticipate.
• Stoic journaling (stoic-journaling.md): evening reflection is a calm time to review the plan, not a crisis tool.

22. Ready-to-use bank

Prompts and lines to copy onto a plan (all plain wording, not the copyrighted form).

1. "I know a hard time is starting when I notice ___."
2. "A thought that shows up first is ___."
3. "A situation that sets it off is ___."
4. "Something I start doing (or stop doing) is ___."
5. "On my own, the first thing I'll try for 15 minutes is ___."
6. "If that doesn't help, I'll ___."
7. "A sense that calms me (sound, touch, smell, sight, taste): ___."
8. "Something that needs almost no energy: ___."
9. "A place I can go that's open late: ___ (hours ___)."
10. "Someone I can just be around without explaining: ___."
11. "Someone I can tell 'I'm struggling': ___, number ___, text OK? Y / N."
12. "A second person, in case the first doesn't answer: ___."
13. "Who is awake at 2 a.m.? ___"
14. "My clinician: ___, number ___, hours ___."
15. "Crisis lines: 988 (call or text) · text HOME to 741741 · local ___."
16. "Trans Lifeline (877) 565-8860, weekdays 10–6 Pacific (peer, no police without my request)."
17. "Nearest emergency department: ___."
18. "To make my space safer, I will ___, and ___ can help."
19. "Something I'll ask someone to hold for a while: ___."
20. "What might get in the way of this step? ___ How I'll handle it: ___"
21. "The one thing most worth living for: ___."
22. "Small reasons (a show I'm waiting for, a trip, my pet, a friend): ___."
23. "A text I can send: 'Hey, I'm having a hard time. I'm not up for a call. Can you text with me for a bit?'"
24. "A text for after: 'Thanks for being there last night. I'm OK today.'"
25. "What I want a supporter to do: ___ / not do: ___."
26. "Where this plan lives: book · phone · wallet · X4."
27. "Last reviewed ___ with ___."
28. "After using the plan: what helped ___; what to change ___."

23. Glossary

• 988: the US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; call, text or chat, 24/7, free.
• Active rescue: a crisis service contacting emergency services to intervene.
• Barrier: anything that might stop a step working; solved ahead of time.
• Crisis Response Plan (CRP): a card-based plan from Bryan and Rudd; similar to SB.
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741, trained volunteer crisis counsellors, 24/7.
• Distraction: shifting attention away from distress for a while.
• Internal coping: things you do alone to lower distress.
• Lethal means: objects or substances that could be used for self-harm.
• Lethal-means counselling: a brief conversation about temporarily reducing access to lethal means.
• Means Matter: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health project on means reduction.
• MY3: free safety planning app built around three contacts.
• No-suicide contract: a signed promise not to self-harm; not evidence-based.
• Reason for living: what is most important and worth living for.
• Safety Planning Intervention (SPI): the full process, not just the form.
• SPI+: SPI plus follow-up phone contact (the 2018 VA model).
• Trans Lifeline: trans-led peer support line.
• Warning signs: personal cues that a crisis may be starting.
• WRAP: Wellness Recovery Action Plan, a broader self-management plan.
• Zero Suicide: a health-system framework that includes safety planning.

24. FAQ

Do I need a therapist to make one? It's designed to be made with someone, and that's best. If you can't, a trusted person can help, or you can make it yourself on a calm day and share it with a clinician later.

When should I use it? When you notice a warning sign from step 1. You don't need to wait until things are very bad.

Do I have to go in order? No. The order moves from self to others to professionals, but go straight to step 5 or 911 any time you need to.

Is it a promise not to hurt myself? No. It's not a contract. It's a list of things to try.

Will a crisis line call the police? It depends on the service. Trans Lifeline states it will not call emergency services or law enforcement without your explicit request. 988 and other lines may involve emergency services in rare situations of imminent risk (uncertain on current details; check each service's policy). Texting and asking directly about their policy is fine.

What's the evidence that it works? A meta-analysis of six studies found about 43% lower relative risk of suicidal behaviour with safety planning-type interventions. A large VA study found about 45% fewer suicidal behaviours with safety planning plus follow-up calls. It didn't clearly reduce suicidal thoughts on their own.

How often should I update it? After you use it, after big changes, and at least every few months. A monthly Studio book prints a fresh page each month.

Where should I keep it? Where you'll be when things get hard: the journal, a phone photo, a wallet card, the X4 companion.

What do I write for "making my space safer" if I don't want to write details? Just the action and who helps, for example "Lee keeps the extra medicine". No details are needed.

Is 988 still for LGBTQ+ people? Yes, 988 serves everyone. The specialised LGBTQ+ youth option ("press 3") ended on 17 July 2025. The Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline remain.

25. For Journalwright Studio

This section covers how the method maps onto Journalwright Studio: printed books designed in a block editor, plus an optional e-ink companion (the X4 companion). The plan pages are a structure to use with a clinician or crisis resources; they do not assess risk and do not replace care. Phone lines named on a page come from the book's settings (default: 988 and the 741741 text line); anyone outside the US should replace them after checking their local services.

a. Printed book

b. X4 companion

c. Proposed editor blocks

The presets are planned; the checks, lines and reach blocks they build on exist. The planref block is a one-line pointer, not a copy of the plan: the plan stays in one place (back matter), which is easier to keep current.

d. Proposed method layout: "Steady days" (a gentle layout for people using a safety plan)

1. Moon/sun/season
2. Care check-in (mood, anxiety, meds, meals)
3. Sleep times
4. Checkboxes: Warning signs today (user's own 2–3)
5. Small good things (2 lines)
6. Reach out (1 name)
7. Lined notes: "If today gets hard, I'll…" (1 line)
8. Safety plan pointer (planref)
9. Writing space (lines)
10. Went well · Was hard · Tomorrow

This layout is planned; the method layouts built today are listed in the editor's "Start from a method" menu.

e. Don't adopt

• Copying the official Stanley–Brown form verbatim or using its name on the page without written permission; keep the Studio's own wording.
• Risk scores, "danger levels" or colour-coded risk. Journals shouldn't assess risk; that's clinical work.
• Automatic alerts or messages to contacts from the X4 companion. Out of scope (no background sends, no notifications), and consent matters.
• Generative AI "crisis chat". Out of scope and unsafe.
• Streaks or badges for "safe days". Adds pressure and shame.
• Method details in lethal-means text. Keep it general and practical.
• "No-suicide contract" or pledge language. Not evidence-based.
• Scan codes or cloud upload of the filled-in plan by default. It's private; route scans only to a private place.

26. Open questions

• Does a self-made plan (no clinician) help as much as the clinician-guided intervention? Not well studied.
• Do journal-integrated plans reviewed monthly outperform a single plan? No data found.
• Current details of 988's imminent-risk policy were not confirmed for this doc.
• The exact year of the first VA safety plan manual (commonly cited as 2008) was not verified: the VA PDF link tried returned "not found".
• The date of Barbara Stanley's death is not given on the official site.
• Whether "warning sign" check-ins on the X4 help people notice early or make them dwell is unknown.
• Outcome evidence for safety planning apps (MY3 and others) alone remains limited.

27. Further reading

• Stanley B, Brown GK. "Safety Planning Intervention: a brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk." Cogn Behav Pract 2012;19(2):256–264. The method paper.
• suicidesafetyplan.com: official form, translations and training.
• Stanley et al. (JAMA Psychiatry, 2018): the VA emergency department study.
• Nuij et al. (Br J Psychiatry, 2021): meta-analysis.
• Ferguson et al. (Arch Suicide Res, 2022): systematic review of 26 studies.
• Bryan et al. (J Affect Disord, 2017): crisis response planning vs contracts.
• Means Matter (Harvard): why reducing access to lethal means works.
• 988lifeline.org: how to call, text or chat; Deaf and hard of hearing options.
• Trans Lifeline: hotline hours and policy.
• The Trevor Project: support for LGBTQ+ people under 25.

28. Sources

All checked 2026-09-28. Journal records were opened on PMC or through the Europe PMC record service (its article pages block automated readers).

1. Stanley–Brown Safety Planning Intervention, official site. https://suicidesafetyplan.com/
2. Stanley–Brown Safety Planning Intervention, "Forms" (form dated 05-02-2024; permissions). https://suicidesafetyplan.com/forms/
3. Stanley B, Brown GK, Brenner LA, et al. "Comparison of the Safety Planning Intervention with follow-up vs usual care of suicidal patients treated in the emergency department." JAMA Psychiatry 2018;75(9):894–900. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6142908/
4. Nuij C, van Ballegooijen W, de Beurs D, et al. "Safety planning-type interventions for suicide prevention: meta-analysis." Br J Psychiatry 2021;219(2):419–426. DOI 10.1192/bjp.2021.50; PMID 35048835; Europe PMC record https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:35048835&resultType=core
5. Ferguson M, Rhodes K, Loughhead M, et al. "The effectiveness of the Safety Planning Intervention for adults experiencing suicide-related distress: a systematic review." Arch Suicide Res 2022;26:1022–1045. DOI 10.1080/13811118.2021.1915217; PMID 33913799; Europe PMC record https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:33913799&resultType=core
6. Stanley B, Brown G, Brent DA, et al. "Cognitive-behavioral therapy for suicide prevention (CBT-SP): treatment model, feasibility, and acceptability." J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2009. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2888910/
7. Bryan CJ, Mintz J, Clemans TA, et al. "Effect of crisis response planning vs. contracts for safety on suicide risk in U.S. Army Soldiers: a randomized clinical trial." J Affect Disord 2017;212:64–72. DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.028; PMID 28142085; Europe PMC record https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:28142085&resultType=core
8. McMyler C, Pryjmachuk S. "Do 'no-suicide' contracts work?" J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 2008;15:512–522. DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2850.2008.01286.x; PMID 18638213; Europe PMC record https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:18638213&resultType=core
9. Marcus SC, Cullen SW, Xie M, et al. "Evaluating the effect of routine lethal means counseling in the emergency department on suicide mortality among mental health patients." AJPM Focus 2025;4:100336. DOI 10.1016/j.focus.2025.100336; PMID 40688469; Europe PMC record https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:40688469&resultType=core
10. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "Means Matter." https://hsph.harvard.edu/research/means-matter/
11. Suicide Prevention Resource Center. "Stanley-Brown Safety Plan." https://sprc.org/resources/stanley-brown-safety-plan/
12. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Home page. https://988lifeline.org/
13. The Trevor Project. "Closed: Trump admin officially shuts down the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ+ youth specialized services." https://www.thetrevorproject.org/blog/closed-trump-admin-officially-shuts-down-the-988-suicide-crisis-lifelines-lgbtq-youth-specialized-services/
14. Trans Lifeline. "Hotline." https://translifeline.org/hotline/
15. Crisis Text Line. Home page. https://www.crisistextline.org/
16. Lifeline for Attempt Survivors. "MY3 app." https://lifelineforattemptsurvivors.org/my3-app/
17. Stanley B, Brown GK. "Safety Planning Intervention: a brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk." Cogn Behav Pract 2012;19(2):256–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.01.001 (publisher page returned 403 when checked; details confirmed through sources 1, 3 and 6)