Example mental health safety plans — and how to build one
If you're in crisis right now, please don't work through this article — get help straight away. Call 000 in an emergency, or Lifeline on 13 11 14, any time of day or night. A safety plan is something you build in your calmer moments; it is never a substitute for urgent help.
Still here? Good. Because the calmer moments are exactly when a safety plan earns its keep.
What a safety plan is
A safety plan is a short, personal document — often just one page — that you write for yourself, usually with someone you trust. It captures what you know about your own difficult times while you can think clearly, so that when things get hard, you (and the people around you) don't have to work it out from scratch. When distress is high, logical thinking is genuinely harder — that's the nervous system doing its thing, not a personal failing. A plan does the thinking in advance.
You might build one with your psychologist or GP, a support worker, a recovery coach, or a family member. It's yours: you decide what goes in it and who sees it. Many people pair it with a fuller wellness plan such as a WRAP® (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), which also covers what keeps you well day to day.
The pieces of a good plan
Most safety plans, whatever the template, cover five things:
1. My warning signs. The early, personal signals that things are sliding — before the crisis. For example: not sleeping properly, going quiet in the group chat, skipping meals, feeling irritable or hopeless, cancelling things I usually enjoy. Early warning signs are the most valuable part of the plan, because acting early is so much easier than acting late.
2. Things I can do myself. Your own coping strategies — the ones that actually work for you, not the ones that sound impressive. Gentle grounding is a common starting point: naming five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear; slow breathing with a longer exhale; a walk; music; a shower; patting the dog. (If you have health conditions or a trauma history, it's worth checking coping techniques with your treating team — some intense techniques aren't right for everyone.)
3. People and places that help. Who you can call or be around, and where you feel steadier — a friend, a sibling, a neighbour, the local pool, the library, your nan's kitchen. Include names and phone numbers. Being around people, even without talking about anything, is a legitimate strategy.
4. Professionals and crisis lines. Your GP, psychologist or mental health team, with numbers — plus the 24/7 lines: 000 (emergency), Lifeline 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467, 13YARN 13 92 76 (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis line), Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.
5. Making my environment safer. If your hard times involve thoughts of harming yourself, plan — ideally with someone you trust — how to put distance between you and the means: medications stored with someone else or locked away, and similar practical steps. This step saves lives, and it's much easier to arrange in a calm week than a bad one.
An example plan
Here's what a finished plan can look like. This is an example structure, not a real person's plan — yours should be in your own words.
My warning signs: Awake past 2am more than two nights running. Not answering Mum's calls. Everything feels like "what's the point".
What I'll do first: Shower, then ten slow breaths (out longer than in). Put on my walking playlist and do the block once. No big decisions after 9pm.
People and places: Call Sam (0400 000 000) — I don't have to explain, just talk. Sit at the coffee shop on the corner. Saturday swim with Dee.
Professionals: Dr Nguyen (GP) — 9000 0000. My psychologist — 9000 0001. After hours: Lifeline 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467. Emergency: 000.
Keeping my place safe: Spare medication stays at Mum's. If I notice myself stockpiling anything, that's a "call the GP this week" sign.
What helps when others step in: Speak calmly, give me space, remind me this has passed before. Don't crowd me or take over unless I ask.
That last line matters: a plan can also brief the people who love you — what helps, what doesn't, and the signs that mean it's time for them to act.
Building yours
Pick a steady moment and someone you trust, and expect the first draft to take twenty minutes, not an afternoon. Keep it where you'll actually find it — phone notes, wallet card, fridge. Share it with the people named in it (they should know they're in it). And revisit it after every rough patch: each one teaches you something about your warning signs and what genuinely helped, and the plan should collect that knowledge.
If you have NDIS supports, the people around you can help — a support worker or psychosocial recovery coach can be a good companion for building and practising a plan, working alongside your treating team. But the plan belongs to you. You are the expert on you; the plan just writes it down while the weather's clear.
This article is general information, not medical or clinical advice. For support with your situation, talk to your GP, treating team, or call us on 1300 487 996. In an emergency call 000. Lifeline: 13 11 14.