A mental health safety plan is a personalized and practical guide designed specifically to help adolescents recognize and manage their warning signs of emotional distress and suicidal thoughts. According to a journal article titled Safety Planning for Suicide Prevention this plan's function is as, “...a well-constructed Safety Plan can reassure its owner that s/he is neither helpless nor alone.” Mental health professionals, often in collaboration with the adolescent and their family, create this plan.
Parents and caretakers are made aware of its existence right from its development to ensure they can support its implementation effectively. The plan is communicated through clear conversations and is usually documented in a format that the adolescent can easily access and refer to whenever necessary. It's set in place through a collaborative effort, ensuring that both the young person and their support network understand and agree on the steps to take in an emergency.
The components of this safety plan include:
Text messaging has the ability to be a useful supplemental part of a safety plan. By integrating text messaging into the safety plan allows for quick and direct contact when an adolescent feels overwhelmed or in danger. The immediacy and accessibility of texting mean that the central contact point (caregiver, parent, or school counselor) can provide a conducive summary of the concerns they have about the adolescent's behavior, facilitating a complement to the initial call to mental health professionals.
In these texts, the person contacting on behalf of the adolescent or the adolescent themselves should focus on conveying their immediate feelings, any urgent needs, and possibly their location if safety is a concern. However, it should be kept concise, and avoid sharing sensitive personal details or graphic descriptions of distress over text to maintain privacy and security. More detailed or sensitive information should be communicated in more secure settings, such as in-person meetings or through protected digital platforms provided by healthcare professionals.
See also: How text messaging can help promote accessibility
A safety plan is a personalized, practical strategy designed to help individuals identify warning signs and utilize coping mechanisms to address potential crises.
A safety plan is necessary whenever an individual is at risk of self-harm or experiencing mental health crises.
For minors, parents or legal guardians typically consent to and decide on the components of the safety plan, often in collaboration with mental health professionals.