safety planning

Safety planning is a way to help teens who are feeling suicidal keep themselves safe. When individuals make a safety plan, they often try to identify triggers for being upset or suicidal, things they can do or say to themselves to help them feel better, people they can be around or places they can go to feel better, folks they can reach out to if they are suicidal (including their doctors and counselors), and crisis lines they can contact (including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline—click here for more information).

As part of this, it is important for parents to think of the steps that need to be taken to keep the home safe when their teen is feeling suicidal. For more information, check out the website topic for Home Safety, or click on another helpful website here.

It is also important to pay attention to changes in teenagers’ mood and behavior that may signal that they are feeling suicidal or need additional help. For more information, click on the website topic for Warning Signs.