Suicide Safety Plan

When someone is struggling with suicidal thoughts, the moments of greatest risk can feel sudden, intense, and overwhelming. In those moments, thinking clearly is hard, and that is exactly when having a suicide safety plan can make a lifesaving difference.

A suicide safety plan is a personalized, simple, step-by-step guide that helps someone stay safe when suicidal thoughts arise. It is not judgmental advice, a promise, or a test; it’s a practical tool you create in a calm moment before a crisis happens, so you know what to do when it feels hardest to think straight and emotions are intense. 

Safety plans have been shown to help people survive moments of crisis and reduce the chance of acting on suicidal thoughts. Safety planning is recommended by experts as part of real suicide prevention work, not as a replacement for therapy or medical care, but as an essential tool in a person’s toolbox.

Who Should Have a Safety Plan?

Anyone who has:

• Active thoughts about suicide or ending their life
• A history of suicidal behavior or attempts
• Intense urges or plans to harm themselves.
• Been in a recent crisis, loss, or trauma
• Been feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, or disconnected for a long time
• Withdrawn from community, family, religious circle, or social gatherings.

Even if they have not planned specific harmful actions. If life feels too heavy to bear, a safety plan can help. In clinical settings, practitioners often develop safety plans with people who are assessed as being at “high risk” for suicide.

Why Make a Safety Plan?

When strong suicidal feelings strike, people often don’t know what to do. A safety plan:

• Gives you clear steps to follow when you are in crisis.
• Helps you move from overwhelming thoughts to practical action.
• Reduces confusion and hesitation when thinking is hard.
• Connects you with familiar coping strategies, supporters, faith, and community.
• Helps remove or minimize access to things that could harm you.
• Reminds you that reaching out is not a weakness, it is ubuntu, it is a strength.

It’s like having a personalized safety roadmap ready when you need it most; it honors your life.

What Goes into a Safety Plan?

Different experts outline slightly different versions, but most safety plans include the same core elements. These are designed to guide you step-by-step through a difficult moment:

1. Warning Signs

These are thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that signal your crisis could be worsening; knowing your warning signs helps you act early.

Examples:

• Changes in mood: feeling hopeless, trapped, or like a burden
•  Thinking patterns: “There’s no way out,” “Everyone would be better off without me.”
• Behaviors: withdrawing from family gatherings, church, chama meetings, or community events
• Physical signs: not sleeping, loss of appetite, intense restlessness
• Spiritual disconnection: feeling abandoned by God, losing faith, or questioning your purpose

Write down your personal warning signs so you can recognize them early.

2. Internal Coping Strategies

These are things you can do for yourself to calm or ground your mind before reaching out to others, they are meant to regulate your emotions in the immediate moments.

Examples:

• Breathing exercises or grounding techniques
• Prayer, reading scripture, reciting dhikr, or meditation
• Listening to music, gospel songs, or traditional songs that comfort you
• Journaling or writing down your feelings
• Taking a walk, doing physical activity, or being in nature
• Distraction techniques: watching something uplifting, calling a friend to chat about something else

Choose what works for you personally – what brings you even a small sense of calm or peace.

3. Social Situations or Places That Help

These are safe spaces or environments where you feel less alone, more grounded, or surrounded by people, even if you don’t speak to anyone directly. Being in that or around others can help interrupt distressing thoughts. 

In our African tradition, we understand that no one suffers alone. When one person hurts, the whole community feels it. This is Ubuntu, the understanding that our humanity is bound together, that your wellbeing is our well-being. “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”…. A person is a person through other people. You are not meant to carry heavy burdens alone therefore, reach out to places that can help.

Examples:

•  Your church, mosque, or place of worship
•  A trusted neighbor’s home or a family member’s house
•  A community center, library, or local café
•  A park, the marketplace, or a favorite outdoor spot
• Chama meetings, support groups, or community gatherings
•  A place where you feel a spiritual connection under a tree, near water, or a sacred space

Identify places where you feel safer, calmer, or more connected to others.

4. People You Can Call for Support

This is where Ubuntu becomes action. This safety plan is not just for you alone; it is for all of us who care about you, who need you, and who walk this journey with you. List at least two or three trusted contacts: these are people who know you well and can give support when you’re struggling without judgement. 

Consider including:

• Family members (parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin)
• Close friends who understand your struggles
• Faith leaders (pastor, imam, church elder, spiritual mentor)
• Community elders or respected members of your community
• Colleagues, mentors, or trusted advisors
• Members of your chama, support group, or age-grade group

Write down their names and phone numbers. If possible, let them know they are on your safety plan so they are prepared to help.

5. Professional Contacts and Crisis Resources

List the clinicians, counselors, crisis lines, or emergency support services you can call, including their hours and specific contact details.

 Crisis Hotlines and Support Services in Kenya:

•  Centre for Suicide Research and Intervention: +254 703 388 130
•  Befrienders Kenya (Nairobi): +254 722 178 177 or +254 722 363 566
• Kenya Red Cross: 1199 (toll-free emergency line)
• KENPHA (Kenya Network of People Living with HIV): Mental health support available
• Wangu Kanja
• Nearest hospital emergency department

6. Steps to Make Your Environment Safer

During a crisis, having quick access to harmful means can be dangerous. Taking steps ahead of time to reduce this access creates needed time and space during a crisis. This is about protecting yourself, not punishing yourself.

Consider these steps:

•   Store medications safely: Give them to a trusted family member or lock them away
• Secure sharp objects: knives, razors, farm tools – ask someone to help you store them safely
• Remove or limit access to pesticides, chemicals, or other harmful substances
• If possible, avoid being alone for long periods during high-risk times – stay with family or ask someone to stay with you

This is an act of self-care and community care. You may need to ask family members or trusted friends to help with this step. This is Ubuntu in practice – allowing others to help keep you safe.

How to Create a Safety Plan

If you’re creating a safety plan with a professional, they will typically guide you through each step to ensure the plan feels personal, realistic, and usable. Collaboration increases the likelihood that you will utilize the plan when needed.

If you are creating one for yourself or helping a loved one, it is important to:

• Write the plan when you are calm, not in the middle of distress
• Use your own words and include what is meaningful to you – whether in English, Kiswahili, or your mother tongue
• Keep it somewhere you can easily access: in your phone, in a notebook, in your wallet, or with a trusted person
• Update it over time as things change in your life
• Order the safety steps from least to most intensive actions (start with what you can do yourself, then reach out to others, then professionals)
• Consider involving family members or community elders in creating the plan – this honors Ubuntu and ensures others know how to support you

How to Use a Safety Plan in a Crisis

When you notice one of your warning signs:

1. Read your plan immediately.
2. Try your internal coping strategies first ( Breathing, Music, Prayer, Grounding).
3. If you still feel unsafe, go to a safe place where you can be around others.
4. Contact your support network.
5. If you are still struggling, reach out to professional help or crisis services.
6. Take steps to make your environment safe and secure.

Using the plan does not mean you will feel better right away; it means you are giving yourself a path to stay safe until the intense feelings pass. Furthermore, a safety plan does not promise that everything will be okay forever. What it does is give you options; clear, concrete steps you can take, even on days when thinking feels hard. It’s about survival through difficult moments, one step at a time.

Standing against Stigma

We know that in our communities, mental health struggles and thoughts of suicide are often surrounded by silence, shame, and misunderstanding. Some may say it is weakness, a lack of faith, or something to hide. But the truth is: struggling with your mental health is not a moral failing. It is a health challenge, just like malaria, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

Seeking help is not a sign of weak faith. Many prophets and holy people faced deep sorrow and cried out for relief. God understands our pain and provides healers – both medical and spiritual – to help us.

You are not a burden. You are a valued member of your family and community. Your life has meaning and purpose, even when you cannot see it clearly right now.

It is okay to ask for help. In fact, it is brave. It honors Ubuntu. When you reach out, you give others the gift of being able to care for you.

When Resources are Limited

We understand that not everyone has access to professional therapy, hospitals, or even reliable phone credit. If you are facing these barriers:

• Lean on your community: Trusted neighbors, elders, faith leaders, and family can provide crucial support even when formal services are unavailable.
• Use free or low-cost services: Community health workers, faith-based counseling, and some crisis lines are free.
• If you cannot afford airtime, ask to use a neighbor’s phone or WhatsApp when needed – many people will help in an emergency.
• If you cannot write or read well, ask someone you trust to help you create a verbal safety plan, or use pictures and symbols.

Your safety plan can be simple and still be powerful. What matters most is that it connects you to people who care about you and gives you steps to take when things feel overwhelming.

Remember — You Are Not Alone

Suicidal thoughts can feel isolating, but help is available, and you deserve support. A safety plan is just one tool, and it works best alongside counselling, connection, and compassionate care. If you or someone you know is struggling right now, please reach out to someone you trust or to a trained support service immediately. You do not have to face this on your own.

Ubuntu: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu

A person is a person through other people.

We are because you are. Please stay.

This document is intended for educational and support purposes. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you are in immediate danger, please go to the nearest hospital emergency department or call emergency services.