Collaborative safety planning

Collaborative safety planning is an essential tool in suicide care. It provides a structured approach to help individuals identify warning signs, coping strategies, and sources of support while reducing access to lethal means. Providers who are familiar with best practices in collaborative safety planning and are comfortable actively supporting and creating collaborative safety plans offer a higher quality of care for those at risk.  

EDC's training in Collaborative Safety Planning introduces and expands two core, research-based interventions: the Stanley Brown Safety Plan and EDC’s Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM). Together, these strategies provide a concrete framework for any healthcare, education, or community professional to build rapport with individuals and their support persons to implement safety-focused interventions that can reduce suicide attempts and save lives. 

Objectives

The goal of this training is to increase confidence and competence in developing and implementing collaborative safety plans with individuals at risk of suicide. The training will strengthen participants’ ability to engage individuals in structured problem-solving and apply protective interventions that prioritize safety. In addition, it will equip participants to effectively counsel on lethal means safety, including firearms and medications, using developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive approaches.  

Practical skill-building will be emphasized throughout the session, with structured role-plays, peer feedback, and guided debriefing to ensure participants leave with usable, real-world strategies. At the end of the training, participants will be able to:

• Describe what a collaborative safety plan is, how and when to use it with a person at risk of suicide
• Understand the components and how to complete the steps of a collaborative safety plan 
• Explain the association between access to lethal means and suicide, and the role of counseling on access to lethal means in collaborative safety planning  
• Increase their skills and confidence to work with people and their families to complete a collaborative safety plan and reduce their access to lethal means