How to Create a Crisis Safety Plan for Suicidal Thoughts

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement

4.8 • 657 Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Get the Free Safety Plan Worksheet here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/safety-plan Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership My wish for the world is that everyone who is in crisis can have someone in person to talk with them and help them create a safety plan- but I understand that isn’t reality. So in this podcast I’m going to walk you through the steps for creating a safety plan. We’re going to figure out some resources you can use if you’re having a crisis. And this is important because when we’re super emotional, we don’t think very clearly. It’s really hard to remember the people who love us or the things that make us feel better. So we’re going to write this down so that you can remember it if you need it. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to another episode of the Therapy in a nutshell podcast. I'm Emma McAdam and I'm a licensed
0:07.1	marriage and family therapist. And this podcast is all about taking the life-changing, but usually kind of
0:13.0	complicated topics of therapy and boiling them down into simple, easy to understand concepts that
0:18.6	you can use in your daily life. If you find today's episode
0:21.5	is helpful to you, please pass it on to someone else who could benefit from it as well.
0:25.4	Each podcast episode comes from a corresponding video you can find on The Therapy in a Nutshell
0:29.8	YouTube channel. Also, these podcasts are educational and don't replace the advice or direction
0:34.6	you may be receiving from a therapist or other health professionals.
0:37.9	Now please enjoy the episode.
0:40.4	My wish for the world is that everyone who's in crisis can have someone in person to talk with them
0:45.5	and to help them create a safety plan. But I understand that this isn't reality. So in this
0:51.2	video, I'm going to walk you through the steps for creating a safety plan.
0:56.0	We're going to figure out some resources you can use if you're having a crisis.
1:00.0	And this is super important because when you're super emotional, we just don't think very clearly.
1:05.0	It's really hard to remember the people who love us or who want to help us or the things that make us feel better.
1:11.6	So we're going to write this down so that you can remember it if you need it.
1:18.6	Okay, but first, if you're having thoughts of suicide, you're not alone.
1:22.6	Many people have a suicidal thought at some point in their lives.
1:25.6	And it's not a sign of weakness or a sign that you're crazy.
1:29.8	It's probably that your pain has become greater than your resources to cope. So, let's add in some resources for you, okay?
1:38.2	You might think that you have no options left and that suicide is the only way to escape. But that's not true. Depression is a liar.
1:47.0	And there are so many options, probably many that you don't even know about, that can help you.
	...

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