About this resource
Setbacks are a normal part of recovery. This plan helps clients record what keeps them well, triggers to watch for, early warning signs, what they will do if they notice them, what to do if things get harder and who to contact.
Purpose
To help clients maintain wellbeing and respond early to warning signs.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Counsellors and therapists. Also relevant for psychologists, social workers.
Client or participant group: Adolescents and adults approaching the end of counselling or in recovery.
Practice setting: Final stages of counselling.
Suggested uses
- End of counselling
- Recovery planning
- Sharing with trusted people
- Reviewing after a setback
Instructions for practitioners
- Build the plan from what has worked in counselling.
- Use the client's words.
- Include people the client trusts.
- Encourage keeping the plan somewhere easy to find.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Write what keeps you well.
- Write your warning signs.
- Write what you will do and who you will contact.
Accessibility considerations
Can be kept on a phone. Use pictures.
Scope and limitations
A planning tool. It does not replace crisis support or a safety plan.
Research basis
Relapse prevention plans that identify high-risk situations and coping responses are an established part of treatment for addictive behaviours. Understanding, naming and choosing strategies for emotions are central to emotion regulation; putting feelings into words and finer emotion distinctions are linked to better regulation.
- Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion Regulation: Current Status and Future Prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840x.2014.940781
- Hendershot, C. S., Witkiewitz, K., George, W. H., & Marlatt, G. A. (2011). Relapse prevention for addictive behaviors. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 6(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-597x-6-17
- Kashdan, T. B., Barrett, L. F., & McKnight, P. E. (2015). Unpacking Emotion Differentiation: Transforming Unpleasant Experience by Perceiving Distinctions in Negativity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414550708
- Kircanski, K., Lieberman, M. D., & Craske, M. G. (2012). Feelings Into Words: Contributions of Language to Exposure Therapy. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1086–1091. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612443830
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
