A Step-by-Step Roadmap for Parents
The first month after a mental health crisis is intense for parents. You may feel fear, exhaustion, guilt, or all of the above. Sometimes all at once.
This guide for the first 30 days after a mental health crisis is designed to give parents clarity and practical steps on what to do after a teen suicide attempt or other mental health crisis. As always, consult with your child’s mental health provider to identify and address any concerns that are unique to your situation.
Download a one page version of The First 30 Days After a Crisis guide here
WEEK 1: STABILIZE AND ENSURE SAFETY
Focus: Immediate safety and emotional grounding.
- Supervision: Increase monitoring at home. Don’t leave your child alone for long periods.
- Remove Lethal Means: All medications (not just prescriptions), sharp objects, firearms, and other dangerous items. See our Home Safety Audit Checklist for more information.
- Create and review the Family Safety Plan: Ensure everyone in the household knows it and has access.
- Schedule Appointments: Contact your child’s therapist, psychiatrist, or other provider. See our guide to finding the right therapist for your child and our guide to understanding mental health treatment options.
- Communicate with School (if appropriate): Let school counselors or administrators know about the crisis to ensure support. Review our guide for returning to school after a mental health crisis to learn how to get the right support from your child’s school.
- Observe Warning Signs: Track mood, sleep, and behavior closely.
Parent Tip: Focus on safety and predictability, not perfection. Don’t expect things to start changing yet. You are laying the groundwork for stability and nervous system regulation. Recovery will begin later.
WEEK 2: ESTABLISH STRUCTURE
Focus: Daily routine, coping strategies, and open communication.
- Daily Check-ins: Short, calm conversations about feelings and needs. Listen and validate, do not try to explain why you think your child is feeling this way. Read our guide on how to talk to your child about suicide for tips.
- Structured Routine: Meals, sleep, schoolwork, and recreation. Predictability helps stabilize mood.
- Encourage Coping Skills: Use grounding exercises, mindfulness, journaling, or other strategies you identified in the family safety plan.
- Monitor Medications: Ensure prescriptions are taken as prescribed, if applicable. Follow the Home Safety Audit Checklist on storing medications.
- Supportive Social Contact: Encourage safe interactions with friends or trusted adults.
Parent Tip: Keep conversations gentle. Listen more than you speak. Just be a calming presence. Provide time for distractions and coping strategies for your child as much as possible while they begin to regulate their nervous system. Review our guide for talking to your child about mental health for help on establishing a foundation for your child to effectively communicate their needs and feelings to you.
WEEK 3: BUILD A SUPPORT NETWORK
Focus: Expand safe emotional supports and reinforce therapy.
- Connect with extended family and trusted friends As much as possible: Ensure everyone knows how to support your child.
- Support Groups: Consider peer support groups for your child to foster connection and understanding.
- Monitor School Reintegration: Teachers and counselors can help with emotional or academic accommodations.
- Therapeutic Support: Confirm therapy sessions are ongoing and consistent. Ask your child’s therapist questions about how you can reinforce treatment at home and identify additional coping strategies that they suggest.
Parent Tip: You may have days where you think everything is under control, then suddenly feels like it’s falling apart again. This is completely normal. Healing doesn’t happen in a straight line. This type of healing happens very slowly at first, but it does happen.
Remember, you don’t have to manage everything yourself. Build a team of trusted family, friends, and professionals to help you manage this process.
WEEK 4: REINFORCE AND PLAN AHEAD
Focus: Long-term safety, coping skills, and parent care.
- Review your Family Safety Plan with your child and their therapist. Update as needed. Make it a living document.
- Evaluate Progress: Note improvements, setbacks, or ongoing challenges. Talk to your child about their treatment plan and ensure it’s the right fit for them.
- Make communication with your child a priority.
- Reinforce positive coping skills: Praise your child’s efforts to use strategies that help them de-escalate and process their emotions.
- Plan for Future Crises: Have a go-to ER, therapist, or hotline ready. Gently monitor your child for warning signs. Assure them that if they need help again it does not mean they failed or are disappointing you.
Parent Tip: Celebrate small wins. Stability and safety are successes!
Did your child identify a trigger before it happened? Or proactively used one of their coping strategies? Celebrate it! Setbacks are to be expected. Healing is not linear. But you will have wins along the way and you are allowed to enjoy those moments.
PARENT SELF CARE
Your emotional health is critical. Burnout or anxiety can affect your ability to respond calmly to your child’s needs. And it happens to all of us. You aren’t harming your child by taking a moment to give yourself a break. It will make you stronger in the long run.
Remember: Caring for yourself is part of caring for your child. Find the support you need by signing up for one of our virtual Parent Support Circles.
The Short List for the First 30 Days:
- Safety First: Remove immediate dangers, supervise, and maintain your child’s safety plan.
- Structure Helps: Routine and predictability reduce emotional instability.
- Support is Essential: Build a team: therapists, school, extended family, and support groups.
- Parent Wellbeing Matters: Your calm, presence, and self-care directly affect your child’s recovery.
- This is a Process: Progress may be slow or uneven. Healing isn’t linear. Consistency and patience are key.
Important Resouces
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.): Call or text for immediate support
- 911: For emergencies
- Brighter Path Family Network: Guides, checklists, and parent support
Download a one page version of The First 30 Days After a Crisis guide here.
Need Next Steps?
For help talking to your child: How Parents Can a Build Stronger Connection with a Struggling Child
Learn about the types of treatment available for your child: Mental Health Treatment Options for Teens
You are not alone. For parent support and community join one of our Parent Support Circles and learn all the ways we provide Support for Parents
Parents can learn more about mental health recovery from the National Institute of Mental Health
If this article helped you, consider supporting Brighter Path Family Network. As a registered 501(c)3 organization, your donation is tax deductible and allows us the continue providing help to families facing a child’s mental health challenges.
Brighter Path Family Network
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This article is shared for informational purposes only and is not intended to be used in place of medical advice.