Stabilisation plan for complex trauma
Build a plan with your therapist for feeling safer and steadier: safety, early warning signs, grounding, skills for strong feelings and a steady routine, with readiness ratings. Based on Cloitre et al. (2012): safety and stabilisation before trauma memory work, in our own layout, with a grounding log and repeated readiness ratings added.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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Stabilisation plan for complex trauma
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My stabilisation plan
This plan is based on expert guidance for therapy after repeated or long-lasting trauma, which starts with feeling safer and steadier. It is our own layout, not a published form.
This sheet helps you and your therapist build a plan for feeling safer and steadier day to day. Fill it in together at first, in your own words. You can change it as you go.
This sheet is not for writing about what happened to you. You do not need to describe any memory here.
This can bring up strong feelings. You can stop at any point, use a grounding skill, and come back to it later or bring it to your next session.
Staying safe day to day
Think about the everyday people, places and things that help you feel safe. A safety plan for times of crisis is a separate plan, which you make with your therapist.
If going over this brings back urges to hurt yourself, stop and use your safety plan if you have one, and tell your therapist. If you might act on the urges, call 999 or go to A&E. To talk to someone now, call Samaritans free on 116 123.
If someone in your life is hurting, threatening or controlling you now, tell your therapist. If you are in danger now, call the emergency services.
| # | Person, place or thing | How it helps me | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Noticing when I am getting overwhelmed
Strong reactions after trauma can go two ways: feeling too much (on edge, panicky or angry) or feeling too little (numb, spaced out or far away). Noticing the early signs gives you time to use a skill.
This can bring up strong feelings. You can stop at any point, use a grounding skill, and come back to it later or bring it to your next session.
Grounding skills I am practising
Grounding brings your attention back to the here and now, through your senses, your body or the place you are in. Practise when you are only a little upset, so the skill is ready when you need it. Before and after each practice, rate how upset you feel. 0 means calm. 10 means the most upset you have been. If a skill makes you feel worse or further away, stop it and tell your therapist.
| # | Date | Skill I used | Upset before (0 to 10) | Upset after (0 to 10) | What I noticed | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 |
Skills for strong feelings
For each strong feeling that is hard to manage, write one thing you can do that helps, and who or what can support you.
| # | Feeling | What I can do that helps | Who or what can support me | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Things that keep my week steady
A steady routine helps the body and mind settle. Think about sleep, daily routine, contact with people you trust, and things you enjoy or care about.
Checking in on readiness
Every few sessions, rate these three things with your therapist. 0 means not at all. 10 means completely. Make your first row when you start this plan: it is your starting point. There is no pass mark. You and your therapist decide together when, and whether, to move on to work on trauma memories, and you can take your time.
| # | Date | I can use my skills (0 to 10) | Daily life is steady (0 to 10) | Ready for the next stage (0 to 10) | What has changed or helped | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 |
Agreeing it together
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When to use ‘Stabilisation plan for complex trauma’
‘Stabilisation plan for complex trauma’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet, most often used in CBT for trauma and PTSD.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device or download it as a print-ready PDF.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 20 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
- My stabilisation plan: This plan is based on expert guidance for therapy after repeated or long-lasting trauma, which starts with feeling safer and steadier. It…
- Staying safe day to day: Think about the everyday people, places and things that help you feel safe. A safety plan for times of crisis is a separate plan, which you…
- Noticing when I am getting overwhelmed: Strong reactions after trauma can go two ways: feeling too much (on edge, panicky or angry) or feeling too little (numb, spaced out or far…
- Grounding skills I am practising: Grounding brings your attention back to the here and now, through your senses, your body or the place you are in. Practise when you are…
- Skills for strong feelings: For each strong feeling that is hard to manage, write one thing you can do that helps, and who or what can support you.
- Things that keep my week steady: A steady routine helps the body and mind settle. Think about sleep, daily routine, contact with people you trust, and things you enjoy or…
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
The CBT approach behind it
In common with other CBT methods, ‘Stabilisation plan for complex trauma’ works by building practical skills to manage difficult thoughts and feelings in the moment. The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
Evidence & sources
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
- Cloitre, M., Courtois, C.A., Ford, J.D., Green, B.L., Alexander, P., Briere, J., Herman, J.L., Lanius, R., Pearlman, L.A., Stolbach, B.C., Spinazzola, J., van der Kolk, B.A., & van der Hart, O. (2012). The ISTSS expert consensus treatment guidelines for complex PTSD in adults. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), 2012. https://istss.org.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2018). Post-traumatic stress disorder (NICE guideline NG116). NICE. Published 5 December 2018. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng116.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- NHS 111 (NHS 24 in Scotland): 111 — choose the mental health option for urgent help, in England, Scotland and Wales (in Wales, press 2)
- Lifeline: 0808 808 8000 — for urgent help in Northern Ireland, free, day or night
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- Shout: 85258 — text SHOUT, free, day or night
- SANEline: 0300 304 7000 — 4pm–10pm, every day
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