Every Art Opening Minds Class touches on mental health—which means Participants may feel vulnerable, emotional, or unexpectedly activated. While these Classes are designed to stay in the education lane (not therapy), it’s important to have a plan in place in case someone needs additional support. That’s where your Participant Safety Plan comes in.

This article helps you think through what safety tools to have on hand, so you can focus on leading your Class with confidence.

What Is a Participant Safety Plan?

It’s a set of supports and resources you identify before your Class that help you respond compassionately if someone is emotionally activated or needs help beyond what the Class can provide.

You may never need to use it—but just having one in place increases the safety of the space.

Things You Might Include in Your Plan

Here are a few options—choose what works best for your setting and your facilitation style:

A support person present

Invite someone you trust to be there during the Class. This could be:

• A peer support leader
• A trained facilitator
• A staff or faculty member familiar with mental health conversations
  They can help Participants during or after the session if needed, or simply serve as an extra pair of eyes and ears.

A connection to your school’s counseling center

Before your Class, reach out to counseling services on campus:

• Let them know you’re running an AOM Class
• Ask if they have walk-in hours or a specific staff contact you can share with students
• Request any printed flyers or digital links to post or distribute
  Some Instructors invite a counseling staff member to be present during the Class—especially for Classes covering heavier topics.

A printed resource sheet or slide

Prepare a handout (or end-of-Class slide) with campus and community resources. Include:

• Counseling services and hours
• Crisis hotline or text line (e.g., 988 in the U.S.)
• Disability support services
• LGBTQ+ or identity-based support centers
• Peer-to-peer programs or warm lines (if available)

Grounding tools or exit activities

Have something extra ready in case the Class feels heavy at the end:

• A short breathing exercise or body scan
• A moment of gratitude or intention-setting
• A quiet writing prompt before everyone leaves
• A reminder that people are welcome to stay after if they want to connect

How to Share the Plan with Participants

You don’t need to explain the full plan at the start—but it’s helpful to let people know that support is available:

“Because we’re talking about mental health, you might feel more than you expect. If anything comes up for you, I’ll have some resources available at the end—and I’m happy to chat or point you in the right direction.”
This helps normalize the idea that needing support is okay—and expected.

Tips & Notes

• Make your plan before you step into the room—it’s much easier to support others when you feel grounded.
• If you’re co-facilitating, talk through your safety roles ahead of time.
• Keep your plan simple. You don’t need to do it all—just have something in place.