Suicide Assessment and Formulation in Kids and Teens: An Evidence-based Approach
was a video well worth watching.
My main take-away was that the suicide assessment is a precarious moment and requires real presence, for the therapist to be “calm and collaborative” so the session can be a good experience, and the patient feels safe, cared for, and validated.
This includes confidentiality. A teen would either be seen with the teenager or just the teen, but at the very beginning they are told what they will expect in the meeting.
If the adolescent feels that the adult is just checking off boxes and doesn’t really care, they may never come back. It is important to realize the gravity of the interview, but at the same time not to become overly emotional with the adolescent who doesn’t want to attend to an adult’s emotions.
Understanding risk factors, and understanding suicidal ideation, it is useful in asking about their current stressors, family dynamics and school situation. During the interview it is extremely helpful for the social worker to have a risk factor checklist to go through to understand the factors that make the child more vulnerable, for example low family support or bullying at school. The speaker shows an example checklist from Teen Suicide Risk : A Practitioner Guide to Screening, Assessment, and Management by King, C. A., Ewell Foster, C., & Rogalski, K. M. (2013) which can be found on Tripod, and is downloadable
Lastly, the speaker also addressed the use of suicide scales and tests as things that can be given to teens to fill out themselves. She said that in her experience, a teen, who hasn’t had someone take the time to ask them about their suicidality, appreciates filling out the survey that applies to their experience specifically. They feel validated.