Risk Assessment

The most important thing in a suicide risk assessment is therapeutic alliance. Our trainings are based on the Aeschi Approach to suicide prevention which elevates empathetic collaboration as essential in assessment of suicide risk and narrative as the tool for getting there.

Narrative within Suicide Prevention

Connection is critical in risk assessment and in suicide prevention. Checklists and forms can be useful tools to gather information and enhance our knowledge of risk, but there is no single checklist or form that can adequately and predictably identify suicide risk level. Creating connection through a narrative approach helps mental health professionals create a well rounded view of the students suicidal ideation and risk.

Sociocultural focus within suicide prevention

Focusing on a sociocultural lens within suicide prevention forces us to acknowledge and try to understand the ways in which our evolved societal scripts and norms have disproportionately effected different families, communities, and systems. This means that people who do not belong in the groups identified as dominant often received messaging implicitly and even explicitly that they do not belong, can be a burden to others, and experience inequities that can lead to environments ripe for developing acquired capability. Using the framework from the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, we encourage you to consider how discrimination may fuel the driving components of suicidal behavior: thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and acquired capability.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series looking at a sociocultural approach to suicide prevention through the lens of discrimination.

This is part 2 of Project Fleur-de-lis' 2020 series taking a sociocultural approach to suicide prevention through the lens of discrimination.

Safety Planning

Safety planning is a collaborative effort between clinician, client, parents/caregivers, and possibly other family members curated to keep the client in suicidal crisis safe. Our trainings encourage the use of the evidence-based Family Intervention and Suicide Planning (FISP) and focus on creating an accessible and realistic safety plan that a child or adolescent will truly use in their moments of need.