Youth Suicide Risk Assessment and Prevention: Effectively Engaging Caregivers

Sarah Solis, LCSW

Training Description

This training will focus on effectively engaging caregivers of system involved youth (SIY) in the suicide prevention safety planning process. Attendees will review current United States youth suicide risk statistics, discuss research concerning caregiver experience when presented with their child’s suicide risk acuity, and identify ways to support the caregiver in collaborating with their child in the safety planning process. Attendees will practice the use of Motivational Interviewing strategies (open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries) to elicit caregiver understanding of their child’s suicidality, increase provider understanding of their system involved youth’s risks and resiliency factors, and consolidate motivation to safety plan. The training will include strategies for speaking with caregivers about means safety.

Learning Objectives

Attendees will:

• Identify at least 1 barrier to engaging caregivers of System Involved Youth (SIY) in discussions around suicidality.