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Three Psychotherapies for Suicidal Adolescents: Overview of Conceptual Frameworks and Intervention Techniques

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Abstract

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth, and as many as one in five youth report having had at least one serious thought of suicide in the past year. Despite the enormous emotional pain and suffering associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, up to 40 % of suicidal youth never receive treatment. Given that social workers are employed in multiple settings where suicidal children and adolescents are encountered (e.g. schools, homeless shelters, emergency departments, outpatient mental health agencies, private practice), they play a critical role in the identification and treatment of suicidal youth. In the past decade, evidence has emerged that attachment-based family therapy, integrated cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy can reduce suicidal ideation and/or suicide attempt in youth. The purpose of this article is to review the theoretical assumptions, conceptual frameworks and key intervention techniques for these three interventions so that clinicians can integrate these approaches into their practice with suicidal youth and families. Implications for practice are integrated throughout the review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, Water Tower Campus, 820 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60211, USA

    Jonathan B. Singer

  2. Simmons School of Social Work, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Kimberly H. McManama O’Brien

  3. West Virginia University School of Social Work, P.O. Box 6830, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Mary LeCloux

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Singer, J.B., O’Brien, K.H.M. & LeCloux, M. Three Psychotherapies for Suicidal Adolescents: Overview of Conceptual Frameworks and Intervention Techniques. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 34, 95–106 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0453-5

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