Talking on the Edge: Assessing the Risk of Suicide

Excerpt

[...]even the best scales can be unreliable when they're completed in the midst of an emotional crisis. [...]rather than outsourcing your decision-making to an instrument, I recommend that you learn how to conduct a conversational evaluation that builds on your therapeutic skills. Once there, she'd meditate and, if necessary, call the numbers of family, friends, and professional resources that we wrote down.\n If the client appears to be at imminent risk of making a suicide attempt and a safety plan doesn't seem feasible or sufficient to keep him or her safe, then you'll need to arrange transportation to a psychiatric receiving facility for evaluation and possible involuntary admission.