244
246 245
247 246
248 247
249 248
250 249
251 250
252 251
253 252
254 253
255 254
256 255
257 256
258 257
259 258
260 259
261 260
262 261
263 262
264 263
265 264
266 265
267 266
268 267
269 268
270 269
271 270
272 271
273 272
274 273
275 274
276 275
277 276
278 277
279 278
280 279
281 280
282 281
283 282
284 283
285 284
286 285
287 286
288 287
289 288
290 289
291 290
292 291
Suicide Assessment and Treatment Planning
A Strengths-Based Approach
John Sommers-Flanagan
Rita Sommers-Flanagan
6101 Stevenson Avenue, Suite 600
Alexandria, VA 22304
Copyright © 2021 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.
American Counseling Association 6101 Stevenson Avenue, Suite 600 • Alexandria, VA 22304
Associate Publisher • Carolyn C. Baker
Digital and Print Development Editor • Nancy Driver
Senior Production Manager • Bonny E. Gaston
Copy Editor • Beth Ciha
Cover and text design by Bonny E. Gaston
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Sommers-Flanagan, John, 1957– author. | Sommers-Flanagan, Rita, 1953– author. Title: Suicide assessment and treatment planning : a strengths-based approach / John Sommers-Flanagan and Rita Sommers-Flanagan. Description: Alexandria, VA : American Counseling Association, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020041407 | ISBN 9781556204050 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Suicidal behavior—Diagnosis | Suicidal behavior—Treatment Classification: LCC RC569 .S64 2021 | DDC 616.85/8445--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020041407
DEDICATION
We dedicate this book to all the school, mental health,health care professionals, and students who are so busysaving lives that they will probably skip this dedication.We see you, and we honor you and your work.
Preface
Writing a book about suicide may not have been our best idea ever. Rita made the point more than once that reading and writing about suicide at the depth necessary to write a helpful book can affect one’s mood in a downward direction. She was right, of course. Her rightness inspired us to pay attention to the other side of the coin, so we decided to integrate positive psychology and the happiness literature into this book. As is often the case when grappling with matters of humanity, focusing on suicide led us to a deeper understanding of suicide’s complementary dialectic—a meaningful and fully lived life—and that has been a very good thing.
Before diving into these pages, please consider the following.
Do the Self-Care Thing
In the first chapter, we strongly emphasize how important it is to practice self-care when working with clients who are suicidal. Immersing ourselves in the suicide literature required a balancing focus on positive psychology and wellness. While you are reading this book and exploring suicide, you cannot help but be impacted emotionally, and we cannot overstate the importance of you taking care of yourself throughout this process and into the future. You are the instrument through which you provide care for others, and so we highly encourage you to repeatedly do the self-care thing.
What Is a Strengths-Based Approach?
Many people have asked, “What on earth do you mean by a strengths-based approach to suicide assessment and treatment planning?” In response, we usually
