Applying the collaborative assessment and management of suicidality (CAMS) to suicidal adolescents

Suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death for adolescents, with limited evidence of empirically-supported treatment approaches for reducing risk of suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation in this population. The purpose of the current article is to present the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) therapeutic framework as a potentially  useful approach to working with suicidal adolescents given the egalitarian dynamic between therapist and client, as well as the focus on targeting the client’s unique drivers of suicide. The published literature  was reviewed to determine the current state of science for empirically-supported psychotherapies developed specifically for suicidal adolescents. We conclude that while initial CAMS research and clinical projects are promising, the therapeutic framework requires the development of a rigorous line of research to achieve important benchmarks for establishment as an empirically- supported psychosocial intervention for suicidal adolescents.