Abstract
Childhood suicide: A call to action for play therapists
Brammer, M.K., Stark, C., Suri, T., & Brown, E.C.
As rates of children attempting and dying by suicide accelerate in the United States, it is imperative that play therapists increase their competency to address childhood suicidality. This article provides evidence-based data on this phenomenon and is a call to action inviting play therapists to cultivate awareness, knowledge, skills, and advocacy competencies to address childhood suicide and create positive change. The authors offer a cross-culturally adaptive screening and assessment tool for use by play therapists working with children with suicidal ideation. A case vignette demonstrates integrating the screening tool during play therapy, and the article concludes with suicide prevention strategies for play therapists.