Principles of Treatment of Suicidal Children (IN: Youth Suicide: The Critical Issues, San Francisco: 1984)

The author outlines 6 principles that should be utilized in the treatment of suicidal children. These include having knowledge about childhood suicidal behavior; understanding one’s personal reaction to the suicidal child; being alert to specific risk indicators; developing a therapeutic structure; & establishing follow-up contacts. She states that suicidal ideation &/or acts are not normal developmental phenomenon in children & therefore could be taken very seriously. (NBB)