Psychotherapeutic Management of Suicide Attempts in Children and Early Adolescents: Working With Parents

Describes the application of metatherapy (MT), a family therapy approach developed by Selvini-Palazzoli & Prata (1988) in the treatment of suicidal behaviour. MT involves 2 phases: 1) case evaluation, with the participation of the whole family group, & 2) case treatment, with exclusive participation & active collaboration of the parental couple. MT emphasizes boundary delimitation & stresses the recuperation of parental executive capacity. Two clinical case examples illustrate the MT approach.