“Who Would Find You?” A Question for Working With Suicidal Children and Adolescents

This paper discusses the rationale, employment, & benefits of a particular question, “Who would find you?”, within the assessment of suicidal youngsters. The question helps identify salient interpersonal conflicts & supports in the young person’s life, & indicates the direction for reparative & preventive interventions. For the young person, the question has the potential to release emotions, increase cognitive awareness of the reality of suicide, & generate a sense of hope. For the practitioner, it can increase skill & build confidence in the carrying out of a daunting clinical task. (20 refs)