Teamwork with Natural Systems I: Collaborating with Clients’ Parents and Peers

One of Rudd and Joiner’s (1998) evidence-based practice recommendations for treatment of adolescents who are suicidal is to “involve parents or guardians in the initial assessment, treatment planning, and ongoing suicide risk assessment process. Acknowledge their helpful contributions and empower them to have positive influences in their roles as parents and caregivers” (p. 444). In this approach they echo other leading practitioners and professional groups (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000; Ashworth, 2001; Berman, Jobes, & Silverman, 2005; Borman, 2003; Donaldson, Spirito, & Overholser, 2003; Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, 1996; Hazell, 2000).