ABSTRACT

This book describes a blend of insight-oriented, behavioral, and strategic family therapy, which the author has developed over thirty-four years of dealing with suicidal adolescents. It aims not to replace other forms of therapy but to augment the therapist’s own therapeutic style.

The book offers an informative and personally told story bringing together scholarship and meaningful glimpses into the thought processes of suicidal youth. Written in an understandable, friendly, and practical style, it will appeal to those in clinical practice, as well as graduate-level students pursuing clinical work.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

The Journey Begins

chapter |16 pages

Formulations of Suicide

Examining the Nature of the Beast

chapter |9 pages

Adolescent Suicide

Why Is Adolescence Such a Fertile Breeding Ground?

chapter |29 pages

Factors in Adolescent Suicide

The Seeds That Bear Bitter Fruit

chapter |21 pages

The Therapeutic Framework for Intervention

A Strategy for Family Therapy

chapter |21 pages

Crisis Intervention

Balancing on the Edge of the Cliff

chapter |20 pages

Joining

Convincing the Adolescent That This Does Not Have to Be a Solitary Battle

chapter |23 pages

Analysis

Understanding How the Adolescent Has Been Seduced

chapter |23 pages

Cognitive Interventions

Freeing the Mind from Destructive Ways of Thinking

chapter |20 pages

Behavioral Interventions

When Actions Speak Louder Than Words

chapter |42 pages

Strategic Interventions

The Art of Overcoming the Fear of Change