ABSTRACT
In the realm of “high-stakes” assessment, there is perhaps no higher stake than determining whether someone is at risk of taking their own life. This is a presenting situation that happens commonly in mental health settings, and determining likelihood of a suicide attempt is a skill that all mental health professionals need to have mastered regardless of whether they are doing any other types of assessments. The authors present several different instruments and interview strategies to help a counselor organize the information being elicited, including guidance and information about how to evaluate the imminence with which action should be taken to intervene with a client situation. One thing that differentiates suicide assessment from other types of assessments is that this work is commonly carried out in the form of a semi-structured interview. While there are standardized instruments available, many clinicians use a structured interview because a sound suicide assessment should include substantial depth of information, which is typically gathered organically during an interview/session. Readers are provided with several useful tools for their own use.
