ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the treatment of suicide and self-harm from a family-focused perspective. While effective treatment of suicidal and self-harming behaviors incorporates elements of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), these approaches alone are often not helpful without including families in treatment. Various clinical interventions, techniques, and strategies that comprise a family-focused treatment package are described. Session content and clinical objectives are also described, including the format and objectives for individual therapy sessions, family therapy sessions, parent therapy sessions, and skills training. This chapter “pulls back the curtain” for parents so that they can better understand what actually takes place in therapy. Moreover, this chapter considers how parents and the clinical team may respond during and after a self-harm event, with careful attention given to strategies for reducing the need for psychiatric hospitalization.
