ABSTRACT
Questioning about suicidal thoughts need not be asked in a ‘checklist’ way but can emerge in the dialogue between client and therapist. In the process of enquiry into risk behaviour, therapists need to monitor what happens between self and other rather than remain at one pole of the relationship. History taking with a focus on risk behaviour is an essential part of risk assessment because history uncovers information and patterns from the client’s situation that not only indicate risk factors, but also how the client has successfully creatively adjusted to her environment in the past. There are a wealth of assessment methods in the wider field of psychiatry and psychotherapy relating to assessing risk. Whilst these methods may not fit perfectly with a gestalt philosophy it would be foolhardy to discount methods of assessment present in the wider therapeutic field.
