Using a Mood Scale for Suicide Assessment

Working with suicidal clients can be anxiety-provoking, and often therapists are unsure exactly how to assess suicidality and even what words to use when talking about it with their clients. John Sommers-Flanagan has spent his career learning from, teaching about and treating clients along the broad spectrum of suicidality, and honing a highly effective style of intervention.

In this short video, Sommers-Flanagan shares an effective, research-validated tool for identifying triggers and protective factors in your suicidal clients while assessing their current risk. Simple and straightforward, this mood scale has the added advantage of being an approachable way to initiate conversations about suicide and lays the groundwork for deeper conversations on this important topic.