“Who Would Find You?”: A Question for Working with Suicidal Children and Adolescents

This paper discusses the rationale, employment, and benefits of a particular question, “Who would find you?”, within the assessment of suicidal youngsters. The question helps identify salient interpersonal conflicts and supports in the young person's life, and indicates the direction for reparative and preventive interventions. For the young person, the question has the potential to release emotions, increase cognitive awareness of the reality of suicide, and generate a sense of hope. For the practitioner, it can increase skill and build confidence in the carrying out of a daunting clinical task.