Reflection On My Mock Suicide

My mock suicide assessment was completed with Will Logan who played a character named Gary. Throughout the course of twenty minutes, I listened to Gary’s narrative and sought to ask questions which elicited information about his interactions with suicidal ideation and attempts. Gary came to treatment at the urging of a friend after two recent suicide attempts where he took pills in order to attempt to end his life. Through reflection, I hope to understand the strengths and areas for growth and learning after conducting a risk assessment with Gary. Although I have worked with persons who are experiencing suicidal ideation in the past, my conversation with Gary is the first time I have attempted a suicide risk assessment. In addition, intentionally …show more content…
The likert scale, introduced at 12:53, was intended to gauge the intensity of Gary’s immediate suicidal desire. On the likert scale, zero stood for the desire to return home and end life and 10 stood for no desire to end life. Gary answered with a four. My use of the likert scale within the question was well implemented, but my follow-up question needs reviewing. After asking about current desire, I asked about past desire during previous suicide attempts. Although I feel that knowing a person has increased from a zero to a four shows a difference and could help someone explore what makes them a four instead of a zero, in this moment; it felt …show more content…
It was intent to ask about suicide, not depression. I actually thought I had asked about suicide and it was not until I watched the video segment, twice, that realized I had stated depression, not suicide. Word choice is important to convey appropriate meaning. By asking about depression, not suicide, I run the risk of making Gary feel as though I cannot sit with the conversation due to my own discomfort. Additionally, it skews the information I receive because I am not accurately gauging risk assessment. In the future, I need to remain aware of my verbiage, in the