Are you thinking about suicide, or do you have a plan to hurt yourself or anyone else?
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS); Roberts’ Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model
Answer:Asking explicitly about suicidal ideation, intent, and available means eliminates ambiguity and allows for immediate risk stratification without increasing self-harm risk.
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What happened today or recently that brought things to this point?
Answer: Identifying the specific precipitating event helps separate the acute "last straw" from overwhelming background stress, anchoring the individual to the actionable present
Crisis Intervention Handbook: Assessment, Treatment, and Research
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What can we do right now to help you feel safe and ground yourself?
Answer: Shifting focus to immediate environmental safety and short-term grounding interrupts cognitive overload and reduces acute self-harm risk before long-term issues are tackled.
Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention (SPI); Psychological First Aid (PFA).
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Answer: Prompting individuals to recall past coping strategies counteracts the cognitive tunnel vision of acute distress by re-engaging their internal resilience and self-efficacy.
What has helped you survive or get through a situation like this in the past?
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT); Roberts’ Seven-Stage Model (Stage 5).
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