Needs Statement

Primary care clinics are ideal settings to identify and intervene during acute periods of increased suicidal ideation, as youth are more connected to their healthcare home and can be more readily identified as in need of services (Van Cleave, et al. 2018, Cama, et al. 2020). In fact, primary care physicians evaluate 70% of adolescents each year (Newacheck et al.,1999), including 45% of adolescent suicide victims within one month before completed suicide (Luoma et al., 2002). Despite mandates for primary care providers to address emotional and behavioral health, they often lack the training and expertise required (Olson et al., 2001; Taliaferro et al., 2013). While evidence-based outpatient interventions are available, many suicidal youth who present to primary care are not adequately connected to these services. Therefore, it is vital to develop brief interventions that provide promotion of evidence-based skills that can be used in primary care settings where suicidal youth are likely to present. Such interventions would likely decrease referrals to EDs and inpatient care.