- Participating adolescents nominate adults from their family, school and community to serve the role of YST Support Persons. YST Intervention Specialists (i.e., licensed provider) support the nomination of adults. Once parents/guardians approve of the nominations, the nominated adults are invited to participate. This invitation is facilitated by the YST Intervention Specialist. Adults who accept the role of a YST Support Person attend an orientation and education session, individually or with other Support Persons.
- The orientation and education session focuses on the participating adolescent’s mental health history, treatment plan, and suicide risk factors. Information about youth suicide risk and how to access emergency services is also discussed.
- Following the education session, each Support Person is encouraged to maintain regular contact with the adolescent. Support Persons encourage treatment adherence and behaviors that align with the adolescent’s individual goals. The YST Intervention Specialist maintains weekly telephone/video call contact with each Support Person, provides additional resources and is available to help address concerns and answer questions.
- The primary role of the Support Person is to attend the orientation and education session, and maintain regular contact with the adolescent and the Intervention Specialist. The orientation and education session will equip Support Persons with the information and resources needed to fulfill the goals of the YST intervention.
- Contact between the Support Person and the adolescents is meant to be supportive as they encourage treatment adherence and behaviors that align with adolescent goals.
- YST is meant to supplement usual services (e.g., medication, therapy). Support Persons are not mental health professionals and do not serve in a professional capacity.
- It is important to remember that although Support Persons are meant to encourage positive behavioral choices, they are not responsible for the choices that youth make.
- The goal is for the YST intervention to complement these traditional interventions by building adolescents’ network of supportive adults.
- YST is meant to supplement usual care. Usual care for adolescents who have a history of suicidal thoughts and/or suicide attempts includes (but is not limited to) the following: medication management, psychotherapy, group intervention, partial hospitalization programs, or inpatient hospitalization.
- If a licensed mental health provider has completed the YST training and received consultation, they can offer YST to youth and families.
- Adolescents recruited at select psychiatric hospitals and emergency departments who have a history of suicidal thoughts and/or suicide attempts may be invited to participate.
- Support Persons who are nominated by adolescents and approved by parents/guardians are invited to participate.
- The implementation and dissemination of YST is ongoing.
- The nomination of Support Persons by adolescents can occur wherever adolescents are invited to participate (e.g., outpatient mental health clinic, psychiatric hospital, emergency department, virtually).
- The orientation and education session with Support Persons occurs either in person or through a secure video conferencing platform.
- Following the orientation and education session, each Support Person is encouraged to maintain regular contact with the adolescent. The YST Intervention Specialist will remain in regular contact with each Support Person for three months following the orientation and education session.
- So far, two studies evaluating the YST intervention have been published: King et al., 2009 and King et al., 2019.
- Among adolescents with a history of multiple suicide attempts, the YST intervention was related to a greater decrease in suicidal ideation in the weeks following discharge from a psychiatric hospitalization (King et al., 2009).
- The YST intervention was also related to a greater decrease in impairment at 3- and 12-months following discharge from a psychiatric hospitalization among adolescents who did not have a multiple suicide attempt history (King et al., 2009).
- Adolescents who took part in the YST intervention attended more therapy sessions, medication follow-up sessions, and drug treatment sessions than those that received treatment as usual (King et al., 2009).
- Finally, adolescents who took part in the YST intervention were less likely to die at an 11 to 14 years follow up when compared to adolescents who did not participate in the intervention (King, et al., 2019).
