Abstract
This study aims to identify the frequency of utilization of various decision making factors for social workers when working with youth expressing suicidal ideation. Review of current literature reveals the following factors were found to be important to the decision making process: ethics, agency policy, assessment tools, colleague support, professional experience, and clinical insights, specifically the therapeutic relationship with the youth and intuition. The purpose of the study was to measure the significance of these factors in relation to the decision making process. A questionnaire survey was distributed to school social workers and interns as well as mental health professionals at a community health center. The researcher had hypothesized that the utilization of past experience and intuition would be identified as most important to the decision making process. Findings indicated that these factors were identified as important in individual questionnaire items but not in an overall analysis of most important factors. Results also revealed that the utilization of the therapeutic relationship and collaboration with colleagues to be important to the decision making process. These findings demonstrate a need for further training in the formation of the therapeutic relationship and promotion of positive working environments, in which colleagues feel comfortable seeking support from each other. Another finding of note, was a lack of importance placed on the involvement of law enforcement in the decision making process, which marks an area for further research into the professional relationship between social workers and law enforcement.