Join the AFSP Arkansas Chapter on October 24, 2019 for a Research Connection program. Presented by the Arkansas Out of the Darkness Walks, this Research Connection will feature Jennifer L. Hughes, Ph.D, MPH, an AFSP-funded researcher.

The SAFETY intervention was developed as a treatment for adolescents with recent suicide attempts. Originally intended as an expanded emergency mental health intervention to be delivered in the aftermath of a suicide attempt, the SAFETY intervention is a novel, individually tailored treatment focused on preventing repeat suicidal behavior. SAFETY is a time-limited (3-month) intervention approach based on a social ecological cognitive-behavioral model of behavior change which aims to reduce suicide attempt risk by targeting risk and protective factors in the environment (with an emphasis on means restriction and building protective support within the family, peer, and community systems), individual (e.g. thoughts, actions/behaviors, coping, stress reactions), and person by environment interactions. The development, implementation, and outcomes of the Safe Alternatives for Teens and Youth (SAFETY) intervention will be presented.