The Safety Planning Intervention for Children (C-SPI): Rationale and Case Illustration

Suicide rates of children 12 years old and younger have increased in recent years—however, a brief suicide prevention intervention that fits the developmental stage of children in this age group is lacking, creating an urgent need to fill this gap. The safety planning intervention (SPI), which is widely used among adults and adolescents at risk of suicide, was modified into a dyadic/triadic intervention for children and their caregivers to assist in preventing suicidal behaviors among children. In this paper, we describe the modifications made to the SPI to fit children ages 6–12 at risk of suicide and their caregivers’ needs, as well as the steps of creating the child-SPI (C-SPI) in detail. The implementation of the C-SPI is illustrated through a case example, and potential challenges are identified.