Every generation has its distinctive difficulties with adolescence; paradoxically, adolescence endures across eras and is new with every generation. Suicidality in adolescence is both a constant over time, and particularly a concern in the present. To understand adolescent suicidality, in the individual, group and society, we have to engage with thinking about both sociocultural contexts and internal worlds. In this talk I will offer my personal perspective of experiences of working with and thinking about suicidality in adolescents over many years; this will include the theoretical perspectives that I have found most helpful (including Laufer, Hale, Anderson and Ladame), and I will illustrate with case examples. I will focus on three themes:
• the importance of the adolescent developmental process for understanding how suicidality can arise when the
process is disturbed, or breaks down
• suicidality as a problem in the container-contained relationship; ‘states of body’, including attacks on the self’s
body, occur when thinking about feelings feels overwhelming
• the relationship between suicidality and socio-cultural contexts, including suicidal behaviour in adolescent groups,current concerns about gender, including transitions, and learning from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The challenge for psychodynamic psychotherapy is to provide effective interventions. We have shown that in general psychodynamic psychotherapy is effective in reducing suicidality. Working with the transference-countertransference relationship provides understanding of adolescents’ internal worlds, helps to assess ‘risks’, and to achieve appropriate and sufficient containment for each case.

Akkreditierung-Nummer: 2767202023021709301
Fortbildungspunkte: 2
Art des Veranstaltungsortes: Präsenz
Referent*innen:
– Stephen Briggs
Wissenschaftliche*r Leiter*in:
– Birgit Bader
Anmeldung erforderlich
E-Mail: support@aph-online.de
Internet: https://aph-online.de
Gebühr pro Teilnehmer: 15,- €