6 CE – NASW pending & APT approved

“Where Play, Attachment, and Safety Intersect in the Assessment of Suicidality”

Suicidality in middle childhood is frequently minimized due to developmental misconceptions and the lack of age-appropriate assessment tools. This workshop introduces a relational and developmentally sensitive framework for assessing suicidal ideation and behaviors in children ages 6–12 through Attachment-Centered Play Therapy.

Participants will learn to identify verbal, nonverbal, and play-based indicators of suicidality and explore how attachment patterns influence a child’s capacity to express distress. The training highlights how secure and insecure attachment shapes emotional regulation, internal experience, and communication of risk. Ethical and legal considerations—including documentation, mandated reporting, caregiver collaboration, and determining appropriate levels of care—will be integrated throughout.

Attendees will leave equipped with practical tools and clinical strategies to assess and respond to suicidality with confidence, sensitivity, and attachment-informed care, while strengthening relationships with both children and their caregivers.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify verbal, nonverbal, and play-based indicators of suicidality in children ages 6–12.
2. Describe how attachment patterns influence a child’s expression of distress and suicidal ideation in the playroom.
3. Apply developmentally appropriate, attachment-informed strategies to assess suicide risk in middle childhood.
4. Demonstrate techniques to enhance therapeutic attunement and safety within the child-therapist relationship.
5. Integrate ethical and legal considerations—including documentation, mandated reporting, and caregiver collaboration—into assessment and intervention planning.
6. Develop practical plans for engaging parents and caregivers in a collaborative approach while maintaining the child’s safety and therapeutic alliance.

Presenters:

Clair Mellenthin, Phd, LCSW, RPT-S & Leanne Rohrbach-Stange, LCSW

Leanne Rohrbach, LCSW, is a play therapist specializing in middle childhood and family work. She supports clients and their families through disconnection, transition, and identity exploration, guiding them through moments of rupture and repair. Leanne is committed to practices that honor difference, deepen dialogue, and cultivate belonging from the inside out. She earned her degree with honors from Baylor University and co-authored the chapter Relational Trauma in the Family System with Dr. Clair Mellenthin, featured in the book Trauma Impacts. Leanne is currently working toward her Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential under the supervision of Dr. Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S and Valente Orozco, LCSW, RPT-S. She serves as a board member for the Utah Association for Play Therapy (UAPT).