Northcentral University

6 My article is written in strict adherence to the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, which can be located at http://www.apa.org/ ethics/code/index.aspx. This article accurately portrays real people and events; however, I have changed names and have taken limited creative liberty to the extent I protect the dignity and privacy of the people (and cats) in these articles. Bio: I am in the PhD, I/O Psych program, which I started in 2015. I have a master's in leadership development (M.LD.) from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, and I now am teaching in their graduate leadership program. My undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Professional Aeronautics with a business minor from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. I still use this degree to teach aviation and advanced manufacturing courses for Ivy Tech Community College. References Skegg (2005). Seminar: Self-harm. The Lancet, 366, 1471–1483. https://doi-org.proxy1.ncu.edu/10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67600-3 Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Shaw, S. L. (2017). Suicide risk assessment: What psychologists should know. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48(2), 98–106. https://doi-org.proxy1.ncu.edu/10.1037/pro0000106 interventions, to better identify the telltale signs, understand and treat mental health issues that may lead to suicide (Sommers-Flanagan & Shaw, 2017). No matter how painful it can be for family and friends, the sooner that a professional mental health care provider can provide intervention, the more likely for a positive outcome. Self-harm is more understood by professionals as "not a cry for attention, but a cry of pain" that needs to be taken seriously by not only those loved ones close to the person suffering, but by those who interact with an individual outside of the home, such as teachers, group leaders, coworkers, fellow students and yes, even cat wranglers (Skegg, 2005, p. 1479). Although serious mental health issues require professional intervention, this intervention does not start with the psychologist. It starts with the loved ones who first notice the self-harm occurring and choose to help. I am happy to report that we still see Brynn, now a college freshman, usually smiling happily, hand in hand with Tina, both heading in to the cat lounge to be distracted by the cats as they try and work on their homework. Joi has had to start caring for a terminally ill family member, so she only pulls occasional shifts for us. Although I have casual conversations with Brynn, I have never asked her about anything personal. I did, however, ask Joi about Brynn. Joi said that she recognized from the first moment she saw her that Brynn was in a very dark place, but more importantly, Joi saw a window of opportunity to reach out and not "be a bystander". In the process, she befriended Brynn and became a lifeline for her. Joi is close friends to both her and Tina to this day. Joi kept encouraging Brynn to at least go speak to her school counselor, and Brynn reluctantly did so, and was ultimately able to be directed to professional mental health resources she needed. Interestingly enough, I didn't need to ponder very long to understand why Joi would be compelled to reach out. Many of you may be thinking that this is because of how I first described her grand persona, which naturally draws people to her. Really though, one would only need to look closely at those artistically beautiful tattoos on Joi's forearms, or rather, at Joi's skin underneath. The tattoos don't mask, in so much as they blend together the scars from deeply carved wounds that are forever a part of Joi's wrists, with thoughtful artwork that I believe symbolize the life that Joi has now, as a survivor. "Suicide Risk Assessments: What should psychologists know" is one of the most well versed peer reviewed articles I located researching for the Psychology in a Cat Café articles. This article echo's the need for a new comprehensive approach to psychological interventions, using a blend of traditional theory such as Shneidman's mentalistic theory, Joiner's interpersonal theory of suicide, and Klonsky and May's three-step theory (3ST). I encourage its reading. It can be found at: https://doi-org.proxy1. ncu.edu/10.1037/pro0000106 The article may also be located in the NCU Library.

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