O12
SOLVE: A PRACTICAL RESPONSE FRAMEWORK FOR SUICIDAL ADMISSION IN OCCUPATIONAL SETTINGS
- H. Walker, University of Glasgow, UK
Background:
Disclosure of suicidal thoughts is an intense and emotionally charged moment. How that moment is handled can meaningfully shape what happens next. Even trained professionals find these conversations difficult; for those without specialist training, the stakes can feel overwhelming. Yet it is precisely non-specialists — occupational health professionals, managers, and colleagues — who increasingly encounter suicidal disclosure in workplace settings. Many report uncertainty about how to respond safely, compassionately, and within appropriate boundaries. Existing guidance remains largely clinically oriented and poorly adapted to real-time workplace conversations.
Aims:
To introduce SOLVE (Suicidal Admission Response Framework), a brief, structured, psychologically informed model designed to support safe and compassionate first responses to suicidal disclosure in occupational and organisational contexts.
Methods:
SOLVE was developed through synthesis of suicide prevention literature, crisis communication principles, occupational health practice experience, and safeguarding frameworks. The model structures response into five stages: Legitimise, Open (Listening), Support, Visualise Next Steps, and End Safely. It incorporates a traffic-light risk stratification (Green/Amber/Red) to guide proportionate signposting and escalation.
Results:
SOLVE provides a practical conversational scaffold using concise empathetic language, boundary-setting statements, and structured signposting. It prioritises person-centred listening, non-defensive engagement, and appropriate referral over immediate problem-solving. Early implementation feedback suggests increased responder confidence and reduced anxiety about “saying the wrong thing.”
Implications for Practice:
SOLVE offers a scalable, low-burden framework for occupational health teams, HR professionals, and line managers to strengthen organisational approaches to suicide prevention. It promotes psychologically safe responses, reinforces safeguarding responsibilities, and supports responder wellbeing.
References:
Abbott-Smith, Susan, Nadine Dougall, and Nicola Ring. ‘Suicide Prevention: Introducing the Lothian Safekeeping Plan(©) for Parents as a Clinical Innovation for Use alongside Safety Plans for Children and Young People.’ Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing : Official Publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, Inc 37, no. 1 (2024): e12455. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcap.12455.
Campos, Adrian I., Laura S. Van Velzen, Dick J. Veltman, et al. ‘Concurrent Validity and Reliability of Suicide Risk Assessment Instruments: A Meta-Analysis of 20 Instruments across 27 International Cohorts.’ Neuropsychology 37, no. 3 (2023): 315–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000850.
Klim, Casimir, C. Ann Vitous, Deborah Keller-Cohen, et al. ‘Characterizing Suicide-Related Self-Disclosure by Peer Specialists: A Qualitative Analysis of Audio-Recorded Sessions.’ Advances in Mental Health 20, no. 2 (2022): 170–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/18387357.2021.2010585.
Stanley, Barbara, and Gregory K. Brown. ‘Safety Planning Intervention: A Brief Intervention to Mitigate Suicide Risk’. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, Special Series: Working with Suicidal Clients: Not Business As Usual, vol. 19, no. 2 (2012): 256–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.01.001.
World Health Organization. (2026). Suicide. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/suicide, (Accessed 1 March 2026).
