Suicide Prevention and Resilience at Children’s (SPARC)

A multidimensional program that includes the whole family

Teens and families attend the SPARC program two or three times a week, for four to six weeks (based on clinical need).

The program includes:

• Teen skills group therapy: In small groups, your teen will receive support from peers and therapists. Teens learn and practice skills for tolerating distress, managing mood and problem-solving.

• Multifamily group therapy: Families come together to learn and practice skills designed to enhance effective communication, such as asking for and offering support.

• Individual therapy and family therapy: We’ll help your family develop a safety plan. The plan will include components like warning signs, coping skills, sources of social support and emergency numbers. You and your child will also learn strategies to change thought patterns and improve mood. And you’ll practice the best ways to express feelings and needs, to lessen conflict at home.

• Extra support through medication management and referrals: A one-time medicine evaluation may be available through the Depression Clinic in the Children’s Health Outpatient Psychiatry Department.

• Recreation therapy: Engaging in pleasant and fun activities can be one effective way to improve mood. Our recreation therapists use physical activity, art and music to help teens unwind, connect and feel better.

Learn more

• SPARC Intensive Outpatient Program (English)

• SPARC: Programa de prevención del suicidio para adolescentes (Spanish)

Make an Appointment with SPARC Intensive Outpatient Program

Please call our care coordinator at 214-456-8899 and select the option for the “suicide prevention and resilience program in Dallas” to see if your child is a good fit for SPARC IOP and to make an intake appointment.

Teen suicide prevention treatment that works

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents, aged 15-19, in the United States with approximately 13.6% of adolescents experiencing clinically significant suicidal ideation and 7.4% making a suicide attempt during the past twelve months. In response to the need, SPARC Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) was created in 2014. Between January 2014 and March 2023, 1,177 patients have completed SPARC IOP.

Nationally, between 12% and 31% of people who attempt suicide will try again. In comparison, 8.4% of SPARC patients who completed the program reported a suicide attempt 6 months post discharge. Additionally, patient’s average depression severity dropped to the mild range after completing the program.

Of those surveyed at discharge, 90% of guardians whose teens completed the program reported they would definitely recommend the program.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2018). Web-based Inquiry Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARDS).

2. Kessler, R. C., Borges, G., & Walters, E. E. (1999). Prevalence of and risk factors for lifetime suicide attempts in the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of general psychiatry, 56(7), 617–626. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.56.7.617

3. ten Have M, de Graaf R, van Dorsselaer S, Verdurmen J, van’t Landt H, Vollebergh W, Beekman A. (2009). Incidence and course of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the general population. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54, 824–832.

4. McCauley, E., Berk, M. S., Asarnow, J. R., Adrian, M., Cohen, J., Korslund, K., ... & Linehan, M. M. (2018). Efficacy of dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents at high risk for suicide: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA psychiatry, 75(8), 777-785.

5. Ougrin D, Tranah T, Leigh E, Taylor L, Asarnow JR. Practitioner review: Self-harm in adolescents. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2012;53(4):337–350. [PubMed: 22329807]

Teen suicide prevention program that fits your schedule

“We know that life is busy. We’ve designed this program to allow you to work and your child to attend school while participating in SPARC. The program offers a variety of scheduled groups during different times and days during the week.”

The right suicide prevention treatment at the right time

Research shows that the highest risk for suicide is during the month after an attempt. At Children’s Health℠, we provide several hours of therapy two or three times a week, giving teens more support and treatment when they most need it.

SPARC was developed to help adolescents who’ve had a recent suicidal event – such as worsening suicidal thoughts or a suicide attempt – and need intensive care and support. SPARC uses a combination of teen skills group therapy, multifamily therapy, individual therapy, and family therapy. This helps families and teens:

• Manage difficult emotions and stress

• Improve communication and interpersonal skills

• Ask for and receive support

• Develop lifelong coping skills for managing intense emotions