Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) Law and Ethics Practice Exam

What should a therapist do first when a client expresses suicidal thoughts after a breakup?

1. Bring the client to a hospital

2. Call emergency services immediately

3. Assess the situation and ask how many pills were taken

4. Request consent to call for help

The correct answer is: Call emergency services immediately

When a client expresses suicidal thoughts, particularly following a distressing event like a breakup, the immediate priority is to ensure the safety of the client. Calling emergency services right away is essential because they can provide urgent assistance, including medical evaluation and immediate crisis intervention. This option ensures that trained professionals who can assess the risk appropriately are involved without any delay. Other choices may involve important actions, but they are not the immediate first step that aligns with best practices for crisis intervention. For instance, bringing the client to a hospital could be necessary but is not as immediate as contacting emergency services, who can guide and facilitate the process further. Assessing the situation and asking how many pills were taken is a critical part of understanding the risk level, but it should follow the immediate action of calling for help. Finally, requesting consent to call for help can be important, especially in non-emergency situations, but during a critical moment such as expressing suicidal thoughts, it may delay the necessary response to protect the client. Thus, the priority should always be to ensure that professional help is initiated immediately in such situations.