"Ge dem något annat än mörkret de befinner sig i" : Om kuratorers arbete med suicidala ungdomar på ungdomsmottagning

Sammanfattning

The aim of our thesis has been to examine and establish an understanding for the working method that professional social workers have in the meeting with suicidal adolescents in regard to discovery and treatment. Further we were also interested in whether differences in the working methods exist depending on the sexes of the adolescents. The method has been qualitative in the form of semi-structured interviews conducted with seven professional social workers in Sweden and analyzed with help of two theories, empowerment and gender-theory. Results have shed light on the importance of relationship building that takes place in conversational context. Social workers rely highly on empathy and respect during supportive treatment sessions as well as having an eye out for detecting initial signals of suicidality, which require sensitivity and attention. In regard to adapting the working methods to youth gender, results have shown that the social workers rather adapt to the individual than the specific gender, hence providing a question whether further research in terms of help seeking abilities between the different sexes is needed in social work.