Last week the counselor were working with a suicidal child. They were listening to her and together they decided the best thing to do would be to get out of the house for awhile. That intervention did several things; helped the child establish trust that the counselors would help her stay safe, they will listen to her, they will not judge her, and they put a value on her needs.
The next thing that needs to be done is to evaluate with her. Ask her if it was helpful, could it work again if she were having the same thoughts, are there other things she might try. She should be given the opportunity to express how she felt about being heard, about how she felt the counselor's response was.
It was only a 1 hour intervention, but it opened up a world of opportunity to engage with that child.