Before They Slip Through
A Clinical and Christian Field Guide for Recognizing, Screening, and Responding to Youth in Crisis
When a teenager reaches their breaking point, they rarely go to a doctor or a therapist first. They go to you.
The youth pastor. The teacher. The coach. The foster parent. You are the real first responder - and far too often, you've been handed that role without the tools to handle it.
Written by an ER nurse with nearly a decade spent treating youth in psychiatric crisis, Before They Slip Through bridges the gap between the emergency room and the everyday spaces where kids actually live, hurt, and reach out. It hands you the same clinical instruments professionals use, translated into plain language and paired with Christ-like compassion, so you can recognize the subtle, silent warning signs before it's too late.
Inside, you'll find:
• Proven screening tools (ASQ, C-SSRS, PHQ-A, PC-PTSD-5) made simple and usable
• Ready-to-use safety plans and means-restriction scripts that add real "minutes of friction"
• "I Noticed" conversation starters for opening the hard conversations
• A clear-eyed look at the adolescent brain, ACEs, and the risk and protective factors that matter most
• A theology that doesn't flinch at suffering - and shows you why you were placed exactly where you are
This is more than a book. It's a field guide for an army of equipped, faithful adults who refuse to lose one more kid.
Who it's for: Youth pastors, teachers, coaches, foster parents, parents, ministry leaders, and anyone who stands on the front lines of a young person's life.
It ends where it began for the author - with his brother Zachary, and the question that drives every page: What could I have done?
This book is your answer. Before the next one slips through.
