Youth suicide rates have remained high over the past decade or more, and the recent pandemic has goaded this potentially fatal issue to the surface of various professional conversations, particularly educators and mental health providers serving this population. The presenters will share their findings on a recent study utilizing Joiner’s Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) to reframe the interpersonal risk factors of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness that allowed the researchers to examine the protective factors of youth not experiencing suicidal ideation and behaviors. The findings from this study suggest that educators and mental health providers serving the youth population can decrease risk of suicidality by addressing protective factors to increase perceptions of value and belonging (inverse to the IPTS constructs of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness). Participants will benefit from the opportunity to learn about this specific theory of suicide for conceptualization of suicidal behaviors in adolescents and will walk away from this session with new, research-informed interventions and techniques for addressing suicidality in adolescents.