Models of suicide and self-harm aim to answer "why someone kills or tries to kill/harm herself". This is equal to "What is the motive for this behaviour". A distinction between the two types of motives, the because motives and the in order to motives (Schütz, 1984), is essential for conceptual clarity and a better understanding of the meaning of the behaviour. Baechler (1979) presented a typology of suicide ( and self-harm) based on the in order to motives. In this talk, we present the Source Problem Solution Motive (SPSM) model which takes Bachler's work forward by providing a structured model that incorporates both types of motives. This model is easy to teach and more importantly, can provide a clinically meaningful framework for suicide risk assessment and management.