‘What meaning does somebody's death have, what meaning does somebody's life have?’ Psychotherapists’ stories of their work with suicidal clients

ABSTRACT

Working with suicidal clients is perceived to be demanding and anxiety provoking for psychotherapists. This investigation explores what it is like for psychotherapists who work with suicidal clients, particularly as within the prevailing culture there is an increasing focus on strategies aimed at suicide prevention. Five themes were identified through narrative analysis, with support systems such as supervision and peer support being seen as vital in surviving working with suicidal clients. However, there is also ambivalence about involving other professionals, such as mental health services, as there is a sense that to do so may be anti-therapeutic and unhelpful to the client. Overall, what emerges from this study is that it is important to challenge the prevailing culture in which a medical discourse is dominant, in order to find a different way of talking about suicide and despair.

KEYWORDS:

• Suicide
• suicidal
• counselling
• medical model
• narrative analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth Nicholl is engaged in doctoral research at the University of Roehampton into the implications, if any, of working psychotherapeutically with patients with psychiatric diagnoses. She is a UKCP-registered psychotherapeutic counsellor and BACP-accredited counsellor/psychotherapist.

Professor Del Loewenthal is Director of the Research Centre for Therapeutic Education and Convener of Doctoral Programmes in Psychotherapy and Counselling, Department of Psychology, at the University of Roehampton. He is also in private practice in Wimbledon and Brighton. He trained as an existential analytic psychotherapist at the Philadelphia Association and is a chartered psychologist.

Dr Anastasios Gaitanidis is a senior lecturer in Counselling Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy and a member of the Research Centre for Therapeutic Education (RCTE) at the University of Roehampton. He is also a psychodynamic counsellor/psychotherapist in private practice. He is the editor of Narcissism – A critical reader (2007) and The Male in Analysis – Psychoanalytic and cultural perspectives (2011).