Therapists, too, need to grieve

Abstract

Many individuals who commit suicide are in psychological treatment at the time of their deaths. This article discusses the responses of therapists who have had a client who suicided. It has been shown that mental health professionals are vulnerable to grief reactions similar to those of close friends or family members. Severe anxiety and guilt comingle with feelings of defeat and despair. Professional competence is threatened and there appears a general attitude of having been betrayed by the client. It is important that therapists have adequate outlets for processing their emotional reactions to suicide without which their personal and professional functioning is jeopardized. It was concluded that the working through of grief responses can take months and is often akin to a process similar to a rite of passage.