What is your relationship to suicide?

Many practitioners find themselves working with clients who are expressing suicidal intent and there is a general consensus in research that this can have an adverse impact on the practitioner and how they work with clients (Reeves, 2010; Reeves & Mintz, 2001). Practitioners may experience a range of feelings, including fear, anxiety, anger and professional impotence (Reeves & Mintz, 2001). Additionally, transference and countertransference responses of distrust, self-blame and hopelessness can be activated between the practitioner and the suicidal client (Jobes, Piehl, et al., 2018; Leenaars, 1994).

These responses can stem from social discourse and a practitioner's own encounters with the potential (or real) loss of family, friends, or clients to suicide. Negotiating these internal conflicts can become challenging as professional's strive to fulfil their professional responsibilities to safeguard.

This event aims to provide insights into the origins of the social construct of suicide and suicide prevention in order to allow a relationship to develop with suicide – reducing fear. It incorporates a personal perspective, drawing from doctoral research on suicide grief, as well as my own experiences, both personal and professional, with suicide. This blend of personal and professional self-disclosure offers participants an opportunity to examine their internal beliefs about suicide and how these beliefs may impact their professional endeavours – developing a 'relationship' to suicide from their own perspective.

Please note: Some elements of this workshop may be distressing or triggering.  If you are struggling at the moment you may find the content and nature of this course could exacerbate these issues. If you require support, we recommend contacting your GP or Health Care Provider.

Learning outcomes

Through an informative presentation with opportunities for practical group reflection activities, attendees are expected to achieve an understanding of the:

• current research of suicide grief,
• historical construct of suicide and suicide prevention,
• correct use of language required around suicide,
• way our professional identity may be challenged when working with suicidal clients or experiencing a loss to suicide, and the
• balance needed between risk management and the respect for self-determination and human rights issues.

After the workshop it is hoped that attendees will be able to discuss the sensitive and conflicting subject of suicide in clinical practice supervision and with the wider discipline of health professionals they work with, in order to strengthen the attendee's professional identity with regard to managing suicidal risk. 

Is this course right for me? 

This problem affects all psychological professionals because we all may work with suicidal clients at some point in our career, often without warning.

This event with offer opportunities for attendees to:

• deconstruct the social construct of suicide and suicide prevention,
• reflect on the highly sensitive subject of suicide,
• deliberate on their identity as psychologists when working with the suicidal mind,
• examine the research of suicide grief and the ripple effect of suicide on others,
• understand how to be more present with suicidal clients and come to a shared understanding and co-authored intervention plan of suicidal drivers,
• consider and implement new procedures for working within wider clinical teams that work with suicide risk, and
• be more prepared and able to work through their own emotions whilst working with suicidal clients.

Webinar presenters: Sue Egan PsyD, MBPsS

Following doctoral research into suicide grief, Dr Sue Egan has delivered training on the sensitive subject of suicide to NHS multi-disciplinary staff. Sue also hosts a podcast discussing stories of suicide and loss (The Healing Narratives of Suicide), in order to inform individuals of the impact a suicidal act can have on people's lives whilst attempting to reduce the stigma attached to suicide.