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Professionals in diverse helping roles can be impacted by the death of a client by suicide.   Experiencing the loss of a client by suicide can be a psychologically traumatic event for the helping professional and can even lead to capable and effective clinicians leaving active practice.

Unfortunately, there are few training institutions or graduate programs that prepare students for the potential of losing a client to suicide.   Therefore it is crucial for colleagues and institutions to advocate for programming and services to help clinicians who may be deeply affected as a professional survivor of suicide.

All suicides cannot be prevented, but professionals can continue to assess clients for suicide risk throughout their treatment, fully document all clinical efforts like communication, treatments, and/or interventions, and seek out help and support when you do experience the death of a client by suicide.

Professional survivors may experience similar emotions to survivors of suicide like shock, confusion, grief, anger and guilt.   Additionally, as a professional you are aware that the healing process may not be quick, but may take weeks or months.   Support groups, individual counseling, or writing may be helpful healing tools to access.      

Seeking help and support is not a sign of weakness, but demonstrates a thorough knowledge of self and the recognition that in order to perform to the best of your ability professionally you need to engage in a healing process dependent on your individual needs.   

Electronic, print, and multimedia resources are provided to help you to find authoritative information on surviving suicide. These resources are available from such national organizations as The National Institute of Mental Health as well as professional organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and educational institutions.

Internet

American Association of Suicidology (AAS)

The AAS is a U.S. professional organization whose goal is to understand and prevent suicide through research, education, training, and public awareness.   

The Survivor Division of AAS is available at the following Web address:  

http://www.suicidology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=6

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© Copyright iTeleHealth Inc., 2004

Last Updated: July 2004