Therapists' experiences of clients' suicide attempts: an exploratory study

M.A.According to Kleespies (2000), a client's behavioural crisis is a condition in which a client has reached a state of mind in which his or her usual coping mechanisms are inadequate to restore equilibrium or to allow him or her to go on functioning in an adaptive way. A crisis may be a turning point for better or worse, but it necessarily does not lead to danger of serious physical harm or life-threatening danger. A behavioural emergency will be taken to mean that a client has reached an acute mental state in which he or she is at imminent risk of behaving in a way that will result in serious harm or death of self unless there is some immediate intervention (Kleespies, 2000). Psychotherapists' work with suicidal clients seems to be placing huge demands on them, particularly on the emotional level, and there are anxieties which are felt when working with suicidal clients. The focus of this research study is on the exploration of the experiences of psychotherapists (qualified or trainees), in working with suicidal clients. Regarding work with suicidal clients, this research study is coming from a slightly different angle as it seeks to attend to therapists' feelings regarding working with clients with suicidal feelings and behaviour. For the purposes of exploration of this study, semi-structured interviews, with the assistance of a tape recorder, were conducted with respondents in order to gather information. These individual interviews were then transcribed, and the typed data was then analysed using the content analysis method of analysing data, according to Weber (1985). This also allowed for common themes, as identified in the interviews, to be obtained and they formed the results of this study. The results indicated a number of themes which emerged, and the researcher decided on selecting and discussing the major themes. There were a variety of themes found as the participants had described how they emotionally experienced working with suicidal clients, and on how they felt the emotional, personal and professional demands of the nature of this work