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After the Attempt: Maintaining the Therapeutic Alliance Following a Patient's Suicide Attempt
Author(s) -
Ramsay J. Russell,
Newman Cory F.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1521/suli.2005.35.4.413
Subject(s) - alliance , psychotherapist , suicide prevention , hazard , occupational safety and health , medicine , therapeutic approach , poison control , therapeutic relationship , psychiatry , psychology , medical emergency , chemistry , disease , organic chemistry , pathology , political science , law
The risk of a patient's suicide is a prominent occupational hazard for psychotherapists. The precise number of patients who attempt suicide while in treatment and then resume therapy with the same therapist is not known, but this situation is a relatively common occurrence in clinical practice. Such scenarios can pose significant challenges to the reestablishment of therapeutic trust and a workable treatment alliance. The aim of this paper is to identify the challenges facing a clinician treating a patient who resumes therapy following a serious suicide attempt, and to offer guidelines for maintaining the viability of the therapeutic alliance.