The National Teachers College

Graduate Program School of Teacher Education

Master of Arts in Counseling

I. Title of the Training: Managing the Suicidal Client

II. Insights gleaned from the Training:

Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities, and entire countries, as well
as the people who are left behind. Clients who present in therapy with suicidal thoughts or
plans can be difficult for new practitioners.

Furthermore, assessing suicide risk is an integral part of working with distressed clients
and is the first step in treating suicidal clients. Suicide assessment is complex, and there is no
absolute way of predicting who will commit suicide; however, suicides are preventable.

As a result, counselors and other helping professionals across the country should receive
extensive training in assessing the risk of suicide among clients of varying ages, educational
levels, socioeconomic statuses, and religious backgrounds.

I believe that by understanding the client's experience of feeling suicidal, knowing how to
respond best in the therapeutic relationship, and ultimately making collaborative decisions
about the implications for confidentiality, wherever possible, is critical to saving our clients'
lives.

Submitted by: Lea Chrisel C. Yu