Suicide Prevention for Mental Health Professionals

Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Helene Simons, Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology)

As mental health professionals, we are focused on preventing suicide by spreading awareness, assessing risk, and advocating for policy to support suicide prevention and mental health services. We are dedicated to helping others, but we tend to spend less time focusing on ourselves. The reality is that we are at risk of experiencing suicidal ideation as well.

Risk Factors:

• Vicarious Trauma
• Emotional Fatigue
• Burnout
• Isolation and loneliness
• Lack of administrative support at work
• Working with clients experiencing suicidal ideation
• Working with a client who attempts or commits suicide
• Lack of emotional support at the workplace and at home
• Having loose work/life boundaries
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling under appreciated
• Lacking coping skills and self-care strategies
• Failing to prioritize self-care
• Refraining from gaining support for one’s personal stress and mental health issues

Tips for Preventing Suicidal Ideation:

Practice Self-Care:
It’s important to practice what we preach and take care of our selves too

Set work/life boundaries:

• Set hours to do work and refrain working outside of those hours
• Shut off your email notifications on evenings and weekends
• Set clear expectations with your clients about when you are and are not available
• Treat personal time as a priority, try scheduling it on your calendar
• Refrain from texting with clients

Set Additional Boundaries:
Setting boundaries can help prevent burnout

Take breaks during the day to process your own emotional reactions and find healthy distractions.

Take time off: We all need a vacation, even if it’s a staycation.

Have a coverage plan: Ask colleagues to cover for you when you are away from the office so that you can take a real break.

Consult: Having a group of colleagues to consult with helps reduce feelings of isolation, loneliness, emotional fatigue, and burnout. Consultation groups also allow us to have a space to talk through challenging clinical cases and decisions.

Set time aside for administrative work to reduce feeling overwhelmed.

Engage in your own therapy: It’s ok to admit that we need support too. Engaging in your own therapy can give you the space you need to process your emotions and handle them in healthy ways.

Join a support group: engaging with others who are going through similar experiences and can be a helpful way to build connection and feel heard and understood.

Educate yourself on vicarious trauma: We are at risk of taking on our clients’ emotional pain. Learning tools to prevent this from happening is important. Trauma Stewardship by Laura Van Dernoot is an excellent resource.

If you are having thoughts of death or harming yourself: Reach out for support and use the resources you give your clients. If you need resources, feel free to reach out to us. Contact Us If you are in crisis call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Scholarly Articles on Suicidality in Mental Health Professionals:

Psychologist Suicide: What we know and how we can do to prevent it. (The APA Monitor)

What Predicts Suicide Among Psychologists? An Examination of Vulnerability and Protective Factors