Clinical Psychology Interns' Lived Experiences With Suicidal Clients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2024.0506Keywords:
Clinical psychology interns, Emotional coping, Suicidal clients, Supervision, Phenomenological studyAbstract
This paper explores the lived experiences of clinical psychology interns who have encountered suicidal clients during their internship. Employing qualitative phenomenological investigation, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The study employed purposive sampling and gathered valuable data from 8 clinical psychology interns who were all taking a master's degree in Clinical Psychology. The results highlighted that those encounters with suicidal clients triggered various reactions among interns, leading to self-doubt and a sense of unpreparedness in handling such cases. Many interns struggled with managing their emotions, especially when clients' traumas mirrored their experiences. The study emphasized the importance of a robust support system in helping interns cope with the challenges of their work. The results included a heightened need for supervision among interns, as they faced intense emotional challenges when working with suicidal clients. Supervision emerged as a critical component in helping them process these experiences. Regular check-ins with supervisors not only provided emotional support but also offered practical strategies for managing client interactions. This guidance helped interns develop coping mechanisms and build resilience, fostering their professional growth and confidence in handling difficult cases. Despite the challenges, the interns found purpose in witnessing significant client progress and emphasized the importance of self-care and ongoing training to prepare future clinicians for similar experiences.
Downloads
References
Alase, A. (2017). The interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): A guide to a good qualitative research approach. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 5(2), 9–19. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.5n.2p.9
Bennett-Levy, J. (2006). Therapist skills: A cognitive model of their acquisition and refinement. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 34(1), 57–78. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1352465805002420
Dexter-Mazza, E.T., & Freeman, K.A. (2003). Graduate Training and the Treatment of Suicidal Clients: The Students' Perspective. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 33, 211-218. https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.33.2.211.22769
Dorociak, K. E., Rupert, P. A., Bryant, F. B., & Zahniser, E. (2017). Development of a Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(3), 325–334. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000206
Elston, N. C. (2018). Evaluating Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training with Counselors-in-Training: Enhancing Sensitivity, Awareness, and Intervention Skills with Suicidal and Non-Suicidal Clients (Dissertation). Georgia State University
Firestone, L. (2014). Suicide: What therapists need to know. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/3e677mdv
Fogarty, B., Houghton, S., Galavan, E., & O'Súilleabháin, P. S. (2023). Clinicians' Experience of Collaboration in the Treatment of Suicidal Clients Within the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality Framework. Omega, 87(2), 424–447. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228211020579
Hawgood, J. (2015). Working with suicidal clients: Impacts on psychologists and the need for self-care. Retrieved from https://psychology.org.au/inpsych/2015/february/hawgood
Hill, C. E., Lystrup, A., Kline, K., Gebru, N. M., Birchler, J., Palmer, G., Robinson, J., Um, M., Griffin, S., Lipsky, E., Knox, S., & Pinto-Coelho, K. (2013). Aspiring to become a therapist: Personal strengths and challenges, influences, motivations, and expectations of future psychotherapists. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 26(3-4), 267–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2013.825763
Hunter, N. (2015). Clinical Trainees’ Personal History of Suicidality and the Effects on Attitudes Towards Suicidal Patients. The New School Psychology Bulletin, 13(1), 38–46. https://www.nspb.net/index.php/nspb/article/view/263/157
Hupp, A. (2017). A Psychological and Philosophical Understanding of Death: An Analysis of Platonic and Epicurean Philosophy in Modern America. Retrieved from http://www.exhibit.xavier.edu/hab/32
Ignacio, D., & Tudy, I. (2020). Fears, Motivation, and Strategies of Guidance Counselors in Handling Clients with Suicidal Tendencies. Slongan, 5. https://rpo.cjc.edu.ph/index.php/slongan/article/view/26/25
Jones, R., & Thompson, D. (2017). Stress and Well-Being in Trainee Clinical Psychologists: A Qualitative Analysis. European Society of Medicine, 5(8), 1-19. https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/download/1455/1123
Kolden, G. G., Wang, C. C., Austin, S. B., Chang, Y., & Klein, M. H. (2018). Congruence/genuineness: A meta-analysis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 424–433. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000162
Lagman, J. G., Gara, M., Baweja, R., & Kim, W. J. (2021). Correlates of Suicide Attempts in Filipino Youths: An Analysis Based on the 2015 Global School-Based Student Health Survey. Cureus, 13(9), e18100. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.18100
Montague, K., Cassidy, R. R., & Liles, R. G. (2016). Counselor Training in Suicide Assessment, Prevention, and Management. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/2s3ucf7w
Philstar. (2021, July 6). Pandemic year sees 57% rise in suicide rate in Philippines. Philstar Global. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/msvneahj
Rossouw, G., Smythe, E., & Greener, P. (2011). Therapists’ Experience of Working with Suicidal Clients. Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 11, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.2989/IPJP.2011.11.1.4.1103
Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2015). Interpretative phenomenological analysis as a useful methodology for research on the lived experience of pain. British journal of pain, 9(1), 41–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/2049463714541642
Stanley, B., Martínez-Alés, G., Gratch, I., Rizk, M., Galfalvy, H., Choo, T. H., & Mann, J. J. (2021). Coping strategies that reduce suicidal ideation: An ecological momentary assessment study. Journal of psychiatric research, 133, 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.012
Veilleux, J. C. (2011). Coping with client death: Using a case study to discuss the effects of accidental, undetermined, and suicidal deaths on therapists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42(3), 222–228. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023650
Weaver, Amanda, "Clinical Trainees' Experience of Burnout and its Relationship to Supervision" (2020). Dissertations. 482. https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/482
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.