Notes from My Suicide Reading Project

Course Description

Will worked with two clients who were more at risk for suicide than anyone he'd worked with before. In response, he started a Suicide Reading Project: reading narrative therapy articles, popular books on suicide for clinicians, and articles from critical suicidology. In this presentation, he will be sharing quotes from this reading, audio recordings of sessions with a client, and how the project informed his work.

Instructor Information

Educational Goals

1. Develop an understanding of multiple approaches to working with people contemplating suicide.
2. Develop practical ways of navigating the complexities of working with suicidal thoughts.

Measurable Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe two ways therapists can “set the scene” when talking with clients about suicide.
2. Participants will be able to identify two common obstacles to client self-disclosure about suicide in therapy.

Outline with Main Points for Each Topic (including times)

1. 9:45–10:05 AM · Topic 1: Narrative therapy articles — 20 minutes

   • Testimonials from clients experiencing suicidal thoughts
   • Imagining other forms of care

2. 10:05–10:45 AM · Topic 2: Popular clinical books on suicide — 40 minutes

   • Obstacles to disclosure
   • “Setting the scene”
   • Clinical examples

3. 10:45–11:15 AM · Topic 3: Critical suicidology — 30 minutes

   • Critiquing some common assumptions
   • Constraints on workers
   • Reflection and supervision after client suicide

Total instructional time: 20 + 40 + 30 = 90 minutes / 60 = 1.5 CE hours

Signing in and out

• Sign in at the door between 9:30 AM and 9:45 AM.
• Sign out and complete this session’s evaluation at the door when it ends at 11:15 AM.
• Sign-in, sign-out and the evaluation are not part of the 1.5 CE hours.

References

• Caldwell, B. E. (2026). Basics of California law for LMFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs (12th ed.). Ben Caldwell Labs.
• Freedenthal, S. (2018). Helping the suicidal person: Tips and techniques for professionals. Routledge.
• Newman, D. (2024). The effort and intricacies of generating experience-near language. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (1), 70–83. https://doi.org/10.4320/VAQL3165
• White, J., & Morris, J. (2019). Re-thinking ethics and politics in suicide prevention: Bringing narrative ideas into dialogue with critical suicide studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(18), 3236. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16183236