Suicidal Therapists

An interview with Norine Vander Hooven, LCSW about therapists who become suicidal. Curt and Katie interview Norine on the risk factors that therapists face as well as how we can support each other in our community. We talk about prevention, interventions with a colleague, and how to manage when a colleague dies by suicide. 

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves as whole people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when therapists must develop a personal brand to market their practices.

To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

Interview with Norine Vander Hooven, LCSW

Norine Vander Hooven is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been in practice for 32 years. She specializes in trauma, anxiety, suicide prevention, and life transitions. Norine is also certified in EMDR therapy, and is in training to be an EMDR therapy consultant. She uses this to work with people with PTSD, anxiety, and traumatic life events. Norine provides clinical consultation for therapists, as well as she works with young adults and adults in her private practice. Learn more at norinevanderhooven.com

In this episode we talk about:

• Following up on a previous episode, Therapist Suicide.
• Looking at supervisors who have died by suicide
• The lack of research and data regarding therapist suicide (both ideation and completion)
• The fear and stigma about disclosing suicidal ideation and attempts for therapists
• The difference between therapists and others in suicide risk
• Heightened risk factors for therapists
• How therapists take in the work with their clients
• The isolation and lack of support that can happen with therapists
• Suggestions for therapists to address suicidal thoughts, isolation, loneliness
• Belonging, Burden, and Capability
• The importance of community and consultation
• The suggestion to be in your own therapy
• Incorporating self-care even down to the small moments during the work day
• How to incorporate knowledge about the challenge of the profession into our educational system
• The shame therapists feel (both perceived and actual) about mental health challenges
• How to support therapists who might be experiencing suicidal thoughts
• How to provide therapy to therapists, incorporating conversations and assessment about suicide from the beginning, normalizing the experience and challenge of being a therapist
• Supporting therapists in our community
• Planning for postvention – comprehensive conversations after therapists have clients die by suicide or other big events in our colleagues’ lives
• The importance of normalizing the feelings that therapists could be presenting with in consultation groups
• What can we do when one of our colleagues die by suicide
• The typical reactions and responses from colleagues, clients, and community members
• Preparing to have a conversation with a client whose therapist has died by suicide