Therapy for Suicidality
My Perspective on Suicide
Suicide has been misunderstood for centuries but there has been remarkable progress in understanding what causes it over the past few decades. Historically, suicide has been stigmatized and criminalized. But that was based on the idea that suicide was a wish for death, a rejection of the life that God had given and of the responsibility to one’s family and community. The assumption was that suicide was driven by selfishness. We know now that suicidal people are NOT driven by inherent selfishness. Research shows that the most narcissistic and selfish people actually rarely kill themselves.
In fact, many suicidal individuals believe that they are a burden upon others. Suicide is actually seen as a means of caring for others because the person falsely believes that the lives of others would be improved by their death.
Another false idea about suicide is that it is caused directly by depression. The reality is that there are many who are depressed who do not wish to die and there are many who wish to die who are not depressed. Instead, suicide is typically driven by an inescapable sense of entrapment. The feeling of entrapment is like being a caged animal, trapped in one’s life without any opportunity for escape, except through death. Depression can be one cause of entrapment but there are many others.
Approach to Suicidality
In working with individuals plagued by a desire for suicide, I primarily use Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality. In this scientifically-backed approach, the therapist’s role is to provide relief from what is driving the desire for death. Suicidal drivers can include hopelessness, psychological pain, agitation, stress, and self-hate. These mental states are what cause a person to feel trapped.
My role is NOT to persuade you not to kill yourself. Instead, I will provide you with therapeutic interventions that will lessen the desire for death and make life worth living again. I will be curious and caring about why you feel the way you feel. I will challenge unhelpful ways of thinking and provide you with coping exercises to help you tolerate distress and achieve a more peaceful state of mind.
The field has been increasingly moving away from inpatient (hospital) treatment and more towards outpatient treatment like what I am describing. In cases where a person may be imminently suicidal, hospitalization may be necessary but I will generally support your preferred approach to treatment.
Licensed in California as a Clinical Psychologist (PSY #26952)
Appointments
- $180 per 55 minute in-person session