[awkwardlyyours]

What does your therapist say / do if and when you talk about offing yourself?

Not in the need-to-go-to-a-hospital-now kind of way -- because then the course of action is clear -- but just describing the feelings / thoughts?

ETA: My experience -- was told that listening to me was making her "physically sick" when I told her to stop saying whatever utterly useless (to my mind) stuff she was saying about my life.

Although of course she said I should go ahead and continue talking.

And, on and on in that vein.

Till I finally stopped trying to talk about it -- I joked some and then quit.

The whole experience made me wonder if therapists are trained to somehow rush to 'intervene' even when the obviously better (asked for by the client, even) path would be to not attempt to actively intervene?

[NP_Complete]

He listens and we talk when I'm able to. I'm usually so anxious I don't remember much of what was said, but it feels supportive. He's not tried to intervene by hospitalizing me so far.

[stopdog]

Utterly useless things but I don't actually attribute that to the topic- really that was the usual way with the woman. She never said anything useful. Not talking was the most useful thing she did.

I only had fleeting thoughts, but he was usually neutral and gave me space. Sometimes too much space...but...i would never work with one who was reactive.

I don't know if it was his training. I think he'd let me be harmed before intervening.

[ChickenNoodleSoup]

First, he listens until I'm done saying whatever I wanted to say. Then he'll usually ask a few questions to assess it further (such as 'what keeps you going?' or he will ask about means and more concrete plans). Even when it was very serious (and I actually attempted afterwards), he never hospitalized me, he expresses worry and tells me I can call if I need to.

I think he realizes that telling me 'useful' stuff or hospitalizing me would not help much. It comforts me much more to know that at least he cares whether I show up for the next session or not, and that he is there for me no matter how much I struggle.

[junkDNA]

He ALWAYS recommends the hospital. Like even offering to call the police on me!!!

[ruh roh]

Geeze, AY, it would really set me off if my therapist said it made her physically sick to hear me say something. I don't actually know if my therapist says anything. It seems she mostly ignores it and waits for it to pass. This week, I was fretting about getting my affairs in order and the lack of people to leave things to and she did address that, saying now was probably not a good time to make death preparations, that when I'm better, she'll help me make an end of life plan since she has helped a lot of people through end of life and dying.

[nottrustin]

She listens while I talk then asks a few questions to assess where I am at. She then asks me how it would effect my children. How would they handle it and mentions how it would very likely cause abandonment issues for them. She also reminds me how much I struggle with my mom's death and she died from cancer. She knows my children are the reason I could never do it so she reminds me of that.

Talks. Listens.

[amicus_curiae]

Oddly enough, I’ve only very vaguely imagined...doing irreparable harm to myself.

I’ve never mentioned it because the only way to describe my vague imagination is as a light-speed thought.

Here and gone.