The lived experience of therapists working with suicidal clients in Ghana: a heuristic study

In Ghana, a good amount of research has been carried out in the area of suicidology, mostly centred on suicidal persons, and views and attitudes of various professional groups towards suicide. However, none as yet has been carried out on the therapist's work with suicidal clients. This heuristic (qualitative) study was designed to explore the lived experience of seven psychotherapists working with suicidal clients in Ghana. As a heuristic study, I was both the researcher and a research participant. The qualitative data was analysed using the modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method; the research revealed the following findings among others:

1) Attunement in the therapy room varied from therapist to therapist. However, therapists trained in the same modality tended to have similar attunement in the therapy room. Some were more bodily attuned to their clients than others; most were attuned to the time sensitive nature of their work with suicidal clients; while a few were attuned to the space around them whilst working with suicidal clients.
2) Spirituality was utilised in the therapy, plus working with suicidal clients was deemed to have positive effect on therapists' spirituality.
3) Therapists were against the current anti-suicide law and most were engaged in advocacy work to have it repealed.
4) There was a disconnect between what therapists were witnessing in the therapy room as contributing to the suicidal crisis and what was presented to the public during suicide prevention campaigns.
5) Therapists reported working with suicidal clients to be heavy emotional work, and to counteract the possible negative effects, engaged in various forms of self-care.

Limitations of this research were discussed along with implications for psychotherapy. Further research topics were also discussed.