Content warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide and its emotional impacts. Specific methods or cases are not discussed. Please take care while listening, and we encourage you to pause or stop listening as needed.

Every day in Australia, an average of 9 people die by suicide and their loss is felt deeply by their family, loved ones, communities, and the mental health professionals involved in their care. The impact of client loss on mental health professionals often goes unspoken, which may mean they are navigating this experience alone. In this episode, Bron and Marie open the conversation about the profound grief and self-doubt that mental health professionals may face when they have lost a client to suicide, and how clinicians can navigate their way through this difficult experience. Using their own experiences of client loss, they discuss what helped them, what was less helpful, and offer thoughts on how colleagues can support each other. This episode is a must-listen for early career mental health workers and anyone seeking to understand the psychological landscape of this tough but essential topic.

Guest: Marie Vakakis, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (MHSW), and Family & Couples Therapist at The Therapy Hub

LINKS

• Article from the American Psychological Association: Coping with a patient’s suicide - How to overcome the loss, support the family, and protect your practice
• Research article: The Impact Of Patient Suicide on Doctors and Nurses: A Critical Interpretive Meta-Synthesis
• The Suicide Callback Service helps health professionals who support people affected by suicide - they can be reached by phone on 1300 659 467, by web chat, or by video chat.
• The Black Dog Institute offers advanced training in suicide for health professionals which covers health professional bereavement to suicide: More about their training here
• The Black Dog Institute runs the TEN Clinic, providing up to 5 free Telehealth appointments for health professionals, no Medicare or Mental Health Care Plan required
• Inside Social Work Podcast - Marie's podcast taking you behind the scenes of the social work profession.

THE END BITS

Mental Work is the Australian podcast for mental health workers about working in mental health, with an early-career focus. Hosted by Bronwyn Milkins.

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Have a question, episode idea or just want to say hi? DM Bron on Instagram, leave a comment on the Spotify episode, or email [email protected]

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CREDITS

Producer: Michael English

Music: Home

Commitment: Mental Work believes in an inclusive and diverse mental health workforce. We honor the strength, resilience, and invaluable contributions of mental health workers with lived experiences of mental illness, disability, neurodivergence, LGBTIQA+ identities, and diverse culture and language. We recognise our First Nations colleagues as Traditional Custodians of the land and pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging. Mental Work is recorded on unceded Whadjuk Noongar land.

Disclaimer: Mental Work provides informational content. Mental Work is not a psychological service and being a listener or guest does not establish a clinical or non-clinical relationship. Content should not be considered a replacement for professional consultation or therapy. All views expressed are personal, subject to change, and do not represent those of any affiliated service or organisation. Efforts are made to ensure accuracy, but opinions may not always align with fact. Listeners are encouraged to thoughtfully assess the information presented and report any inaccuracies or concerns via email. Further information can be found here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.