Building a Therapeutic Alliance With the Suicidal Patient

Mental health professionals working with patients at risk for suicide must recognize a fundamental conflict at the heart of good clinical practice: while they are experts in the assessment of disorders of mental health, when it comes to the patient's story, the patient is the expert. Any successful intervention with a suicidal patient must therefore be based on an empathic understanding of suicidal thoughts and behavior that honors the patient's very personal perspective.

This exceptional volume addresses a wide range of issues, from the principles and method of establishing a working alliance, to patient-oriented therapeutic models, to practical clinical matters such as the therapeutic alliance within specific treatments across theoretical orientations. Most importantly, this book provides essential guidance for clinical suicide risk reduction that may help save lives.

Konrad Michel, MD, MRCPsych, is a senior psychiatrist and psychotherapist at the outpatient department of the University Psychiatric Hospital in Bern, Switzerland, and is also in private clinical practice.

Dr. Michel has been a collaborator on the World Health Organization--European Multicenter Study on Suicidal Behavior. He has conducted several clinical research projects focusing on the role of general practitioners in suicide prevention and on various aspects of the patient-clinician clinical relationship.

Together with Ladislav Valach, PhD, Dr. Michel has developed a model of understanding suicidal behavior based on the theory of goal-directed action and narrative interviewing.

He is also the initiator of the Aeschi Working Group, a group of clinicians and researchers who are dedicated to improving clinical suicide prevention by developing and promoting patient-oriented models of understanding suicidal behavior.

David A. Jobes, PhD, ABPP, is a professor of psychology and associate director of clinical training at The Catholic University of America. His research and writing have led to numerous publications in suicidology, with a particular focus on clinical suicidology.

Dr. Jobes is a past president of the American Association of Suicidology and is the recipient of that organization’s 1995 Edwin Shneidman Award in recognition of early career contribution to suicide research.

He has served as a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dr. Jobes is a board-certified clinical psychologist (American Board of Professional Psychology) who maintains a private clinical and forensic practice at the Washington Psychological Center, Washington, DC.