“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment” (Viktor Frankl).
Suicide and suicidal ideation
If you need help urgently:
If you believe that your immediate personal safety is at risk due to suicidal thoughts and plans or intentions you should contact your GP as a matter of urgency or call 999 for immediate assistance from the emergency services.
Even if you do not believe your life is in immediate danger you may feel an urgent need to speak about your sense of despair or the disturbing thoughts or decisions that you are being drawn towards.
These helpline services are available 24 hours a day:
| Samaritans Free Phone 24 hour service: 116 123
Email: [email protected] |
1life free 24hr helpline: 1800 247 100
|
Suicidal Ideation:
Individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts sometimes feel guilty and ashamed for doing so. They may feel that there are no viable or visible outcomes to the awfulness of their circumstances. Suicide as the so-called permanent solution to temporary problems can appear as an even more attractive or inevitable proposition to escape the solitude of their pain. When a person does indicate either directly or indirectly that they no longer have an interest in living the QPR model of Paul Quinnett can be employed to question, persuade and refer in order to normalise the subject matter of suicide.
The first step in saving lives often lies in providing a safe and non-judgemental forum to pose the suicide question. Talking and communication are the basic steps in destigmatising misconceptions around mental health and mental illness but moreover someone must actively listen to what this person is saying. Hope, solutions and alternatives can be offered as gentle persuasion to accept help ideally from a mental health professional, and counselling and psychotherapy affords this opportunity.
Working together with a professional therapist in a warm supportive environment can be a gradual means of exploring unseen perspectives, gaining clarity and eventually expanding and integrating meaningful options into your life.
Support for those bereaved by suicide
People whose lives are devastated when someone they love dies by suicide are often overwhelmed by feelings of shame, guilt, shock, disbelief and anger. The complexity of their grief is compounded not only by the suddenness of their loss but also by their inability to make sense of this tragedy and the eternal absence of answers. They can be burdened with a terrible sense of isolation, believing that nobody will ever comprehend the depth of their hurt.
Some people bereaved in this way become unknowingly ‘stuck’ in the loss and are unable to move on in any real capacity in their lives. It is certainly the truth that counselling or psychotherapy cannot bring back the person you have lost, but the work undertaken may enable you to reposition them in some way in your life as you seek to find a way of making peace with their loss within yourself.
My training and experience
Beyond my core training my professional learning around and within the area of suicide has been enhanced through various programmes such as SafeTALK, ASIST, QPR, and the Mind Yourself Train the Trainer Programme in Adolescent Mental Health Promotion & Suicide Prevention, delivered by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF). I sat for approximately 2 years on the Suicide Prevention Working Implementation Group for Waterford City. I have also gained several years invaluable experience working with both those with suicidal ideation and those whose loved ones who have died by suicide, in roles as a bereavement support worker, volunteering for The Samaritans and Aware, working in a family resource centre, and facilitating support/informational groups in the Dept. of Psychiatry in University Hospital Waterford.
Seeking and accepting support is a strength and not a weakness so please feel free to contact me to take the next step.
Suicide and suicidal ideation
If you need help urgently:
If you believe that your immediate personal safety is at risk due to suicidal thoughts and plans or intentions you should contact your GP as a matter of urgency or call 999 for immediate assistance from the emergency services.
Even if you do not believe your life is in immediate danger you may feel an urgent need to speak about your sense of despair or the disturbing thoughts or decisions that you are being drawn towards.
These helpline services are available 24 hours a day:
| Samaritans Free Phone 24 hour service: 116 123
Email: [email protected] |
1life free 24hr helpline: 1800 247 100
|
Suicidal Ideation:
Individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts sometimes feel guilty and ashamed for doing so. They may feel that there are no viable or visible outcomes to the awfulness of their circumstances. Suicide as the so-called permanent solution to temporary problems can appear as an even more attractive or inevitable proposition to escape the solitude of their pain. When a person does indicate either directly or indirectly that they no longer have an interest in living the QPR model of Paul Quinnett can be employed to question, persuade and refer in order to normalise the subject matter of suicide.
The first step in saving lives often lies in providing a safe and non-judgemental forum to pose the suicide question. Talking and communication are the basic steps in destigmatising misconceptions around mental health and mental illness but moreover someone must actively listen to what this person is saying. Hope, solutions and alternatives can be offered as gentle persuasion to accept help ideally from a mental health professional, and counselling and psychotherapy affords this opportunity.
Working together with a professional therapist in a warm supportive environment can be a gradual means of exploring unseen perspectives, gaining clarity and eventually expanding and integrating meaningful options into your life.
Support for those bereaved by suicide
People whose lives are devastated when someone they love dies by suicide are often overwhelmed by feelings of shame, guilt, shock, disbelief and anger. The complexity of their grief is compounded not only by the suddenness of their loss but also by their inability to make sense of this tragedy and the eternal absence of answers. They can be burdened with a terrible sense of isolation, believing that nobody will ever comprehend the depth of their hurt.
Some people bereaved in this way become unknowingly ‘stuck’ in the loss and are unable to move on in any real capacity in their lives. It is certainly the truth that counselling or psychotherapy cannot bring back the person you have lost, but the work undertaken may enable you to reposition them in some way in your life as you seek to find a way of making peace with their loss within yourself.
My training and experience
Beyond my core training my professional learning around and within the area of suicide has been enhanced through various programmes such as SafeTALK, ASIST, QPR, and the Mind Yourself Train the Trainer Programme in Adolescent Mental Health Promotion & Suicide Prevention, delivered by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF). I sat for approximately 2 years on the Suicide Prevention Working Implementation Group for Waterford City. I have also gained several years invaluable experience working with both those with suicidal ideation and those whose loved ones who have died by suicide, in roles as a bereavement support worker, volunteering for The Samaritans and Aware, working in a family resource centre, and facilitating support/informational groups in the Dept. of Psychiatry in University Hospital Waterford.
Seeking and accepting support is a strength and not a weakness so please feel free to contact me to take the next step.
“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment” (Viktor Frankl).