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Cited by 74Grief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthSuicide and Self-Harm StudiesDeath, Funerary Practices, and Mourning

Lessons Learned: Forty Years of Clinical Work With Suicide Loss Survivors

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Jordan, John R.·2020·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00766PMC PMC7201040
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Abstract

The author has been a grief therapist in private practice for almost 40 years. The largest percentage of his clients have been suicide loss survivors, and in this article, the author reflects on the "lessons learned" about how grief therapy with survivors is both the same as, and very different from, work with clients bereaved after other types of losses. After briefly reviewing some of the empirical literature about differences between suicide bereavement and grief after other modes of death, the author argues that perhaps the most distinguishing and difficult aspect of a suicide loss is the "perceived intentionality" of the death, and the related "perceived responsibility" for the death. The author goes on to identify a number of tasks of psychological reintegration after a suicide loss that can serve as a template for treatment goals for clinicians and clients alike. These include the cultivation of a very specific type of secure and nurturing therapeutic alliance; extensive psychoeducation about suicide, trauma, and grief; the need to help the client repair the psychological continuing bond with the deceased; and providing gentle support for the survivor in rebuilding an assumptive world that has been shattered by the suicide of a loved one. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the clinical implications of these differences for work with suicide loss survivors.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00766

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  • The mechanisms linking family suicide history and increased mortality likely involve multiple pathways.

    “The mechanisms linking family suicide history and increased mortality likely involve multiple pathways.9,26,27,28”

    From Mortality Risk Following a Household Suicide (2025) · cites this paper as [27]

    The sections “Is Suicide Bereavement Different?” and “Post-Traumatic Growth After Suicide” say that exposure to a loved one’s suicide is associated with increased suicidal thinking, behavior, and suicide risk. “Tasks of Psychological Integration of the Loss” describes several psychological and social effects of that exposure. The paper does not establish that these are multiple pathways linking family suicide history to increased mortality more broadly. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • In Taiwan, higher rates of suicide were reported among first-degree relatives of suicide decedents (RR, 4.61; 95% CI, 4.02-5.29).

    “In Taiwan, higher rates of suicide (rate ratio [RR], 4.61; 95% CI, 4.02-5.29)”

    From Mortality Risk Following a Household Suicide (2025) · cites this paper as [27]

    The “Is Suicide Bereavement Different?” section says that losing a loved one to suicide increases the exposed person’s chances of suicidal thinking and behavior. “Post-Traumatic Growth After Suicide” also describes an elevated risk of suicide in survivors. The paper does not report a Taiwan-specific finding for first-degree relatives or the stated rate ratio and confidence interval (searched: Taiwan, first-degree relatives, 4.61, 4.02–5.29). (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • In Taiwan, higher rates of accidental deaths were reported among first-degree relatives of suicide decedents (RR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.43-1.84).

    “and accidental deaths (RR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.43-1.84) were reported among first-degree relatives of suicide decedents.27”

    From Mortality Risk Following a Household Suicide (2025) · cites this paper as [27]

    The section “Is Suicide Bereavement Different?” discusses survivors’ grief and suicidal thinking, not accidental-death rates. Searches for the Taiwan finding and accidental deaths among relatives found no passage reporting the RR of 1.62 or its confidence interval; no page numbers were provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.72)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cites

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Jordan, J. R.
Corresponding author
Jordan, John R.
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2020-04-29
Volume
11
Pages
766-766
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00766
PMC
PMC7201040
OpenAlex
W3021087952
Cited by
74
References
14
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 2
FWCI
3.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
Keywords
suicide bereavement, suicide loss survivors, grief therapy, psychological reintegration, therapeutic relationship, continuing bonds, trauma

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