Trauma-Informed Practice with Individuals with Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

Trauma-informed practices are recommended when working with individuals with suicidal thoughts and behaviors due to the strong relationship between trauma and suicidality, but there is a dearth of information on how a trauma-informed approach is applied to work with this population. Practicing clinicians were recruited from professional networks, listservs, trainings, and through colleagues and word of mouth. This qualitative study (N = 30) explores clinicians’ understanding of trauma-informed practice and identifies ways that clinicians apply SAMHSA’s six principles of trauma-informed care to their work with clients with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Using thematic analysis, the following themes emerged from the interviews with practitioners: the creation of a strong working alliance characterized by relational safety; the use of collaboration and client empowerment strategies; the need for awareness of cultural, gender, and historical factors; the use of transparency and informed consent about disclosures related to suicide; an understanding of the scope and impact of trauma, and the use of peer support. The implications of this work for practicing clinicians is discussed, including the role of continuing education, the need to develop more peer support programs, and the importance of building trauma-informed organizations and agencies.