MODULE TWO: COUNSELLING - FHI 360 Center for Global Health ...

Special Guidelines 1
•Suicide
If someone tells you that s/he is contemplating suicide or shows signs of being
suicidal, don't be afraid to talk about it. Your willingness to discuss suicide shows
the person that you don't condemn him/her for having such feelings. Ask
questions about how the person feels and the reasons for those feelings. It can
be helpful for a person under stress to hear someone say, "You seem really
down. Have you thought of killing yourself?"
Also questions about suicide, about the idea itself. "Do you have a specific plan
about how you would do it?" "Have you taken any steps to carry out the plan?"
Determine whether the person has access to a gun or pills. The more specific
and detailed the plan, the higher the risk. Don't worry that your discussion will
encourage the person to go through with the plan. On the contrary, it will help
him/her know that someone cares and is willing to be a friend.
Be calm. Discuss suicide as you would any other topic of concern. Don't offer
advice such as, "Think about how much better off you are than most people. You
should appreciate how lucky you are." Such comments only increase feelings of
guilt and make the suicidal person feel worse.
Convey hope. Prevent isolation (tell the person that you are available). And
recognise what you can't do for another person (you can't bring back a lover,
talk someone out of depression, change someone's bad home life, or turn an
ugly duckling into a swan).
•Rape
Often, just being able to talk about a crisis helps a person begin to let go of it. A
woman who has been raped and is now able to talk about it needs to be
encouraged to do so. Most likely she is feeling guilty and devastated by the act,
so counsellors try to help her understand that she is not responsible for being
sexually assaulted. Even if she did something unwise, such as walking through a
park alone at night, she did not ask to be attacked and isn't to blame.
Many sexual assault victims live in fear after an assault, and the fear becomes a
controlling influence in their lives. Women need to know that all the reactions
they are having--including fear--are normal. It can help to talk about options that
will make her feel safer, such as installing new locks or learning self-defence so
that instead of fear controlling her, she controls it. Fear can be a healthy
because it is a personal warning system.
1 Contra Costa Crisis Center (California, USA). Student Research. http://www.crisis-center.org
Session 7- Pg. 8