Citation

Mishna F, Antle BJ, Regehr C. Clin. Soc. Work J. 2002; 30(3): 265-280.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1023/A:1016045431637

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Social workers in agency and private practice settings often work with clients grappling with suicide, either as an acute or chronic situation. Probably more than any other clinical condition, suicide forces the practitioner to confront complex ethical, legal, and psychological questions while managing an urgent circumstance. This article attempts to illuminate the ethical and legal considerations that may arise when a client contemplates suicide. Rather than advancing one answer, we stress that in training and the workplace social workers must fully consider the complexities and ambiguities of a client's experiences as well as their own clinical, ethical, and legal obligations.

Language: en

Keywords

Legal and ethical issues; Social work and suicidal clients; Suicide and ethics