The Stress of Therapy (IN: Lifelines: Clinical Perspectives on Suicide, ed. by E L Bassuk, S C Schoonover & A D Gill)

Psychotherapeutic treatment of suicidal patients is very intense & stressful for therapists. Not only must they monitor the vicissitudes of the real relationship & the transference distortions, but they also must be finely attuned to how they resonate these. Acknowledging, tolerating & living with those feelings, no matter how stressful, is required if patients are to resolve their conflicts successfully. (2 refs.)