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Section 2. Clinical Theory and Practice

Existential Realities and No-Suicide Contracts

Pages 151-159
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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The author begins by reviewing the literature on contracting. It is suggested that no-suicide contracts may on occasion have the unintended consequence of militating against an exploration of clients' suicidal and self-destructive fantasies. A further consequence may be a failure to explore the existential realities of life and death. It is suggested that transactional analysis theory has a blind spot with respect to endings in general and death in particular. Suggestions for practice are made, including making no-suicide contracts when the client surfaces issues of self-destruction, rather than by rote.

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Geoff Mothersole

Geoff Mothersole, B.Sc. (Psych), M.S.W., Chartered Counselling Psychologist (British Psychological Society), Registered Integrative Psychotherapist (UK Council for Psychotherapy), Provisional Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (EATA), is in private practice as a psychotherapist and supervisor in London and Brighton, Sussex. He teaches on the transactional analysis psychotherapy program at Metanoia Institute and represents this organization on the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. He also works part-time as a psychologist in the National Health Service.
 

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