#DoMore: Feature in Lost&Found's "30 Days, 30 Stories" Project
As mental health providers, our goal is to provide healing and restoration to our patients. We want to help our clients develop resilience, so they can handle the stresses and challenges of the future.
That’s why I was happy to have the opportunity to be a part of the “30 Days, 30 Stories: Let’s #DoMore to Prevent Suicide” project.
This digital storytelling project was organized by Lost&Found, in partnership with the South Dakota Humanities Council, during National Suicide Prevention Month. The South Dakota nonprofit aims to eliminate suicide among young adults in the United States, and the “30 Days, 30 Stories” project tells the stories of 30 youth and adults from South Dakota who have experienced or faced mental health challenges and/or suicide ideation, risks, attempts and loss.
Connecting with Empathy and Bearing Witness as a Therapist
My story is about my experience as a clinical therapist working with patients who suffer from depression and experience suicidal ideation.
In the video I say, “I imagine there isn’t one mental healthcare provider who doesn’t fear losing a client or patient to suicide.”
I have treated many individuals who suffered from depressive episodes, including suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.
“Patients sometimes fear being reported if they talk about having suicidal ideation, which alone is a common symptom of depression,” I say in my story. “Creating a safe space for clients to talk about all aspects of depression is critical to managing depression and ultimately curbing thoughts of self-harm or ending one’s life.”
At Kimberly Keiser & Associates, we work with many patients who experience clinical anxiety & depression, past trauma and more — including with our transgender patients.
According to research, 35% of transgender youth have attempted suicide in the past year, nearly 5x higher than their cisgender peers, and 44% have considered it. Among transgender adults, 48% of respondents have seriously thought about suicide in the past year, and of those who have attempted suicide, 78% have done so more than once in their lifetime.
Addressing the Challenges of Building Resilience
While research shows that some people are more prone to having an innate resilience than others, it also has shown that individuals can grow and develop resilience.
As I mention in the video, “As a mental health therapist, I am a proponent of working with a professional mental healthcare provider to learn and develop skills of resilience.”
Watch my video below, and see the other stories of resilience shared on Lost&Found’s “30 Days, 30 Stories” project website.
If you are experiencing mental health challenges, our therapists are ready to help you build resilience and heal. Contact us today.