Christian Counseling Today Vol. 21, Iss. 2

christian counseling today

Vol. 21 no. 2

ery few, if any, words in

the English language can

bring more alarm, fear, pain

or confusion than “sui-

cide.” While the last century has seen

a significant advance in effective treat-

ments for a wide variety of medical

issues and illnesses, suicide rates have

increased by 60% over the last 45 years.

Conservative statistics suggest that every

15-20 minutes, someone takes his or her

own life. In 2013, there was a suicide

every 12.8 minutes.

That’s approxi-

mately 35,000 suicides every year in this

country—and there are likely more, as

many of these deaths are often disguised

as accidents.

Probably everyone reading this

knows of someone who committed

suicide. I recently polled a college class

of nearly 700 students on this very

question… and virtually every hand

went up. The loss and resulting trauma

for loved ones is devastating.

Adult suicide is the ninth most

common cause of death; in youth ages

15-24 and for 25-34 year olds, it is

the second leading cause of death.

It is important to note that there are

many more

ATTEMPTS

which fail—

10-40 times more than the number

of completed suicides.

In the United

States alone, there are nearly 650,000

attempted suicides per year, which

translates into one suicide attempt PER

MINUTE.

Every attempt can also

result in long-term medical complica-

tions, as well as shame, fear, and painful

memories.

Suicide primarily affects young

people and the elderly, and over the

past two decades has become a national

concern for returning veterans who

are suffering from combat trauma and

other related deployment stress. Sadly,

more soldiers die from suicide than

combat. Approximately 22 veterans kill

themselves every day—about 8,000 a

year.

The Ripple Effects

Each suicide directly affects an average

of six to 10 survivors; this includes,

but is not limited to, wives, husbands,

mothers, fathers, children, siblings,

co-workers, friends, and more. Every

day, hundreds of thousands of people

are filled with confusing emotions

and complicated grief over the loss of

someone to suicide. Friends, pastors

and counselors can help loved ones by

validating their emotions and giving

grievers permission to mourn, feel and

heal... but most receive little, if any, help

at all.

Many mental health professionals,

school teachers, clergy members, first

responders, law enforcement officers,

medical professionals, youth leaders,

and educators have seen or worked with

a client/student/parishioner who has

attempted or completed suicide. They

often describe it as “the most profoundly

disturbing event of their professional

careers.” It is surely one of counseling’s

greatest “occupational hazards.” Yet,

very little exists to help prevent, assess,

intervene or assist with recovery and

relapse… until now.

Suicide: “PAIR” Certification

Program

The brand-new AACC “PAIR”

(Prevention, Assessment, Intervention

and Recovery) Certification Program

features some of world’s leading experts

in the field of suicide. This cutting-edge

training program is designed to educate

and equip everyday leaders to more

accurately and effectively understand

and assess suicide risk; develop interven-

tion strategies; help establish policies

and procedures; offer systemic and best-

practice approaches for intervention;

present legal and ethical considerations;

and become aware of, and give consid-

eration to, those with serious suicidal

behavior and those who struggle with

chronic suicide ideation.

Without question, this is one of the

most significant programs we have ever

developed. In addition to the previ-

ously mentioned benefits, the “PAIR”

Certification Program includes training

in the SAFE-T method—one of the

most widely accepted multidimensional

approaches known today for offering

help and hope.

Tim Cl inton, Ed.D., LPC , LMFT

from the heart

Lives in Turmoil: The Suicide Crisis