A Critical, Relational Approach for Working with Suicide in Family Therapy

Suicidality is a major global public health issue that couple and family therapists will inevitably encounter in their clinical work. While relational therapies for addressing suicidality are growing, few specifically outline ways to address the influence of systemic oppression on suicidality, reflecting the push to de-politicise suicide research. To address this issue, scholars have proposed integrating narrative approaches with evidence-based practices. This paper therefore delineates the integration of narrative therapy with dialectical behaviour therapy as a material discursive therapy. All main aspects of theory integration are described, including the epistemological framework, approach to the therapeutic relationship, and interventions. Finally, the change process is described using clinical case examples throughout to illustrate the ways in which these models can be integrated to produce a critical, relational approach for addressing suicidality in family therapy.