Assessing the Emotional and Psychological Experience of Therapists Working with Clients Reporting Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Therapists who support young people experiencing suicidal thoughts frequently navigate profound emotional and psychological demands. Yet much of the existing scholarship centres on clients' experiences, leaving practitioners’ inner worlds insufficiently explored, particularly in contexts where cultural and religious frameworks shape both meaning and clinical decision-making. This phenomenological study examines the emotional and psychological experience in working with youths reporting suicidal thoughts and behaviours from an Islamic higher education context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three experienced therapists with a minimum of 5 years of working experience in a Muslim higher learning institution in Tanzania. Using an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis(IPA), three interpretive themes emerged: (1) Standing at the edge of uncertainty: the emotional weight, ethical vigilance, and relational complexity of holding suicidal disclosures; (2) Encountering the client’s fractured sense of belonging and self-worth: therapists’ interpretive engagement with experiences of disconnection and self-burden; and (3) Spiritual sensitivity and the ethical use of religiosity: how therapists cautiously integrate faith-based resources while honoring client agency and readiness. The findings reveal that working with suicidal youth places therapists in an emotionally charged and ethically delicate space that requires ongoing supervision, reflective practice, and contextual attunement. The study highlights the need for institutionally supported structures that safeguard therapist wellbeing and promote religiously and culturally informed care.