ORIGINAL ARTICLE Impact of Client Suicide on Psychologists in Australia Melissa Finlayson and Janette Graetz Simmonds Psychology Programs, Faculty of Education, Monash University Objective: This research aimed to assess the frequency and impact of client suicides on psychologists in Australia. Method: Participants were 178 psychologists who completed an online self-report questionnaire concerning the frequency of occurrence and impact of client suicide. Results: Fifty six (31.5%) participants reported one or more client suicides. Psychologists with more years of experience reported more client suicides. Participants who had experienced a client suicide reported a range of emotional, cognitive and behavioural reactions as well as pro- fessional impacts. Ratings of responsibility, preventability and predictability of a client suicide were associated with emotional and/or profes- sional impacts. Beneficial coping responses included talking to supervisors and colleagues, recognising the psychologist is not responsible and having increased acceptance of a client suicide. Conclusions: The findings have important implications for training, workplace practices and research. Key words: bereavement; coping; postvention; psychologists; suicide; support needs. What is already known on this topic 1 Client suicide affects psychologists on a personal level with commonly reported emotional reactions being shock, anger, guilt, helplessness and sadness. 2 Client suicides affect psychologists on a profes- sional level with psychologists typically reporting increased attention to suicidal cues, increased con- sultation with colleagues and peers, and greater attention to legal requirements as well as a more conservative approach to record keeping 3 Psychologists frequently access supervisors and colleagues for support. What this paper adds 1 Heightened feelings of responsibility for a client’s death by suicide is associated with greater emo- tional and professional impacts. 2 Where a client’s suicide is unexpected and contradicts the psychologists’ assessment of their client’s risk, this is associated with increased shock and confusion. 3 A need for a review of current training of supervi- sors in terms of how to best engage with psycholo- gists who have experienced a client suicide is evident. The findings indicated that nearly one in five psychologists in this study did not use supervi- sors as a support, and one in four psychologists found it not helpful or of little help talking to supervisors. Previous research has indicated that client suicides are an “occu- pational hazard” in that they have serious personal and profes- sional impacts on psychologists (Chemtob, Hamada, Bauer, Kinney, & Torigoe, 1988a). There is however only one known published study in Australia, that was conducted by Trimble, Jackson, and Harvey (2000), which has reported on the frequency and impact of client suicides on psychologists. Trim- ble et al. found that in their sample, over one third (38.9%; n = 170) of psychologists had experienced one or more client suicides. In comparison to Trimble et al.’s study, a landmark study undertaken in the USA by Chemtob et al. (1988a), had reported lower frequency rates with approximately 22% of psy- chologists having experienced a client suicide. Of these psychol- ogists, 39% had experienced more than one suicide. The studies of Trimble et al. (2000) and Chemtob et al. (1988a) both reported no differences in gender, age and years of service between psychologists who had experienced a client suicide to those who had not. As both the Trimble et al. and Chemtob et al. studies relied on self-selection of participation, this may have inflated the estimated incidence. It is possible that Correspondence: Janette Graetz Simmonds, Psychology Programs, Faculty of Education, 29 Ancora Imparo Way, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia. Email: mfinlayson@live.com.au Accepted for publication 2 July 2016 doi:10.1111/ap.12240 Australian Psychologist (2016) © 2016 The Australian Psychological Society 1