Counseling and Suicide Prevention: Effectiveness of Services

This report delves into the critical role of counseling and psychotherapy in preventing suicide, examining the effectiveness of these interventions within the context of mental health services. It explores various psychological approaches such as psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, and humanistic frameworks, which are fundamental to understanding and addressing mental health issues, including depression and suicidal ideation. The report focuses on the Mid-Ulster Association for Counseling & Psychotherapy (MACP) in Northern Ireland, analyzing its contributions to reducing serious mental health problems and preventing suicide. It utilizes qualitative data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews with both service providers and recipients, to assess the organization's performance and identify factors influencing the prevention of suicidal attempts. The study investigates the impact of counseling services on managing anger, stress, trauma, and other factors contributing to mental health challenges, offering insights into the complexities of suicide prevention within a community setting. The report also highlights the significance of addressing the social and psychological parameters of depression and the importance of providing support for individuals experiencing loss, trauma, and suicidal thoughts, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts involving mental health professionals, governmental, and non-governmental organizations.

Running head: COUNSELLING AND SUICIDE PREVENTION
COUNSELLING AND SUICIDE PREVENTION
Name of Student
Name of University

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Table of Contents
1. Abstract...............................................................................................................................2
2. Introduction............................................................................................................................5
Research questions.................................................................................................................8
3. Literature review.................................................................................................................9
4. Methodology and data collection method.........................................................................14
DATA COLLECTION.........................................................................................................20
5. Results and Analysis.........................................................................................................20
6. Discussion.........................................................................................................................25
7. Conclusion........................................................................................................................30
Reference..................................................................................................................................33

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1. Abstract
The three dynamic forces of psychology such as the psychoanalytic approach,
psychodynamic approach and the humanistic approach have provided the medical and
physiological framework of different countries (starting from the first world countries to the
third world countries) – the necessary tools in the field of mental health assessment and
services along with the necessary spectrum of knowledge needed to make the general public
and the professionals aware – about the development of various clinically important mental
conditions and the various ways of dealing with it. Counseling and the talk therapy is one of
the most well-known ways of dealing with the same array of mental health situations where a
person is involved in a self destructive thought, self harm behaviors, delusion, hallucination,
paranoia, fear and a resultant state of deep seated clinical depression. The association extends
its support to mental health patients in management of anger, bereavement, stress, anxiety,
trauma, abuse fears and relationship issues, change and major life events that impact’s one
health and state of well -being plus it leads to the stages of depression. The organization
based on Northern Ireland has dedicated members, staffs, employees, experts and volunteers
to address the social and the psychological parameters of depression amongst the Irish people
and they extend the necessary social and the sociocultural services in management of trauma
and resultant depression amongst the Irish people. Various governmental and non-
governmental organizations has been involved in United Kingdom, to deliver the right
services (mental health services) to the appropriate population which is affected
demographically or developmentally with clinical depression and development of suicidal
ideations. In the United Kingdom, Mid Ulster Association For Counseling and Psychotherapy
has played its part so far in preventing the suicidal ideations and the suicidal events in the
country of Ireland (Doyle, Treacy and Sheridan 2017). The study aims to understand whether
the Counseling and the psychotherapy services actually prevent and manage suicidal ideation

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effectively and whether the Mid-Ulster Association for Counseling & Psychotherapy
(MACP), who deliver a professional counseling service, located in the Mid-Ulster Council
electoral ward, contribute to the reduction in serious mental health problems, particularly
suicide (Hawton and Van Heeringen 2000). The study uses a qualitative data collection and a
qualitative data analysis method to understand the client and employee perspective of the
Mid-Ulster Association for Counseling & Psychotherapy (MACP) in context to performance
of the organization so far in prevention of suicides (Klonsky et al. 2016). The study finds out
mixed and complex perspectives in terms with workforce, counseling services and
technology of the organization in prevention of suicidal attempts of the concerned people in
the population. A semi structured interview was performed with each participants of each
focus group. Open ended questions were used to help the participants explore their reflection
and ideas without any barriers or boundaries. Two different focus groups were formed in
order to gain an insight into the suicide prevention service delivery system by the Mid-Ulster
Association for Counseling & Psychotherapy (MACP) from the perspectives of the
employees who deliver the services at Mid-Ulster Association for Counseling &
Psychotherapy (MACP) and from the perspectives of those who receive the counseling
services from Mid-Ulster Association for Counseling & Psychotherapy (MACP).

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2. Introduction
Mental health problems have been increasing throughout the globe and this has been
due to the increase in stress and anxiety of the general population. The mental health is being
affected differently at different age groups and various psychosocial factors has been seen to
play a very important role in the development of these grave mental health diseases from
initial stages to the severe stages (John, Bagley and Hoi-Wah 2018). Stress and anxiety as
already, mentioned being the most basic of clinical affections at the mental levels of human
being and with increase in complexity of human lives and increase in the number of
complexities of resources (Tang et al. 2009) – for which human competition is rising every
day – has also contributed to the elevated number of mental health cases throughout the
globe. The increase in the number of stress and anxiety cases – whether it rises from lack of
employment or lack of perceived love and affection – has made the quality of life much
diminished compared to the full potential with which a life should be dealt with (Hearne,
Geary and King 2017). While mental health professionals across the world has increased their
repertoire of dealing different pathophysiology of neuropsychological and purely
psychological basis – from different aspects and different perspectives of mental health
services – there has also been an increased challenges to the delivery of these services
(mental health services ) which are of economic, financial, social and behavioral origin. In
addition to these challenges (Horgan et al. 2018), various types of administrative and national
level of legal challenges have also presented themselves to the successful or optimal delivery
of these mental health care services in a community or a urban scenario. The level of mental
health affection is different at different social levels that is meant in a social hierarchy way
and the level of mental health diseases or conditions that affects differentially according to
the social determinants of health – is a factor exclusive of many other influences that are
strictly medical or clinical of sense. One of the chief mental health severity that rises from a

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long withstanding case of stress and anxiety that has been left untreated has been often
reported to transform itself to a more dire and severe condition such as sadness which in a
more severe of sense and condition leads to clinical depression in many individuals across
different age groups (starting from childhood depression to old age depression) (Moore and
Donohue 2016). This depression, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed under many situations
(given the low socio economic status, non- accessibility to quality health care centers, low
awareness of mental health diseases and low awareness about the ‘quality of life at different
developmental stages’) has been the prime precursor of suicidal ideations amongst people of
different range of age groups and the development of suicidal tendencies leading to actual
taking place of suicidal events has been greatly influenced and attributed by the disturbed
mental health levels across various psycho social stages of life. Various psychological events
occurring at different stages of life in a broader sense has different impacts on the psyche of
an individual and the overall memory of the event or the fact that the individual is not being
able to overcome it or surpass the feelings of it by the experience into the greater horizon of
understanding, consciousness and holistic understanding of life - has also been attributed to
be as the perfect ideations towards suicidal thoughts and the actual happening of suicidal
event (Black et al. 2015). The three dynamic forces of psychology such as the psychoanalytic
approach, psychodynamic approach and the humanistic approach have provided the medical
and physiological framework of different countries (starting from the first world countries to
the third world countries) – the necessary tools in the field of mental health assessment and
services along with the necessary spectrum of knowledge needed to make the general public
and the professionals aware – about the development of various clinically important mental
conditions and the various ways of dealing with it. Counseling and the talk therapy is one of
the most well-known ways of dealing with the same array of mental health situations where a
person is involved in a self destructive thought (Hearne and Galvin 2015), self harm

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behaviors, delusion, hallucination, paranoia, fear and a resultant state of deep seated clinical
depression. Various governmental and non-governmental organizations has been involved in
United Kingdom, to deliver the right services (mental health services) to the appropriate
population which is affected demographically or developmentally with clinical depression
and development of suicidal ideations (Shaffer et al. 1991).
In the United Kingdom, Mid Ulster Association For Counseling and Psychotherapy
has played its part so far in preventing the suicidal ideations and the suicidal events in the
country of Ireland. The association extends its support to mental health patients in
management of anger, bereavement, stress, anxiety, trauma, abuse fears and relationship
issues, change and major life events that impact’s one health and state of well -being plus it
leads to the stages of depression. The organization based on Northern Ireland has dedicated
members, staffs, employees, experts and volunteers to address the social and the
psychological parameters of depression amongst the Irish people and they extend the
necessary social and the sociocultural services in management of trauma (Cerel, Jordan and
Duberstein 2008) and resultant depression amongst the Irish people. They have the right set
of organized people and workforce to go with the right blend of technology to assist the
mentally ill patient bordering on emotional and personality disorders to prevent them from
the incidents of life threatening events and suicidal impacts. The organization addresses
psychologically challenged young males and females or the ones affected with
psychosocially adverse situations with career and trauma informed psychological care. Loss
of personal family member or loss of a loved one through death and expiry can lead to
depression and a bereavement support becomes essential to the addressing of these cases and
Mid Ulster Association For Counseling and Psychotherapy extends the right support in these
circumstances as well. The Mid Ulster Association For Counseling and Psychotherapy
provides purpose to the subjects who lacks hope and meaning in the pursuit of life and the

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association based in Northern Ireland finds or rather considers it as a rather important marker
for suicidal ideations. Thus, on most occasions to takes up a psychological aspect of care that
is of humanistic perspective and shifts the counseling and therapy sessions into a rather
meaningful experience where an individual start once again with new hope and faith in life.
While handling the trauma cases – the Mid Ulster Association For Counseling and
Psychotherapy focuses to make sense of the event that has caused a lot of trauma to a subject
and the trauma incident is presented by the counselors and therapists at Mid Ulster
Association For Counseling and Psychotherapy as more meaningful life experience for
growth or rather a more meaningless experience which has been held on by the individual for
too long and that it is time (Krysinska and De Leo 2007) – for a much needed release from
the same now. In other words, over the years now – the \mental health service delivery
organization has been healing and curing the ‘dissociative states’ which are identified or
rather recognized as the important precursor behavior in the ideation of suicidal behavior and
attitudes. The organization works through a collaboration of psychiatrists, clinical
psychologists, therapists and the counselors to deliver the best of mental health services to
community living people of Northern Ireland and even to urban living people (Blumenthal
1990).
Research questions
1. Does Counseling and the psychotherapy services actually prevent and manage
suicidal ideation effectively?
2. Does the Mid-Ulster Association for Counseling & Psychotherapy (MACP), who
deliver a professional counseling service, located in the Mid-Ulster Council electoral
ward, contribute to the reduction in serious mental health problems, particularly
suicide?

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3. Literature review
The Mid Ulster Association For Counseling and Psychotherapy has the right servicing
team along with the volunteers and the fundraising team who network in the right appropriate
way to service the mentally ill and mentally affected subjects from North Ireland and the
nearby regions. The Mid Ulster Association For Counseling and Psychotherapy has also
arranged the charity programs for traumatized individual and in the way of altruism and
philanthropy as well, the organization has grown over the years, in service of the trauma care
and mentally suffering people. The teen ager and the youngsters who are into alcohol and
other drugs abuse and who have been passing through the dire disturbing state of adolescent
and in company of people who are not in any way, well equipped and just equipped to
address the developmental needs of these teenagers and adolescents – are the major cardinal
reasons that lead to ideation of euphoria, delusion and ecstasy led suicidal attempts amongst
the teen agers and adolescents. The ‘death ecstasy’ and risky psychosocial behaviors are the
reason that the people of this sensitive age group of adolescence or even early adolescence
pass through the very stages of risky and life threatening behavioral change and under the
modern circumstances – when the parents are either at work ( both the parents in many family
circumstances and in order to earn more amount of money to stabilize the socio economic
status of a modern day middle class family striving through a highly competitive age ) – these
aggressive and violent alcohol and other drugs related behaviors becomes activated – under
the lack of supervision and mature peer support. Violence and the various types of aggressive
behaviors as well as the conception of anti-social behavior amongst the young teens and the
young adults is common due to the engagement with alcohol and other drugs effect and these
violence and aggression in the developmental stages, if incorporated by any finest means of
chance, might escalate a new problem both the teen or the adolescent and his or her family
and friends as well. The Mid Ulster Association For Counseling and Psychotherapy in

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Northern Ireland identified peer support as an important and critical tool in shifting the
behavior of an adolescent to a more positive and acceptable note and social observational
learning along with the vicarious learning are also used by the Mid Ulster Association For
Counseling and Psychotherapy as cardinal interventional tools to address the humanistic and
developmental needs of the adolescents, adults and the teens. Both fundraising and the
networking to get the right mix and proportion of people working towards the common goals
of helping, assessing and righting the trauma mediated depressive situations is critical to the
success of any non-governmental organization in the prevention of suicidal acts and ideations
(Gask et al. 2017).
The esteem and belonging needs of a person is a very critical to the developmental
needs and growth of a person and it is very critical that the developmental needs of a person
is taken care by the family, relatives, neighborhood and the teachers, seniors, peers that forms
the social framework around the person. The trauma received at childhood, adolescence and
the adulthood of the person is critical to his feelings of security, esteem, love and belonging
and any mismatch or under fulfillment of any of these ‘needs’ can lead to faulty or deficient
emotional growth in the individual. The various types of needs that are mentioned above in
addition to the other humanistic needs play a very important part in shaping of the human
character and the human personality in relation to the various facets of human emotion
development. The overall understanding of a person’s one’s own situation comes from self-
monitoring and self-awareness and this actualization of one’s truest self lead to the
compassionate understanding of one’s own desires and acceptance of other people’s behavior
without judgment. While person’s interaction with his or her own self in addition to the social
and cultural interactions with others in the near and immediate environment play a very
critical role in ideation of suicidal behaviors – the internal derangements in terms of traits,

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wishes, emotions, motives and feelings also sum onto the construction of positive and
negative feelings around the living of life by an individual (Cullinan, Veale and Vitale 2016).
In a study performed on the perception of the mental health conditions persistent at
Northern Ireland – the researchers found out that in addition to the socio economic and
emotional connection plus bonding within a family – the overall social environment in which
an individual lives also have a strong effect on the development of mental health condition in
the individual (Monteith et al. 2013). The study used a more quantitative approach such as
general health questionnaire to understand the mental health state and the general perception
of the people living in Northern Ireland and their very conception about their own mental
well-being and that of their family (Langille 2018). While the study aims to understand the
major two social determinants of health – it also finds out important and the most vital
correlation about the overall effect of individual mental health on the state of living of the
entire family and the whole area – in a broader perspective – given there is a psychological
morbidity related to a history of trauma and violence in the respondent’s area and the related
socio psychological disruptions immensely occurring in the given area. Hence, in this study
‘Mental health in Northern Ireland: have “the Troubles” made it worse?’ by O’ Reilly and
Stevenson (1997) – the impact of civil unrest has been found to have a greater impact in
terms of violence mediated depression, paranoia, behavioral and personality disruptions due
to the underlying the psychological and sociological disturbances. The economic, socio
economic and demographic factors were seen to plan a very vital role in the initiation of these
mental condition leading to suicidal ideations and suicidal events (Nadorff et al. 2014)
McLafferty (2018) focuses to understand ‘The moderating impact of childhood
adversity profiles and conflict on psychological health and suicidal behaviour in the Northern
Ireland population’. The trauma received at the childhood days and the impact of post-
traumatic stress disorder in the later psychosocial developmental stages of life is directly