Sometimes emotional pain becomes so overwhelming that you begin thinking about not wanting to be here, wanting everything to stop, or wondering whether life is worth continuing.

You may not actually want to die. You may want the pain, exhaustion, conflict, trauma, or circumstances surrounding you to change.

Whatever brings you to this point, you do not have to hide it in therapy.

At Riverside Counseling, suicidal thoughts can be discussed openly and without judgment. Therapy can provide a place to slow things down, understand what is happening beneath the surface, identify patterns and triggers, strengthen protective factors, and develop practical strategies for moving through difficult periods more safely.

You do not have to wait until you are in a full-blown crisis to ask for help.

Suicidal ideation refers to thoughts about suicide or death. These thoughts can take many forms.

Someone may experience:

• Thoughts about wanting to die
• Thoughts about not wanting to wake up
• Feeling that others would be better off without them
• Feeling trapped or unable to see another way forward
• Thoughts about disappearing or escaping
• Recurring thoughts of suicide during periods of intense distress
• Suicidal thoughts following trauma, loss, relationship difficulties, substance use, or major life changes

Experiencing suicidal thoughts does not define who you are.

It is important, however, to take these thoughts seriously. A clinical assessment can help determine the level of risk and what type of support is appropriate.

Suicide prevention is not only about responding when someone is at immediate risk.

Therapy can also focus on understanding the circumstances and patterns that contribute to suicidal thinking before those thoughts become more intense or difficult to manage.

Together, we may explore:

• What tends to happen before suicidal thoughts appear
• Emotional or environmental triggers
• Trauma and unresolved experiences
• Depression, anxiety, or other mental health concerns
• Substance use and its relationship to emotional distress
• Grief and significant loss
• Relationship difficulties and isolation
• Feelings of shame, hopelessness, worthlessness, or being a burden
• Patterns of emotional overwhelm
• Difficulty regulating intense emotions
• Protective factors, strengths, relationships, and reasons for living

The goal is not simply to tell you to "think positive."

The goal is to understand what is happening and develop realistic ways to move through it.

Treatment is individualized. Your therapist will first work to understand your current situation, including the nature and intensity of suicidal thoughts, your history, current stressors, support system, and other factors that may affect your safety. Depending on your needs, therapy may incorporate

When trauma or distressing experiences contribute to suicidal thinking, EMDR may be considered when clinically appropriate and when sufficient stabilization and safety are in place.

We may also explore the deeper patterns beneath recurring suicidal thoughts through Evidence-Informed Approaches

Treatment may also draw from ACT, solution-focused therapy, attachment-based approaches, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and other clinically appropriate interventions.

The approach is selected based on you—not simply on a diagnosis or a list of symptoms.

When clinically appropriate, therapy may include development of a personalized safety plan.

A safety plan can identify:

• Personal warning signs
• Internal coping strategies
• People and places that provide support
• Individuals you can contact when you need help
• Professional and crisis resources
• Steps for making your environment safer

Safety planning is designed to give you a concrete plan for what to do when distress increases. The Stanley-Brown Safety Plan is one established framework used in suicide prevention.

A safety plan is not a substitute for emergency care when someone is at imminent risk.

Suicidal thoughts rarely exist in isolation.

They may occur alongside depression, trauma, anxiety, substance use, grief, relationship problems, significant life transitions, chronic stress, or other mental health concerns.

Rather than treating suicidal thoughts as your entire identity, therapy can help us understand the larger picture.

What happened?
What is hurting?
What keeps the cycle going?
What helps you feel connected?
What needs to change?

These questions can become part of meaningful therapeutic work.

Riverside Counseling provides scheduled outpatient psychotherapy. Outpatient therapy is not appropriate for every level of suicide risk.

If you are experiencing an immediate crisis, have an imminent plan or intent to harm yourself, cannot maintain your safety, or need a higher level of care, emergency or crisis services may be more appropriate.

Depending on the circumstances, a person may need crisis evaluation, emergency psychiatric care, hospitalization, or another higher level of support.

Seeking a higher level of care is not a failure.

Safety has to come first.

Once immediate safety has been addressed, outpatient therapy with Riverside Counseling may become part of the longer-term treatment plan.

You do not have to be a mental health professional to take suicidal thoughts seriously. 

If someone tells you they are thinking about suicide, listen without judgment, stay connected when possible, and help them access appropriate support.

You can also contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for guidance when you are concerned about someone else. The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7 by call, text, and chat and provides free, confidential support.

Talking about suicidal thoughts does not make you weak, dramatic, or attention-seeking.

Sometimes saying the words out loud is the first step toward understanding what you actually need.

At Riverside Counseling, therapy can provide a space to talk honestly about the thoughts, emotions, experiences, and circumstances that have brought you here.

You are more than the worst moment of your life.

There may be more to understand, more to heal, and more possibilities than you can see right now.

Like a river, healing moves forward.

Riverside Counseling is not a crisis center, emergency service, or 24-hour crisis response service. 

If you are in immediate danger, believe you may act on suicidal thoughts, or 

cannot keep yourself safe:

Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if there is an immediate threat to your safety or you need emergency medical attention.

If you are not in immediate danger but would like to explore outpatient therapy, contact Riverside Counseling to discuss getting started.

You simply need to be willing to start the conversation.

Call or text: 218-450-8400
Email: anna@riversidebrainerd.com

Riverside Counseling provides in-person therapy in the Brainerd Lakes Area and secure telehealth throughout Minnesota.

Suicidal Ideation & Suicide Prevention Therapy | Riverside Counseling.