Mental health professionals’ lived experiences of the unpremeditated and unforeseen death of a client

Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences of Mental Health Professionals (MHPs) who have experienced the unpremeditated and unforeseen death of a client. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was the qualitative methodology used to explore this phenomenon. Data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews with eight female participants from various disciplines within the mental health field. The findings captured the impact of unexpected loss, the complex and contradictory nature of grief and the culture of silence surrounding client death. Participants reported intense emotions, including shock, sadness, and guilt, alongside feelings of isolation due to confidentiality constraints and a perceived lack of social recognition for their loss. A recurring theme was the struggle to reconcile personal grief with professional responsibilities. Participants identified peer support, supervision, and spirituality as key pathways to processing their clients’ deaths and highlighted the need for systemic changes to provide better support and training for MHPs. Implications for clinical practice suggest the need to recognise and normalise MHPs' spectrum of emotional responses to client death, implement training programs, develop supportive organisational cultures, and expand supervision frameworks. Suggestions for future research include exploring different types of sudden client death, investigating the impact of MHP or supervisor death on therapeutic work, and studying professional boundary considerations in bereavement.