Counselors’ Perceptions of a Peer Who Had a Client Die by Suicide: A Randomized Controlled Study

ABSTRACT Counselors who have had a client die by suicide are often reluctant to seek support from peers due to fears of blame, shame, or invalidation. In this randomized controlled study, we examined whether such counselors are perceived differently by their peers. Participants ( N = 453) were licensed professional counselors who were randomly assigned a vignette that either included or omitted reference to the counselor's experience with client suicide and rated the counselor on nine characteristics using a semantic differential scale. We also explored whether participants’ personal or professional experiences with suicide influenced their ratings, how often counselors experience client suicide, and whether suicide‐related language affected referral likelihood. Results indicated no significant differences between groups, suggesting that counselors who have experienced a client suicide were not viewed more negatively by participants in this study and may represent an important source of peer support, challenging assumptions of stigma within the profession.