Life after a Partner's Suicide Attempt

Reviews and Endorsements

When a person attempts suicide the world often falls in around their partners and families. Surprisingly this book is the first scholarly attempt to let partners speak about how that traumatic event impacted them. The stories told here reveal an often life-altering maelstrom of relief, grief, disbelief, doubt, care, exhaustion, exasperation, worry, loneliness, ongoing fear and roller-coaster love that requires huge resilience to navigate. Yet there is hope and help as Dr. McGivern's seminal work convincingly charts – opening up a neglected landscape for recognition and discussion.
Dr. Mary McAleese, President of Ireland 1997-2011; Professor of Children, Law & Religion, University of Glasgow; Chancellor, Trinity College Dublin

Francis McGivern is the first to apply the theory of ambiguous loss to understand and analyze the unimaginable stress experienced by the partners of those who attempt suicide… I highly recommend this book for clinicians and researchers who can now test these ideas for this new population and I thank Dr McGivern for his pioneering work in this new area of ambiguous loss.
Dr Pauline Boss, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota

While suicide is still a rare event, suicide attempts and self-harm are not. Insufficient attention has been paid to the partners of those who attempt to end their lives. Dr McGivern is to be commended for bringing their needs to the fore. He proposes a recovery pathway for this hitherto neglected group. His book is sensitive and thoughtful, timely and therapeutic.
Professor James Lucey, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin

An impactful book for the millions who experience the trauma of being partnered with someone surviving a suicide attempt. Some relationships are irrevocably damaged, while for others, post-traumatic growth occurs. The inspiration McGivern provides enhances the chances of their suffering becoming a transformative experience and is, therefore, a very important contribution to the field.
Linda Bloom, LCSW, Psychotherapist at Bloomwork in California