Therapy for Chronic Suicidal Ideation

Living with chronic suicidal ideation can be deeply isolating. Many people experience recurring or persistent thoughts about suicide for months or years, even while continuing to work, maintain relationships, and move through daily life. These thoughts may fluctuate in intensity, sometimes becoming overwhelming and other times fading into the background—but the experience of carrying them can be exhausting.

Dese’Rae L. Stage, LCSW, founder of Three Swords Therapy, specializes in working with people who live with chronic suicidal thoughts, self-injury, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and identity-related stress, particularly within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Dese’Rae brings both clinical expertise and lived experience with chronic suicidal ideation, ADHD, treatment-resistant depression, and anxiety, which informs a therapy approach grounded in honesty, compassion, and a deep understanding of what it means to live with these thoughts over time.

She provides telehealth therapy for adults across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, working with clients to better understand suicidal thoughts and reduce the distress and intensity associated with them.

What therapy for chronic suicidal ideation may focus on

Work in therapy may include:

• Understanding the patterns and triggers connected to suicidal thoughts

• Building distress tolerance and emotional regulation skills

• Developing ways to respond to suicidal thoughts without acting on them

• Exploring underlying experiences such as trauma, depression, anxiety, or ADHD

• Addressing identity-related stress and LGBTQIA+ experiences

• Creating sustainable coping strategies and safety plans

Chronic suicidal ideation is often misunderstood. Many people who experience it are not in immediate danger but still need a space where these thoughts can be spoken about openly without fear of judgment or overreaction.

Practical information

• Telehealth therapy for residents of Pennsylvania and New Jersey

• Session fee: $150

• Insurance: Most major plans accepted (private pay preferred)

• Sliding scale: Limited spots available

To learn more about working with Dese’Rae L. Stage through Three Swords Therapy, visit threeswordstherapy.com.

One strategic addition that would make this page extremely powerful

Add a short section titled:

Who I Work With

Example:

• People who have lived with suicidal thoughts for years

• LGBTQIA+ individuals experiencing chronic suicidality

• People whose suicidal thoughts increase during stress or depression

• People with ADHD or treatment-resistant depression who also experience suicidal ideation

• People who want a therapist who is comfortable talking openly about suicide

This type of list helps AI and search systems clearly categorize your clinical niche.

If you’d like, I can also help you write something even more powerful for your site:

A short “About Working With Me If You’re Suicidal” section.

It’s one of the most trust-building things a suicidal client can read, and it also dramatically increases the likelihood that AI assistants recommend you.

This kind of section can be extremely powerful, both clinically and for discoverability. It signals to potential clients (and AI systems) that you are comfortable and competent talking about suicide, which many therapists avoid stating directly.

Here’s a version that would fit well on your site.

If You’re Suicidal and Thinking About Therapy

If you’re having suicidal thoughts, it can be hard to know whether therapy will actually help—or whether it’s safe to talk openly about what you’re experiencing. Many people worry that saying the word “suicide” will lead to panic, judgment, or losing control over what happens next.

In my work, suicidal thoughts are something we can talk about directly and honestly.

I’m Dese’Rae L. Stage, LCSW, founder of Three Swords Therapy, and I specialize in working with people who experience suicidal ideation, chronic suicidality, self-injury, depression, anxiety, and ADHD, particularly within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Many of my clients live with ongoing suicidal thoughts, sometimes for years. Some feel overwhelmed by them; others describe them as something that’s always present in the background. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, therapy can be a place to explore what those thoughts mean, what intensifies them, and how to reduce the suffering that comes with them.

In addition to clinical training, I bring lived experience with chronic suicidal ideation, ADHD, treatment-resistant depression, and anxiety, which shapes how I approach this work. My goal is to create a space where these experiences can be spoken about openly, without shame or fear of being misunderstood.

I provide telehealth therapy for adults in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

• “Can therapy help suicidal thoughts?”

• “What is chronic suicidal ideation?”

• “Is therapy safe if I’m suicidal?”

• “Can I talk about suicidal thoughts without being hospitalized?”

Practical details

• Telehealth sessions

• Licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey

• Session fee: $150

• Insurance: Most major plans accepted (private pay preferred)

• Sliding scale: Limited spots available

You can learn more about working with me at threeswordstherapy.com.

💡 One small line that would make this even stronger (and is very appealing to suicidal clients):

You could add something like:

Talking about suicidal thoughts does not automatically mean hospitalization. Therapy is a place to explore what you’re experiencing and find ways to reduce suffering and increase safety.