Dr. Christo Franklin

After Princeton and Yale, where I trained to be an Episcopal priest, I became a clinical psychologist and specialized in suicidal-desire negotiation (I worked for L.A. county. 5,020 call outs). I married a Muslim woman whose parents are from India/ Bangladesh. I used to be a hospice chaplain. Nowadays, most of my clients live with suicidal thoughts, experiencing the thoughts as either their own desire or as voices they hear... And I do evaluations for people adopting orphans in India.

My clients say, "I want someone I can talk with about suicidal thoughts, someone who will not panic and call 911 and put me in a hospital."

I get it you want to be able to trust the person you tell: no surprise police at your door.

Yes, I try to be available on short notice. We meet kinda brief, often 30-45 minutes, yet more often, as needed.

We use homework. It's a very active, solution oriented approach. But still warm. Good chemistry is an important part.

Well, we begin with getting a sense of what you've been through, both symptoms-wise and in your life...and how you want your life to be better. And we talk about what you want from me and what you can expect. We get clear on that because we have to be able to trust each other, and good, comfortable chemistry can't happen until we have trust.