Resources
Websites
- Lifeline for Attempt Survivors offers self-care tips, resources, and support for people living with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, as well as for family and friends.
- Live Through This: A national series of portraits of attempt survivors, created by photographer, writer, and suicide awareness advocate, Dese'Rae Stage.
- Talking About Suicide: Dozens of interviews with attempt survivors, by journalist and attempt survivor, Cara Anna.
- Special considerations for telling your own story: Best practices for presentations by suicide loss and suicide attempt survivors
Videos
- "A Voice at the Table": A 30-minute video on attempt survivors featuring division members Craig Miller, Dese'Rae Stage and Cara Anna
- "Can You Hear Me Now? New voices of attempt survivors:" A panel at the AAS conference in 2014, featuring division members Dese'Rae Stage, Samatha Nadler, Misha Kessler and Craig Miller
- Now Matters Now: A skills training program for people who've been suicidal, by division member Ursula Whiteside
- "The S Word": A documentary trailer on division members and attempt survivors, by an Academy Award Winning Team
- TED Talks by attempt survivors:
Support groups
Cape Cod — A Second Chance
A safe, non-judgmental place for people to talk about the feelings that led them to attempt suicide, to talk about the impact their attempt had on their lives, and to build resilience by identifying resources and coping strategies for the future. Each 8-week session is confidential, free and facilitated by two Samaritan-trained volunteers – at least one of whom is an attempt survivor. Please contact our office to learn more or to participate in the next session. The same people will be in the session for the entire eight weeks; it is not a "drop-in" group. Sessions are free of charge. Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
For more information about this and future sessions, please contact: Stephanie Kelly at (508) 548-7999, email: ccsamaritans@verizon.net, or visit online: Cape Samaritans A Second Change Support Group.
Bristol County Regional Coalition for Suicide Prevention & Community Counseling of Bristol County: Re-Energize & Re-Connect Workshop Program
The Re-Energize & Re-Connect Attempt Survivor Workshop Program (R&RWP) is a once a month, 2 hour wellness check retreat-style, non-clinical gathering for suicide attempt survivors who have considerable distance from their last attempt and are currently on a path of recovery and healing. The workshops are limited to 10 participants for each series and the workshops are closed. The series runs for seven months and each participant receives a companion workbook.
A similar R&RWP is available for Suicide Loss Survivors who have some distance from the loss of their loved ones. Versions for both series will be available for teens in late winter 2016. The R&RWP is a collaboration between Community Counseling of Bristol County and the Bristol County Regional Coalition for Suicide Prevention (BCRCSP) and were developed by BCRCSP Director Annemarie Matulis with Tracey Pacheco Medeiros, an attempt survivor and Certified Peer Specialist serving as Advisor.
Group Dates and Times
The next R&RWP Attempt Survivor Workshops will begin in February of 2016 - one in Taunton, one in New Bedford. The R&RWP Loss Survivor Workshop in Taunton will also begin in late February 2016. Additional 2016 workshop sites are in development, as well as a companion documentary.
For information on dates, locations, start dates and registration, please contact Annemarie Matulis at (508) 922-7278, or email: matulisannie@msn.com.
Family Services of the Merrimack Valley
The Samaritans of Merrimack Valley is pleased to host a support group for individuals over age 18 who have attempted suicide in the past and are in need of connecting with others who have had the same experience. During this eight week group, participants will discuss topics such as safety planning, coping skills, self-care and processing past events.
This suicide attempt survivor support group is confidential, free and led by an attempt survivor.
For more information, group dates and times, please contact Debbie Helms at (978) 327-6671, email dhelms@fsmv.org, or visit online: Family Services of the Merrimack Valley.
Heywood Hospital — Suicide Attempt Survivor Support Group
Are you or a loved one a suicide attempt survivor? Could you or a loved one benefit from a support group in a safe environment which promotes resiliency, increased self-awareness of risk, encourages help-seeking and support? If so, please consider joining our free monthly support group at Heywood Hospital.
This group meets on the 4th Tuesday of every month from 6:30-8:00pm in the Heywood Hospital Education Conference Room in Gardner. All are welcome.
For more information, please contact Anne Jasinkski at (978) 630-6166, email: anne-jasinski@heywood.org, or visit online: Heywood Hospital.
The Wildflower Alliance, home to the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community.
The Wildflower Alliance is a grassroots Peer Support, Advocacy, and Training organization with a focus on harm reduction and human rights.
We rebranded in 2020 to better reflect our community building mission, as well as our international training and advocacy work.
See weekly and monthly Calendar (wildfloweralliance.org).
DeeDee's Cry
I'm Still Here: A support group for those of us who considered suicide. Is a virtual support group for anyone who has ever experienced suicidal ideation. The group is held weekly on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. This is not a clinical group. The group is facilitated by a suicide attempt survivor. See calendar for event and registration information.
For friends and family
For health care providers, educators and researchers
Presentation Slides
- Manual for Support Groups for Suicide Attempt Survivors
This detailed guide by Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in Los Angeles has been listed in the Suicide Prevention Resource Center's best practice registry.