Resources for Survivors of Suicide

GRIEF IN GENERAL

1. Coping with Grief and Loss: Understanding the Grieving Process (Helpguide): bit.ly/griefunderstanding
2. Understanding Grief, by Kenneth Doka (Hospice Foundation of America), webinar: audio, bit.ly/doka-griefaudio; slides, bit.ly/doka-griefslides; transcript, bit.ly/doka-grieftext

POSTVENTION GUIDELINES

1. After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools (AFSP, SPRC): bit.ly/sprc-schoolpostvention
2. Connect Postvention Training (NAMI-New Hampshire): bit.ly/connect-postvention
3. Lifelines Postvention: Responding to Suicide and Other Traumatic Death (Hazelden), manual: bit.ly/lifeline-schoolpostvention
4. Riverside Trauma Center Postvention Protocols: bit.ly/riverside-postvention
5. Youth Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention Guidelines: A Resource for School Personnel (Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program): bit.ly/maine-schoolmanual

WEBSITES FOR SURVIVORS

Comprehensive

1. Alliance of Hope for Suicide Survivors: www.forsuicidesurvivors.org
2. American Association of Suicidology survivor page: bit.ly/aas-survivors
3.  American Foundation for Suicide Prevention survivor page: bit.ly/afsp-survivors
4.  Friends for Survival: www.friendsforsurvival.org
5.  Grief after Suicide: bit.ly/suicidegriefsupport
6.  Heartbeat: heartbeatsurvivorsaftersuicide.org
7.  SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) survivor page: www.save.org/coping
8.  Suicide Prevention Resource Center survivor page: bit.ly/sprc-survivors
9.  Suicide Prevention Resource Center suicide bereavement library: bit.ly/sprc-survivorlibrary
10.  Suicide: Finding Hope: www.suicidefindinghope.com

Special Populations of Survivors

1. Caregivers: Clinician Survivor Task Force (AAS): bit.ly/aas-cliniciansurvivors
2. Children:

1. A Child in Grief (New York Life Foundation): bit.ly/achildingrief
2. Dougy Center: www.dougy.org/grief-resources
3. KIDSAID (GriefNet): www.kidsaid.com

3. Parents: The Compassionate Friends: www.compassionatefriends.org
4. People of color: National Organization for People of Color against Suicide: www.nopcas.com

Military, Veterans, Family Members

1. Make the Connection: Death of Family or Friends (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs), personal testimonials and resources for veterans: bit.ly/vetgriefconnection (resources for families: bit.ly/vetfamilyfriends)
2. Military HOMEFRONT (U.S. Department of Defense, Casualty Assistance Program), for families of wounded or deceased service members: 1.usa.gov/militaryhomefront
3. TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), private organization providing bereavement support to service members, veterans, and their families: www.taps.org

MATERIALS FOR SURVIVORS

Booklets

1. Coping with the Loss of a Friend or Loved One (SAVE): bit.ly/save-copingwithloss
2. Hope and Healing after Suicide (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Ontario): bit.ly/camh-hopehealing
3. SOS: A Handbook for Survivors of Suicide (AAS): bit.ly/aas-store
4. Surviving a Suicide Loss: A Resource and Healing Guide (AFSP): bit.ly/afsp-survivingsuicide

Financial Matters

1. Surviving a Suicide Loss: A Financial Guide (AFSP) booklet: www.afsp.org/financialguide

Handouts

1. After a Suicide: Coping with Grief (SAVE), wallet card: bit.ly/save-griefwalletcard
2. Beyond Surviving (Iris Bolton): bit.ly/iris-beyondsurviving

For Children

1. After a Suicide Death: An Activity Book for Grieving Kids: bit.ly/dougy-grievingkids
2. When Families Grieve (Sesame Street), covers grief for any cause of death, focuses on helping children and families, includes a version for military families: www.sesameworkshop.org/grief (downloads at bit.ly/w10xKL)

INTERACTIVE ONLINE SUPPORT

Forums

1. Alliance of Hope Forum (Alliance of Hope for Suicide Survivors): forum.forsuicidesurvivors.com
2. Parents of Suicides and Friends & Families of Suicides (POS-FFOS) discussion board, www.suicidegrief.com 
3. PTSD Forum: www.ptsdforum.org
4. Suicide Survivors: Help for People Left Behind (Grieving.com): bit.ly/grieving-suicidesurvivors
5. Suicide’s Survivors (Legacy Connect): bit.ly/legacy-suicidesurvivors

Listservs

1. Grief-Suicide Listserv (GriefNet): bit.ly/griefnet-suicide
2. Parents of Suicides and Friends & Families of Suicides (POS-FFOS), one listserv for parents, a separate listserv for others: www.pos-ffos.com 

Chats

1. The Compassionate Friends Survivors of Suicide Chat Room, exclusively for parents whose children have died by suicide: bit.ly/tcf-chat
2. Parents of Suicides and Friends & Families of Suicides (POS-FFOS) online chat: bit.ly/pos-ffos-chat
3. TAPS Survivors of Suicide Loss Chat, for military, veterans, and their families: bit.ly/tapschat (also, 800-959-TAPS/8277 or info@taps.org)
4. Veterans Crisis Line Chat, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, one-on-one chat for any type of crisis with a professional VA caregiver, for veterans or anyone concerned about a veteran: bit.ly/vetcrisischat (1-800-273-TALK/8255 press “1”)

Blogs

1. Alliance of Hope for Suicide Survivors Blog, includes posts from a number of authors on a variety of topics of interest to survivors: bit.ly/hope-blog
2. Promoting Hope, Preventing Suicide (Psychology Today), focuses on suicide prevention and includes posts about suicide loss and the experience of survivors: bit.ly/promotehopeblog
3. Suicide Grief: News & Comment (SAVE), focuses on topics for caregivers who help people bereaved by suicide and invites posts from experts in the field: suicidegrief.save.org

RESOURCES FOR CAREGIVERS

Basic principles

1. Grief After Suicide, edited by Jack Jordan and John McIntosh, book: bit.ly/jordanmcintosh-griefaftersuicide 
2. Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide, manual: 1.usa.gov/pfa-fieldguide
3. Suicide Bereavement Resource Library (SAVE): bit.ly/library-save
4. Suicide Grief: News & Comment (SAVE), blog: bit.ly/blog-save
5. SurvivorVoices: Sharing the Story of Suicide Loss (Connect, NAMI–New Hampshire), training: bit.ly/connect-survivorvoices

Immediately after a death

1. After a Suicide: Recommendations for Religious Services and Other Public Memorial Observances (SPRC), booklet: bit.ly/sprc-religiousservices
2. LOSS Team Postvention Workshops & Training (Campbell & Associates): www.lossteam.com
3. Help at Hand: Supporting Survivors of Suicide Loss: A Guide for Funeral Directors (SPRC), booklet: bit.ly/sprc-funeraldirectors
4. Trauma, Death and Death Notification: Breaking the Bad News with Concern for the Professional and Compassion for the Survivor (Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD), training curriculum: bit.ly/madd-deathnotification
5. Casualty and Death Notification (National Center for PTSD), protocols: 1.usa.gov/deathnotification
6. Trauma Intervention Programs, trained volunteer first response teams: www.tipnational.org

Helping children

1. Child Survivors of Suicide: A Guidebook for Those Who Care for Them, by Rebecca Parkin and Karen Dunne-Maxim, booklet: bit.ly/afsp-childsurvivorsguidebook
2. Helping Children Cope, by Mariann Blacconiere, slide presentation: 1.usa.gov/childrencope
3. When a Child’s Friend Dies by Suicide (Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide): bit.ly/childfrienddies