HEALING CONVERSATIONS - American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION

Written By: Debra Kushnick - AFSP Healing Conversations Coordinator

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s mission is to save lives bringing hope to those affected by suicide. While AFSP is not a counseling service, there are four main ways that AFSP brings about change and support to the community:

1. FUNDING ACADEMIC RESEARCH

AFSP remains the leading private funder of suicide research. AFSP has funded 712 grants or $62,803,043 in suicide prevention research since 1987.

2. COMMUNITY EDUCATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION

AFSP’s educational programs are designed to effectively connect with all ages and cultures to bring awareness and hope.

3. ADVOCACY

AFSP actively advocates on public policy across the nation. Most recently, our staff and dedicated volunteers worked to help Georgia realize endorsement of House Bill 1013 which aims to afford access to mental health for all, and we are thankful that 9-8-8 has been added as a three-digit number for people in crisis to call for support.

4. SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS AND THOSE AFFECTED BY SUICIDE

Trained volunteers conduct “healing conversations” with those impacted by suicide.

In addition, annually, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, staff and volunteers host hundreds of International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day events around the world.

DEBRA KUSHNICK, ASFP HEALING CONVERSATIONS COORDINATOR

As co-chair of the Loss and Healing Committee, I strongly believe that the grief of suicide loss survivors is like no other In fact, the DSM recently made Suicide Grief a diagnosis called “complicated grief” which differentiates it from other types of grief.

The focus of the Loss and Healing Committee is to offer hope and reassurance that it is possible to heal after a suicide loss and to demonstrate that survivors of suicide loss are not alone. Our vision is to provide a sense of community with programs and events such as the Healing Conversations outreach Program, World Suicide Prevention Day and candlelight vigil, and International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day.

WHAT IS A HEALING CONVERSATION?

A Healing Conversation is simply a conversation between two loss survivors. It gives people who have lost someone to suicide the opportunity to talk with experienced volunteers, who are themselves survivors of suicide loss, and therefore can offer understanding and guidance. Available in person, on the phone, or by video chat, volunteers are familiar with the isolation that often accompanies a death of this kind. Healing Conversations volunteers can show new suicide loss survivors a way forward through their grief and into a world of support. They can ask questions of someone who has been there too, and truly “gets it”.

As the coordinator for the Healing Conversations program in the state of Georgia, when I receive an email containing a request, I first write an email to the loss survivor, which includes a comforting message, information on the Survivors of Suicide groups closest to them, and a page of links to websites that are helpful for those trying to make sense of their loss I then forward the request to an appropriate volunteer; I try to match the request with a volunteer who has had a similar loss. For example, I might match someone who lost their mother to suicide with a volunteer who also lost his/her mother to suicide. There are other matching criteria such as religion, race, or gender identity.

In addition to the email and the conversation with another loss survivor, we send out what we call the Grief Toolkit. A grief toolkit is a packet of materials, including a book on suicide loss, a book on grief, a bookmark, a journal with prompts, bird seed, flower seeds, a bracelet, and a pin as well as pamphlets relating to suicide loss

When I first lost my son Joe, in 2011, some women came to my desk at the school where I worked and brought me a packet of materials. Those ladies and their packets were a lifesaver for me. We’ve expanded on the concept!

The Healing Conversations program falls under the umbrella of the Loss and Healing Committee, which provides programs and events including the Healing Conversations program, the Loss and Healing Area at the Out of the Darkness Walks, International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, and the Candlelight Vigil.