For Survivors of Suicide Loss:
Support Group
Counseling for Individuals or Groups of Friends-Family
Suicide Bereavement Counseling Services
located in Lawrence, Kansas
for those who have lost loved ones to suicide
please see information on “Counseling Services” page
Healing After Suicide support group
every other Tuesday evening from 6:30 – 8:15pm
meets in Lawrence, KS
serving the Douglas County, KS & nearby area since 1990’s
donations appreciated
This group is for any adult college-aged or over who has lost a loved one – friend, partner, or family member – to suicide. New members are always welcome, no matter how recent or long ago, the loss. Members give and receive support and understanding about losing a loved one to suicide.
What is shared by participants remains confidential to those people. Concerns about imminent danger to self or others, prompt one-on-one discussion and safety planning.
Sadly, in our country around 43,000 people die by suicide each year. In 2015, 477 Kansans died by suicide. In 2015 in Douglas County, Kansas we lost 21 people to. With an estimate of 135 people affected by each person’s death to suicide, The number of people affected is huge, and the pain from these losses is huge.
Suicide is NEVER someone else’s fault. However, it is so common to feel guilty, and to feel blamed by others.
We can’t take away the pain of your loss, but we can help you survive, and even thrive. Sharing and listening with others who’ve walked in similar shoes can truly make a difference.
In addition to group meetings:
~ Marcia Epstein, LMSW, facilitator, is a suicide loss survivor as well as a social work professional. She meets with teens, adults, families, or groups seeking support or information about suicide loss. Books about suicide bereavement for adults and for children are available for loan.
~ We hold the annual “Freedom of Expression” retreat for survivors of suicide loss. The date is on a weekend between International Suicide Prevention Day, September 10, and International Survivors of Suicide Day, the November Saturday before Thanksgiving. We retreat to The Light Center, south and west of Lawrence for some structured and unstructured time in that peaceful, rural setting, away from technology. Our 10th annual Freedom of Expression retreat, dedicated to Shelly Hampton, was held on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Our next Freedom of Expression retreat will be on Saturday, October 7, 2017
~ We hold the annual “International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day Community Workshop” includes viewing the national broadcast from the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention, a local panel, and group discussion. Always free and open to the public. On Saturday, November 19, 2016 the workshop was at First United Methodist Church in Downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Our next ISOSLD Community Workshop will be on Saturday, November 18, 2017.
Resources for and about survivors of suicide loss:
Please see the growing local and national resource list at the above link.
For information for the Kansas City – Topeka support groups for suicide loss:
SASS MoKan “Area Support Groups” area
For additional info about our group in Lawrence, Kansas, including meeting dates and location, please contact Marcia Epstein, LMSW:
phone or text: 785.331.6440
email: M.Epstein.LMSW@gmail.com
Donations to make free support available
for survivors of suicide loss may be made
to the “Survivors of Suicide” account at Central National Bank.
Donations are not yet tax-deductible.
In the USA: free, 24/7 counseling for You or Someone Else
CRISIS TEXT LINE: text “START” TO 741-741
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: 1.800.273.8255
