Healing the Wounds of Trauma

❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION 1. Howdo the loved ones of someonewho has committed suicide feel? 2. How do people in your community treat the loved ones of someone who has committed suicide? 3. How can you help the loved ones of someone who has com- mitted suicide? Get feedback in the large group and then add anything below that has not already been stated. Loved ones may feel: • guilty that they were not able to stop the person. • angry with the person for taking their life. • very sad at the loss of a life cut short. • ashamed if the community stigmatizes them. For example, in some communities, people who commit suicide are not buried in the normal way. • that they need to understand why the suicide happened. • afraidmore bad things will happen; unable to trust others again. Ways to help: • Help with physical needs. • Provide normal funeral services for those who die by suicide. • Spend time with them. • Talk about suicide openly without shaming survivors. • Listen to them. Use the three listening questions (“What hap- pened?” “How did you feel?” “What was the hardest part for you?”). • Help them realize they are not responsible for what happened. • Help them accept that they may never understand why the person did it. There are no simple answers for why a person has committed suicide. • Help them remember the person’s life, not the way they died. • Have suicide awareness programs in schools, a suicide hotline, or a place people can go if they are considering suicide.

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Suicide