Grief Support For Specific Relationships


Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group - Madison, NJ

Grief Support for Specific Relationships

One aspect that complicates losing someone to suicide is the relationship that we had with the person. Everyone grieves differently and it is common for a mother and father to both grieve the loss of a child differently. The loss of a mother or father is very different then losing a sibling in the complexity of the loss. While all suicides are difficult to grieve, the specific relationships can alter how we all heal.

Loss of a Spouse

Loss of a Child

Loss of a Sibling

Loss of a Parent

Loss of a Family Member

  • Family Reorganization After a Loss

    • Resource: Blog Article

    • Summary: Whenever a family member dies, there is a process that a healthy family undergoes in response to the loss of one of its own. This process is called “role reorganization.” It occurs because the family needs to get itself back into the rhythm and balance that was lost when the family member died. Many times families are not even consciously aware of what they are doing, but it is a critically important process nonetheless.

  • Recommendations for Family Interventions Following a Suicide

Loss of an African American Family Member to Suicide

  • Postvention for African American Families Following a Loved Ones Suicide

  • Suicide Among Racial/Ethnic Populations: Blacks

    • Resource: 7 page PDF

    • Summary: Suicide Prevention Resource Center

  • African American Suicide Fact Sheet

    • Resource: 1 page PDF

    • Summary: American Association of Suicidology

  • Black Suicide: The Tragic Reality of America's Deadliest Secret

    • Resource: Book

    • Summary: Only in recent years have black people begun to recognize that suicide is a major problem for the African-American community. Suicide within this population exists in far greater numbers and for a longer period than many people realize, declares Dr. Alton R. Kirk. For more than 35 years, Dr. Kirk has been studying, teaching, and researching the literature of black suicide. In this landmark study, Black Suicide: The Tragic Reality of America's Deadliest Secret, he discusses several theories about suicide. Then he examines social, economic, religious, political, psychological, and racial forces that contribute to black suicide. He provides a unique perspective in his chapter on survivors-those left behind after a suicide. They describe how the suicide of their loved ones has affected their lives, destroyed their dreams, and left them in a state of turmoil and pain.

  • Lay My Burden Down: Unraveling Suicide and the Mental Health Crisis among African-Americans

    • Resource: Book

    • Suicide is now the third leading cause of death among Black males ages 15-19, after homicide and accidents. Although lifestyles in many cases differ dramatically, there have been no studies to determine whether or not the risk factors among African-Americans differ significantly from those of whites. These startling statistics demonstrate a real crisis in America's social landscape, and more specifically in our health care system..