The meetings are nonsectarian and the Grace Episcopal Church has graciously allowed us to use their facilities for many years. While faith plays a role in many survivors healing, the group is not focused on any aspect of faith. Many survivors actually struggle with their faith after a suicide of their loved one.

"It can be so powerful to connect with other survivors. And such

a relief to be able to talk openly about suicide with people who

really understand." ~ AFSP.ORG

We gather together to share our thoughts and experiences in a safe supportive environment with others who also have suffered a similar loss of a loved one. The group is a peer led meeting and there are no professional psychologists or psychiatrists in the group. The meeting is held in a private comfortable meeting room and typically 10- 25 people attend each meeting.

• Participants must be at least 18 years of age to attend.

• The group is limited to people who live in Northern New Jersey. If you live outside the area, you can find a local group here: https://afsp.org/find-a-support-group/

• The group is not for college students taking classes on mental health issues, and student observers can not attend. This is so we respect the privacy of the loss survivors that do attend.

• The meeting is for suicide loss survivors (those who have lost a loved one to suicide), it is not for suicide attempt survivors (those who have attempted suicide). For more information about suicide attempt survivors please visit this link.

Suicide Loss Support Group Meeting Activities

The meetings begin with a brief introduction followed by an open floor for people to discuss how they are coping with the loss of their loved one. You are free to sit quietly and listen, or feel free to share. You do not have to speak, but you will have the opportunity. No one is forced to talk about his or her loss. Many people come believing they will not speak, but often do open up and share. You are in a small group of people who understand your grief. The hardest part for most new survivors is just building the strength to come to the first meeting. Occasionally a new person will bring a friend to support them for the first meeting. The meetings are a safe place to share and learn from other people that have had a similar loss due to suicide. As with all support groups, it is expected that you keep confidential what you hear during the meeting and not discuss it outside the room with others. We run the support group using meeting guidelines used by many other suicide support groups.

We also have numerous printouts and selected articles available for you to take home and read or share with others. Generally the 90 minute meeting goes by very fast for most people and they leave with many new ideas and energy to not only survive the loss of a loved one to suicide, but truly how to go beyond surviving, and how to thrive as well.

It is recommended that you try and attend the meeting three times before you decide if it is helpful for you. This is true of most self help groups. Often, the first meeting brings a lot of emotions to the surface that have not been spoken about. Attending three meetings gives you time enough to allow yourself to better understand your emotions and to see that in sharing there is healing. By attending three meetings you will also be able to observe the different dynamics of the group as different members attend and share. If this is not the right grief or suicide support group for you, there are many others in the Tristate area you may try.

You are not alone.

You are not required to preregister, but we appreciate if you drop us an email at sosmadisonnj@gmail.com before you plan to attend, just in case the meeting is canceled due to weather or other cause. If you have any questions about the meeting please fee free to contact the co-facilitator:

Jack Klingert

Email: sosmadisonnj@gmail.com

Telephone: (908) 605-0325

Where Can I Find A Suicide Loss Support Group?

Our suicide support group is located in Madison, NJ, which is located in Central NJ. If you live outside the central NJ area, you can find a list of other suicide loss support groups in your area by visiting the list maintained by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: https://afsp.org/find-support/ive-lost-someone/find-a-support-group/