Hope to Heal
Author: Wesley Jones, Angela Fetch Muzyka and Schareen Maher
When you look around for suicide resources, so many of them cater to those impacted by suicide death. But what about those still with us? When a suicide attempt has occurred, where are the supports for those wondering how they are supposed to come back from that place? “What’s next? How do I choose life?”
Look across Canada, and you will find few research studies about supporting an individual after suicide. A small handful of programs exist for people who have attempted, none of which find themselves in the western half of the country. One-to-one counselling doesn’t always come immediately and can be an isolating process. This brought our team to talk about what could be done to support people looking to move beyond suicide. How could people be connected in a safe way?
Thus, the Attempted Suicide Support Group was born, out of a partnership between the Coordinated Suicide Prevention Program out of Stony Plain, AB and Dochas Psychological Services out of Spruce Grove, AB. Additionally, the group is both designed and facilitated with the support of individuals with lived experience of suicide attempts.
I remember connecting with different psychologists about the project, and when I spoke with Schareen I knew I had found our facilitator. Her expertise is in group facilitation. She has a personal interest in suicide and isn’t afraid to consider people who want to be part of the program no matter how recent their attempt.
Everyone taking the program needs to have a therapist for one-to-one therapy as the program focuses more on moving forward with life and less on addressing the reasons the individual attempted. The program being supported by individuals with lived experience helps demonstrate that there is such a thing as an enjoyable, productive life after a suicide attempt.
The group is based on an evidence-based program created in the United States by a suicide prevention center. Individuals 18 or older can join the program by applying through Dochas Psychological Services.