Mental Health America of Greenville County (MHAGC) is a resource center for suicide prevention, intervention, and aftercare. The SOS Loss program, part of MHAGC’s aftercare services, includes twice monthly support groups lead by trained peer facilitators for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide. Survivors of suicide loss may include family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others impacted by the suicide of someone in their lives.
SOS Loss facilitators are peers and volunteers who strive to create a comfortable space where participants may share questions, doubts, and experiences. Group members may share their own stories and listen to how others are coping with the same sorrows. While each person’s circumstances are unique, hearing others’ stories often helps survivors to realize that they share many of the same feelings and questions in the aftermath of a loss by suicide.
MHAGC and SOS Loss facilitators want to help survivors make sense of their loss, honor their loved one, and celebrate their own resilience. Survivors may come to the group early on in their journey through grief, while others come to the group later. Some group members will stay long term, while others may attend only briefly. The group is there for survivors at any stage for however long support is needed.
Anyone interested in joining should first complete the brief registration form linked below. The form need be completed only once before joining for the first time. SOS Loss support groups meet from 7-8:30 pm at MHAGC’s offices located at 130 Industrial Drive in Greenville, Suite B, every first and third Tuesday evening of the month. A Zoom link may be available for those unable to join in person.
Resources
If you or someone you know has experienced a loss through suicide, there are many ways beyond a support group to connect with or learn from others who have sustained a similar loss. While this is not a complete list of all the resources survivors may find helpful, these may be good starting points.
Coping after Suicide Loss, from the American Psychological Association, offers tips for grieving adults, children, and schools dealing with a death by suicide.
Living with Grief for Suicide Loss Survivors, from the American Association of Suicidology, offers information on the unique nature of suicide bereavement and lays out strategies for dealing with grief and finding support.
Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors is an online forum that operates like a 24/7 support group. The website contains support resources and information on the survivor experience.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offers multiple resources for survivors.
- Healing Conversations is a one-time visit (phone, virtual, in-person) that connects those who have lost a loved one to suicide with trained volunteers who are also survivors of suicide loss and can share support, connection, and resources.
- Living with Suicide Loss is a video series that allows survivors to hear how others have navigated the pain of suicide loss and serves as a resource for those who want to learn how best to support loss survivors as they process their grief.
- Books for Loss Survivors offers a collection of practical guides for coping with a suicide loss.
