You are the
heart of a movement.
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| Sally Spencer-Thomas |
You have
always been the heart of this movement. When the funding dries up and the
leaders focus on other priorities, you are still carrying the flag of suicide
prevention and bereavement support. Your unwavering dedication and passion has
moved the most formidable mountains blocking the way of progress.
If you are
recently bereaved, your main goal now is finding connection and healing. Along
your journey you may (or may not) find a fire in your belly to “do something”
to make a difference in the aftermath of your loss. You may find yourself
leaning in to the conversation of advocacy, education and change. Take slow
steps – try volunteering or participating in events and see how it feels before
committing to a major endeavor. Be realistic about your capacity and goals, and
first and foremost, take care of yourself. Your health and the well-being of
your loved ones are of primary importance.
Too often the newly bereaved jump
into advocacy work right away only to feel the sting of slow progress and
multiple setbacks. The movement needs you, but you decide what the right role
for you to play is.
If you have
been one of many suicide loss survivors who have been working in advocacy and
education for a while, I have a different call to action for you: extend your
hand and reach out to those involved in the suicide attempt survivor movement.
Joining our voices of lived experience – of despair, loss and recovery – we can
have unprecedented influence to create positive change. No longer should we
operate in silos; we have a similar vision – a world free of the tragedy of
suicide.
Consider
these action steps:
Listen. Listen
to the powerful stories of suicide attempt survivors’ journeys in recovery and
lift their voices and leadership. Read the “Way Forward” guidelines published
by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Survivors of Suicide
Attempts Task Force.
Collaborate. Find ways to align the goals of
suicide loss survivors and suicide attempt survivors. Bring stakeholders
together with clinicians and researchers to have honest and open conversations
about how best to support one another. Find common ground in healing practices
and advocacy initiatives.
Influence. Bring the voices of all the
survivors – loss and attempt – together to help shape the conversation, in the
media, with our elected officials, and in our education and training efforts.
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| Photo by Flickr user Agnisoonu K |
Together, we’re better.
NOTE: As I
am about to complete my second term as Survivor of Loss Division Director, this
will be my last blog from this position. I am passionate about creating an
inclusive and progressive home for suicide loss and attempt survivors,
researchers, advocates, and clinicians. Please, contact me about your thoughts
on what we as a field can do better to bring people together as a united voice
for positive change. Sally@CarsonJSpencer.org
******
About the Author:
As a psychologist, mental health advocate, and survivor of her brother’s
suicide, Sally Spencer-Thomas sees suicide prevention, intervention and
postvention from many perspectives. She
is currently the CEO and Co-Founder for the Carson J Spencer Foundation (www.CarsonJSpencer.org)
and the Survivor of Loss Division Director for AAS.
