Supporting Someone After Suicide
When someone dies by suicide, it can have a devastating effect on loved ones, family members, friends and others who knew the person. You might not know what to say or what to do when this happens. While everyone is different and will grieve in their own way, there are some things you can do and say to support someone you know who is bereaved by suicide.
StandBy Support After Suicide
You are not alone.
Support and information for people bereaved by suicide.
Support for Hunter, New England and Central Coast NSW – 1300 727 247
The StandBy Service stands by families, friends, and associates impacted by suicide, providing respect, understanding and support for their health and well-being.
Our service is available to you regardless of when your loss occurred.
Who we aim to help:
• People bereaved by suicide including individuals, families, friends, associates, witnesses, communities, schools and workplaces.
The StandBy Coordinator can:
• Talk with you over the phone
• Sit with you, your family or friends at your place or somewhere else when it suits you
• Help you decide what sort of help you would like for yourself, family or group
• Explain how you can help your family or friends
• Talk with you about what the Police and other organisations do after a suicide
• Assist you to access other services
How much does StandBy cost?
StandBy is a free and confidential service.
For more information on StandBy, click here
Kids
The idea of talking to children about suicide is daunting.
There are resources that can help you with this. They provide advice and insights into how to best talk to and support a child bereaved by suicide.
- Supporting children bereaved by suicide
- Tackling the topic of suicide with your child – A guide to having a conversation
- Telling a child about suicide – What do I say? What do I do?
- Free books to support children and teens after suicide, information to support you on how to prepare children for the funeral, and much more
- Red Chocolate Elephants For Children bereaved by suicide
Counselling and support for kids
- National Centre for Childhood Grief
Free and unlimited grief counselling for bereaved children aged 3-18 years
Learn More - Feel The Magic
Feel the Magic Empowering children to thrive from grief – Creating a safe place for grieving kids 7-17 years to grow.
Learn More
In Schools
When a suicide occurs in a school community it often happens unexpectedly and leaves a school with many questions about what to do next. Schools need clear, practical and reliable information which they can rely on for guidance and direction.
- BeyondBlue Suicide Postvention Toolkit helps schools respond to suicide (this response is known as ‘suicide postvention’
- The Be You toolkit is supported by nine Fact Sheets providing guidance on some of the key activities that occur after a suicide
Be You consultants can support schools as they care for the affected students, staff and families.
M: 0475 838 049 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
The NSW Department of Education’s ‘Responding to Student Suicide Support Guidelines for Schools (2016)‘ supports students, school staff and the broader school community The guidelines supplement initiatives to support the mental health and wellbeing of school students in NSW and provide guidance for a planned and coordinated response which is essential to achieving the best outcomes for everybody.
School Link offers support and guidance to schools responding to a suicide in their school community.
Contact School-Link
Lisa Foster 0434 324 604 or 43941700
Office hours 8:00am-4.30 pm Monday to Friday.
For more information on school link, click here.
For Managers & Co-workers
There are things you can do to support someone you work with who is bereaved by suicide. There are some that you should avoid.
- How to be a Compassionate Employer – supporting grieving employees following the death of a loved one.
- What should I say? How can I help?
Look After Yourself
Grief is a natural response to suicide. It’s important not to expect too much of yourself. It’s also important to look after yourself and get support when you need it.
- Ways you can take care of yourself while mourning someone.
- What does grief look like and how do I recover from grief?
- How do I know when I need help after a bereavement?
Connect With Others
There are groups and networks you can connect with online.
- Beyond Blue on-line forums
- SANE Australia online forums:
- Alliance of Hope
What Happens Now
After someone dies by suicide, you may feel in turmoil. It’s important to remember you are not alone and to reach out for support.
Here are some resources to guide you in the coming days and weeks.
- Bereavement Information & Support Pack – includes information on:
- What happens in the first 24hrs (pages 3-4)
- The coronial process (pages 5-6)
- And more
- What happens now?
You are not alone, reach out for support.
- Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 569467 (24/7)
- Lifeline – 13 11 14 (24/7)