Someone you love has ended their own life — and yours is forever changed....
You are a “survivor of suicide,” and as that unwelcome designation implies, your survival—your emotional survival—will depend on how well you learn to cope with your tragedy. The bad news: Surviving this will be the second worst experience of your life. The good news: The worst is already over. What you’re enduring is one of the most horrific ordeals possible in human experience. In the weeks and months after a suicide, survivors ride a roller coaster of emotions unlike any other.
Why we say suicide “survivor” We apply the term “survivor” to our experience because it accurately reflects the difficulties that face people who have lost a loved one to suicide. Some people prefer the term “suicide griever,” fearing confusion with someone who has attempted suicide themselves. Likewise, some prefer the phrase “completed suicide” to “committed suicide,” feeling the latter implies a criminal act. But there are no rules you need obey. Do and say whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
Suicide is different. On top of all the grief that people experience after a “conventional” death, you must walk a gauntlet of guilt, confusion and emotional turmoil that is in many ways unique to survivors of suicide. “How long will it take to get over this?” you may ask yourself. The truth is that you will never “get over” it, but don’t let that thought discourage you. After all, what kind of people would we be if we truly got over it, as if it were something as trivial as a virus? Your hope lies in getting through it, putting your loss in its proper perspective, and accepting your life as it now lies before you, forever changed. If you can do that, the peace you seek will follow.
Here is booklet designed for those who are Surviving a Suicide Loss!
Local Resources for Survivors
Bereavement Support for Adults
Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) of Venango County
Adult Bereavement Support Group
- 2nd Thursday of each month
- 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
- 491 Allegheny Blvd. Franklin, PA 16323
- 814-432-6555
Atlantic Avenue Church (AAUB)
GriefShare Groups
Multiple groups are held throughout the month
- Loss of a loved one
- Loss of a Spouse
- Care for the Caregiver
*You can access their monthly calendar online to see the day/times of each group.
Events for March 2025 | Atlantic Avenue Church
160 Atlantic Ave.
Franklin, PA 16323
814-437-3945 Ext. 9
YWCA of Titusville
Support Group specific for Parent’s who have lost a child
- Every Wednesday, starting at 4:30 pm
- 201 N Franklin St. Titusville, PA 16354
- 814-827-2746 Ext. 3
- director@ywcatitusville.org
Veterans Affairs (VA) Caregiver Support
Services are offered to support the spouse, children, or family caregiver of a deceased Veteran or service member.
*To determine whether or not you qualify for support services offered through the VA, visit their website for a complete list of benefits/resources.
- 1-855-260-3274 - VA Caregiver Support Line
- https://www.va.gov/health-care/family-caregiver-benefits/
- vetcenter.bereavement@va.gov
Huff-Guthrie Funeral Home
Access their website to find resources and information about Grief Support.
312 W Park St.
Franklin, PA 16323
814-432-3111
Huff-Guthrie Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc.
Stephen Ministries
Online faith-based resource for those experiencing grief.
It is reportedly helpful to anyone experiencing grief, regardless of religious belief.
The books are spread out over the first year after the loss.
Stephen Ministries Grief ResourcesBereavement Support for Children / Youth
Camp Good Grief
Largest bereavement camp within Venango County.
This is a one day camp held annually in June for those between the ages of 5-18 years old.
It provides a day of healing for children and teens who are grieving the death of a loved one.
The day camp runs from 8:00 am-4:00 pm.
Seneca Hills Church
276 Damascus Rd.
Polk, PA 16342
814-432-6555
hornj3@upmc.edu
Horses for Healing
Bereavement camp sponsored through the Venango VNA Foundation.
The camp is open to any child/youth in the area who is coping with grief.
For additional info:
814-432-6555
pamgreenlee@venangovnafoundation.org
Hope for the Holidays
Bereavement camp sponsored through the Venango VNA Foundation.
The camp is open to any child/youth in the area who is coping with grief.
For additional info:
814-432-6555
pamgreenlee@venangovnafoundation.org
Online Resources
After A Suicide Resource Directory: Coping with Grief, Trauma, and Distress
http://www.personalgriefcoach.net
This online directory links people who are grieving after a suicide death to resources and information.
Alliance of Hope for Suicide Survivors
This organization for survivors of suicide loss provides information sheets, a blog, and a community forum through which survivors can share with each other.
Friends for Survival
http://www.friendsforsurvival.org
This organization is for suicide loss survivors and professionals who work with them. It produces a monthly newsletter and runs the Suicide Loss Helpline (1-800-646-7322). It also published Pathways to Purpose and Hope, a guide to building a community-based suicide survivor support program.
HEARTBEAT: Grief Support Following Suicide
http://heartbeatsurvivorsaftersuicide.org
This organization has chapters providing support groups for survivors of suicide loss in Colorado and some other states. Its website provides information sheets for survivors and a leader’s guide on how to start a new chapter of HEARTBEAT.
Parents of Suicides and Friends & Families of Suicides (POS-FFOS)
This website provides a public message board called Suicide Grief Support Forum, a listserv for parents, a separate listserv for others, and an online chat room for survivors of suicide loss.
United Survivors
This organization is a place where people who have experienced suicide loss, suicide attempts, and suicidal thoughts and feelings, and their friends and families, can connect to use their lived experience to advocate for policy, systems, and cultural change.