Suicide Loss Survivor Support Group

Losing a loved one to suicide is a traumatic experience. Emotional reactions are often complex, and people may find that they are experiencing a bewildering range of feelings including guilt, anger, shame, rejection, sadness, and fear. If you have lost a loved one to suicide, you don’t have to grieve alone. This group offers a supportive and safe environment for adults to share and connect with others who have lost a friend or family member to suicide.

The group is facilitated by Shanna Hawkins, LBSW and Foundation 2 Crisis Services crisis care provider. Shanna can be reached at shawkins@foundation2.org or 319-247-0030.

Who Can Attend

Adults (ages 18+) who have lost a friend or family member to suicide. Survivors at any stage of their grieving process are welcome.

Location & Time

The group meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month from 6-7:30 p.m. at Foundation 2 Crisis Services, 305 2nd Ave SE in Downtown Cedar Rapids.

Questions? Call the crisis center at 319-362-2174, or group facilitator Shanna Hawkins at shawkins@foundation2.org or 319-247-0030.

Note

There are no fees to attend the group. Free-will donations are appreciated.

Contact

Before attending for the first time, we ask that you please call our Crisis Center at 319-362-2174 for the most up-to-date information. You can also reach out to our facilitator Shanna Hawkins at shawkins@foundation2.org or 319-247-0030.

Learn More

What are support groups all about?

Listening: Share feelings and explore painful questions in a supportive environment. Members also share coping techniques.
Reassurance: Know you are not suffering alone, and that your reactions, thoughts and feelings are not unusual.
Opportunity: Reaching out, even in the midst of your own pain, to help others in a similar situation can be a healing experience in itself.
Information: Learn the facts about suicide, grief and depression.

Are My Feelings Normal?

To be at peace with the deceased, survivors must grieve. Aside from the typical aspects of grief, as a suicide survivor, you may be experiencing:

Stigma: Other people—sometimes even your relatives and friends—may avoid you or even blame you for the death. You might feel ashamed that such a thing happened in your family.
Guilt: Because suicide has been called “the preventable death,” you may think you could have kept it from happening.
Rejection: You may feel abandoned, reasoning that, because your loved one chose death, he or she chose not to live with you.
Anger: Your pain can take the form of anger toward the deceased, toward professionals for not preventing it, toward yourself, or even toward God.
Questioning: Survivors can be overwhelmed wondering why the person took his or her life. You may wonder what you could have done to prevent it.