Counseling and Support

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. The location varies, so please contact our crisis center at 319-362-2174, or group facilitator Shanna Hawkins at shawkins@foundation2.org or 319-247-0030, before attending your first meeting.

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 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.

Counseling

Foundation 2 offers immediate crisis counseling for youth, individuals and families in the Cedar Rapids area.

The Foundation 2 Family Counseling program provides individual and family counseling on an out-client basis. Counseling is provided on a sliding fee scale, based on income and the ability to pay.

Mobile Crisis Outreach provides on-site crisis intervention to individuals in Linn County 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For immediate telephone crisis counseling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, please call (319) 362-2174 or 1800-332-4224.

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Family Counseling

Family Counseling is available at the Foundation 2 Youth Shelter. Long-term counseling is provided on a sliding fee scale, based on income and ability to pay. Contact 319-366-8797 to schedule an appointment.

They focus on preventing runaway behavior, suicide attempts, child abuse, family breakup, school failure, or the placement of a runaway or homeless youth.

Referrals are accepted from parents/guardians, law enforcement officials, social workers, and other human service professionals. Contact the Foundation 2 Youth Shelter at 319-366-8797.

Our Goals

Shelter and family counseling services are designed to:

Restore appropriate parent-child roles
Clarify strengths, values, and needs
Aid in listening and understanding
Explore solutions to troubling issues
Build skills in order to prevent or resolve future conflicts

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.