4 Phases of Suicide Loss

Body of Abstract: Many resources are available to help survivors of suicide loss. Unfortunately, many do not represent the depth of the emotional and complicated grief felt by those bereaved. Misunderstanding a suicide loss survivor can potentially influence their further suicidal loss of life.

Once those who work in behavioral health understand the true beliefs and actions by those in grief by suicide, then the tools, resources, and treatment methods can all be efficiently applied. Historically though, responses from the field have been simplistic or inadequate. It is imperative to have innovative methods to support those who are grieving and implementing ways that personally resonate with them.

The currently used ‘stages of grief’, while certainly present, were never intended for this type of complex grief when they were originally written. These stages do not encompass suicide loss and the intricacies that exist from this complicated trauma.

By using her own lived experience and that of others, Tracy Oeser MSPsy has created “The 4 Phases of Suicide Loss ©.” This interactive presentation will explain how these four phases can be a foundation to develop adequate resources and treatment methods. The complexities of each phase are what we have historically failed to ‘get right’ in the methods we use now.

These phases answer these questions:
 Why do some grieving people refuse to attend peer support groups?
 Why are survivors not getting better when we have provided helpful books to them?
 Why did a loss survivor begin attending therapy but then stop attending?

We need to eliminate the notion that loss survivors stopped going to treatment therefore, they are processing their grief in a healthy way. We need to stop referring patients to other behavioral health specialists because of the fear of postvention. It is time to have the real conversations about what will slow down the epidemic of further suicide loss by the people left behind.

Throughout this presentation, Tracy will demonstrate how she has positioned her company, Journey Thru Grief, LLC, to utilize these four phases within the resources they provide to suicide loss survivors. At the end of her presentation, there will be a segment of time for Q & A.

Learning Objectives:

• Possess thorough knowledge of the journey that plagues most survivors of suicide loss
• Distinguish a loss survivor’s current phase
• Formulate ideas for supporting suicide loss along their grief journey