FREE MANUAL GUIDES DESIGN OF COMPREHENSIVE SUICIDE GRIEF SUPPORT

The recently published "Pathways to Purpose & Hope" is a comprehensive manual providing expert guidance, pointing to key resources, and sharing practical examples on how to create a community-based organization to support survivors of suicide loss. And the entire manual -- all 100-plus pages of some of the most practical information available on suicide grief support -- is absolutely free to download.

The manual was created by Friends for Survival, one of the oldest survivor-run organizations in the country focused exclusively on suicide grief support (and which publishes the "Comforting Friends" newsletter). Although the manual was designed for a California audience, 95% of it is applicable to any community anywhere in the country, and anyone interested in developing a broad range of survivor services would be wise to add it to their list of prime references.

It begins with this claim:

Survivors need more than a meeting with a couple of sympathetic souls and a box of tissues These guidelines are based on a program designed by 50 survivors over a period of 30 years to provide multiple services to meet the complex needs of survivors in the aftermath of suicide. This guide offers a detailed discussion of the process for creating and sustaining a suicide bereavement support program that is effective, community based and supported by professional resources in the local area.

The manual covers readiness, steps needed for a start-up, and who can help. Every element large and small is discussed, from a brochure to a website and from support group meetings to a newsletter. It goes into detail on developing a lending library, a community resource list, one-on-one peer support, a survivor conference, a speaker's bureau, and a half a dozen other helpful programs.

"Pathways to Purpose & Hope" also focuses on sustainability, covering topics such as publicity, outreach, community collaboration, and partnership building -- as well as ideas and tactics for fundraising. It doesn't stop there, but also covers organizational issues such as infrastructure and governance. There is also a brief but helpful section on evaluation, an often overlooked key to sustainability.

The manual's training section gives a complete and detailed outline of essential content to train volunteers for telephone support for survivors as well as for face-to-face support group facilitation.

The manual all by itself is excellent, and it is further improved by its appendix, which is a treasure trove of resources, tools, and examples, featuring everything from a catalog of online resources to samples of brochures and handouts and templates of the forms needed to run a support group and manage volunteers. It closes with an annotated bibliography of the best books available to help survivors of suicide loss and those who care for them.