Wave After Wave

Wave after Wave

The aim is to ensure that all staff, peer supporters and volunteers coming in to contact with individuals bereaved by suicide have an understanding of the complex nature and impact of a suicide bereavement and that they are able to provide a compassionate and empathetic response, whilst being aware of the impact of their work on their own well-being.

The training is approximately 3.5 hours and will cover:

Understanding grief and suicide bereavement

At the end of this section participants should have a greater knowledge and understanding of:

● The grieving process and factors that can influence an individual’s response to grief

● How suicide can impact on the grieving process

● The reach of a suicide

● The impact of a suicide bereavement

● Asking about suicide following a suicide bereavement

Providing a compassionate response to suicide bereavement

At the end of this section participants should have a greater knowledge and understanding of:

● How to talk about suicide bereavement

● How to use language to address stigma

● Responding to suicide bereavement with compassion

● Working in a way that recognises the trauma of the loss

The impact of working with suicide bereavement on staff and strategies to manage wellbeing

At the end of this section participants should have a greater knowledge and understanding of:

● The impact that a suicide and working with suicide bereavement can have on staff

● Signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma and burnout

● Strategies to manage well-being

Resources and support for suicide bereavement

● Resources and handouts that may be useful for those who have lost someone to suicide

Due to the nature of the topic, we would like to highlight that this could be triggering for someone if they have recently been bereaved by suicide. We will check in regularly to make sure participants are ok, but if you don't feel ready to talk about it, this may not be the time to attend this course.