Suicide Loss Support
Recovering after losing someone you love to suicide is a deeply painful experience. Samaritans’ suicide loss support groups can help ease the isolation that so often accompanies the survivor experience.
At Samaritans we want to reassure you that you are not alone. Safe Place offers survivors solace and a path to healing, helping you navigate your grief in the company of those who truly understand what you’re going through.
Samaritans helped me navigate my way through the shock, grief and powerful sadness surrounding my brother’s suicide. I can’t even begin to explain how much your listening, guidance and level of commitment, no matter what, has meant to me.
A Safe Place Participant
Safe Place continues to be the single most healing place for me to be when the grief or sadness over my brother’s death unexpectedly returns. I will forever be grateful for that.
Safe Place meetings are non-clinical, peer support groups. The meetings offer a needed space for people to share their stories, process their grief, and find solace in a community that understands the complexity of this type of loss.
Safe Place meetings are designed to complement existing support systems, including the care from family, friends, and professional services.
After I lost my partner, I was astonished that I lived in NYC, a beacon for resourcefulness, and was turned away by therapists and psychiatrists because of what had happened to me. Samaritans was a light in the dark. I have no idea where or if I would be without them
A Safe Place Participant
Guidelines for attending Safe Place
Who should attend?
This group is only for those who have lost a loved one to suicide and who:
- had a direct, in-person relationship with the deceased.
- are 18 or older.
- are ready to attend the meeting on their own without bringing a friend or family member for extra support (that’s the role of the group and facilitators.)
To maintain the integrity of the group, there are no exceptions.
Additionally, it is recommended that those who have experienced a loss to suicide to wait a minimum of two months before attending a meeting. Many bereaved by suicide experience shock tied to the the loss. It can take some time before they feel ready to talk about it or listen to others in a group.
Can I attend for academic, clinical or artistic reasons?
No, our group is strictly open ONLY to individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide and are seeking support
The need to keep the group true to its name, a safe place, means that we do not allow attendance for academic, clinical, research, artistic, or any purposes other than personal support.
Students, clinicians, researchers, artists, writers, or anyone interested in the group for reasons other than direct support are not permitted.
Is there a fee to participate in Safe Place?
No. Samaritans has been offering Safe Place as a bi-monthly, free service to the community for over 30 years.
In 2023, Samaritans partnered with NAMI NYC-Metro to add two additional groups each month.
Both Samaritans’ Safe Place and Samaritans + NAMI NYC-Metro‘s Suicide Loss Bereavement Groups are provided free of charge.
Where are the meetings held?
Safe Place meetings are offered in both IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL formats and take place 4 times each month.
Please refer to the schedule below for detailed information on monthly sessions.
Can my family member or friend come to Safe Place if we are both looking to get support?
Yes, family and friends can join our support groups. We know finding help after losing someone to suicide can be really hard and we want to support as many people as we can. However, we recommend you don’t attend the same individual sessions. Please note, we limit attendance to two people per loss in any single meeting.
In cases where family members or friends attend a meeting together, we ask that you do not sit next to each other in person. For virtual meetings, please use separate devices. These measures help to ensure that the group feels balanced and supportive for everyone in attendance.
It’s also important to remember that everyone deals with loss in their own way, even if they lost the same person. Grieving can look and feel different for everyone, which is why coming on your own can really help. It lets you focus on your own feelings and healing, without worrying about how others are handling the same loss.
I’m a provider, can I give Safe Place as a referral to a client or patient?
Yes, Therapists, grief counselors, social workers, doctors, spiritual advisors, and other healthcare professionals frequently recommend Safe Place to their clients and patients.
It serves those who have lost a loved one to suicide, offering structured group support that aids in the healing and recovery process.
Providers can reach out for more information about Safe Place, but all participants are required register for meetings on their own.
Ready to attend a Safe Place meeting?
If you meet the criteria and think Safe Place could be a good fit for you, we encourage you to take a look at our monthly calendar below and register for an upcoming meeting.
Understanding the survivor experience.
While there are aspects of suicide loss bereavement that are similar to other types of grief it’s important to understand that for suicide survivors, the experience and emotions can be even more intense and long lasting. Survivors often experience a complex bereavement process, marked by deep emotional pain and unexpected challenges.
The aftermath of a suicide can be further complicated by societal stigma, myths and misconceptions about suicide. Recognizing the unique challenges that survivors face can be helpful both in your own recovery after a suicide loss and in providing support to someone who has experienced such a loss.
Grief needs time to heal,
but time alone does not
heal grief.
myths about GRIEF
Grief happens in stages.
Evidence shows that the reaction to loss varies considerably from person to person, and that few people pass through the stages in a proscribed manner. In fact, grief can be repetitive and erratic. The grief process typically proceeds in fits and starts, with attention oscillating to and from the painful reality of the death. The goal is for the intensity, frequency, and duration of these feelings to lessen over time.
Everyone grieves in similar ways.
The process of grieving is as unique as the individual experiencing it. While there may be common elements, the intensity, duration, and expression of grief can vary greatly from one person to another.
The absence of overt distress doesn’t necessarily indicate an unhealthy response to loss. Each person’s grief is unique and can involve a range of emotional responses, including numbness, calmness, or quiet introspection.
It’s not unusual for individuals in grief to also experience positive emotions including moments of joy, relief, or other positive emotions. These feelings don’t diminish the reality of the loss, but rather provide balance and resiliency during the grieving process.
Grief is the same after all deaths.
The nature of the relationship, the circumstances of the death, a person’s previous experiences with loss, and a host of other factors can significantly influence how a person experiences grief.
Once “resolved”, grief should not come back up.
Grief is not something that gets fully resolved or completely goes away. It can resurface in response to reminders or significant dates, or even seemingly out of the blue. This is a normal part of the grieving process.
Grief is just an emotion.
Grief is far more than just an emotion. It can encompass a wide array of feelings, thoughts, and physical sensations, and it can impact every aspect of a person’s life, including their physical health, relationships, and sense of self.
Children need to be protected from grief and death.
While it’s natural to want to shield children from pain, they are capable of understanding and processing grief and death at a level appropriate to their development. Open, honest communication can help them navigate these experiences and can foster resilience.
