Survivors of Suicide Services

​As with all emergency preparedness efforts, preparedness begins with a planned response and drills. The two policies and articles of regulations were provided by two of our local school districts who learned through the experience of student suicides. Please use these two different documents as a springboard for your school’s local policy development.

Survivors are those who have lost someone they loved or respected to suicide

Recovering from the death of a loved one is a long and painful process. Surviving the death of a loved one by suicide often means trying to cope with a confusing mixture of feelings that time and everyday sources of support may not ease.

Suppressed Grief Does Not Disappear

Although family and friends may be supportive for a period after the death, there comes a time when they are no longer able to cope with the survivor's grief. They may want the survivor to "get back to normal" before he/she is ready. At this point the SOS group can be helpful in facilitating the grief process.

The Suicide and Crisis Service of Santa Clara County offers a means to resolve these feelings of grief through an on-going series of support groups. These adult support groups, meet once a week.

Here survivors have the chance to know and talk to others who are recovering from a similar experience. Together, survivors share practical solutions to everyday problems. More importantly, survivors learn that they are not alone--that others who have survived the death of a loved one by suicide understand.