When suicide claims the life of a loved one, and you need to know you are not alone, Survivors Helping Survivors is there to help.
Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Groups
You have recently lost a loved one to suicide. Your feelings of grief, sadness, shock, isolation, anger and guilt may seem overwhelming. You may wonder if you will ever recover. These are normal responses. There is help from others who, like you, have experienced this tragedy. They want to help you recover and, most of all, they want you to know that you are not alone.
Survivors Helping Survivors (SHS) support groups are open to all family members and friends of loved ones who have died by suicide. People of all ages, occupations, and religious affiliations are welcome. There is no fee, and you are welcome to attend as often as you would like.
MHA coordinates three online groups and one in-person group based in Milwaukee. The online groups are open to anyone regardless of geographic location.
To find out if there are similar groups in your area, use this Suicide Loss Support Groups Statewide Directory, contact your county's Suicide Prevention Coalition, or dial 2-1-1.
For meeting connection details and more information about these groups, please email erica@mhawisconsin.org. You can also submit an interest form here.
Northside Virtual Support Group
Date: 1st Wednesday of each month
Time: 6 to 7 p.m.
Southside Virtual Support Group
Date: 2nd Tuesday of each month
Time: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Eastside Virtual Support Group
Date: 3rd Wednesday of each month
Time: 7 to 8 p.m.
In-person Northwest Side Milwaukee Support Group
Date: 3rd Monday of each month from 6:30-7:30pm
Location: Good Hope Library (Room 1), 7715 W. Good Hope Road, Milwaukee 53223
Contact Information: Jaclyn Weir / shsnorthwestmke@gmail.com
Help us get the word out about our free online support groups related to suicide! Click here to download!
For more groups in other parts of the state, visit our Suicide Loss Groups Statewide Directory.
If you are interested in volunteering as an SHS facilitator and willing to help establish and run an in-person SHS group, reach out to Erica (erica@mhawisconsin.org).
Additional Resources
Suicide Loss Support on the Prevent Suicide Wisconsin (PSW) website is a page dedicated to resources for suicide loss survivors.
Griefwords: Resources for Mourners and Caregivers - These thoughtful articles from Froedert & The Medical College of Wisconsin provide guidance and direction for anyone touched by grief.
What's Your Grief - An online community featuring podcasts, articles, virtual connection and courses related to grief.
The Compassionate Friends provides grief support after the death of a child.
Camp HOPE is a weekend camp for grieving children and teenagers.
The Dougy Center provides support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and their families grieving a death can share their experiences.