Conversations Matter to those bereaved by suicide
I know someone whose family member or friend has died by suicide.
What do I say? What do I do?
Those bereaved by suicide
This resource provides some basic tips for talking to someone who may have lost a family member, friend or colleague to suicide.
You can watch it as an online presentation or download it as a printed fact sheet or audio podcast by using the links below.
Download the resources
You can download the resource as a printed fact sheet or an audio podcast by using the links below.
NEW: series of shortened podcasts (in both female and male voices) now available to download.
Factsheet: Those bereaved by suicide (1432 KB)
NEW: short podcast 1 (female voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (3484 KB)
NEW: short podcast 2 (female voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (3833 KB)
NEW: short podcast 3 (female voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (3836 KB)
NEW: short podcast summary (female voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (2037 KB)
FULL podcast (female voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (12724 KB)
NEW: short podcast 1 (male voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (3078 KB)
NEW: short podcast 2 (male voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (3888 KB)
NEW: short podcast 3 (male voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (4061 KB)
NEW: short podcast summary (male voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (4105 KB)
FULL podcast (male voice) - Those bereaved by suicide (11067 KB)
Supporting links
Services and supports
- Lifeline
24-hour national telephone crisis counselling service – 13 11 14
Online counselling service, further information and service finder – www.lifeline.org.au
- Suicide Call Back Service
24-hour national telephone counselling service for people 18 years and over who are suicidal or bereaved by suicide - 1300 659 467
Online counselling service, grief and loss program and resources about bereavement www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au
- National StandBy Response Service
A 24 hour coordinated community response service to families, friends and communities who have been bereaved through suicide - www.unitedsynergies.com.au
- Support After Suicide
Information and resources and group support for those bereaved by suicide – www.supportaftersuicide.org.au
Useful resources
- Care and Support Pack for Family and Friends Bereaved by Suicide (NSW) – Resource www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/2007/care_support_pack.html
- Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement The largest provider of grief and bereavement education in Australia – www.grief.org.au
For a more comprehensive list of services and resources, refer to the Supporting Information section of the website
To hear Jaelea Skehan, Director of the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, give a brief overview of how to talk to someone bereaved by suicide, you can stream or download the podcast below, courtesy of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia:
CBAA Podcast - Talking to someone bereaved by suicide (3008 KB)
References
The Conversations Matter resources have been developed by the Hunter Institute of Mental Health. The roll-out of the project across NSW is being supported by the NSW Mental Health Commission.
The resources have been developed based on a set of core principles. These principles were developed as the result of a review of research evidence and thematic analysis of current programs and approaches, extensive sector consultation across educational, workplace, family and community settings, as well as identified target group community consultations and consultations with Aboriginal communities.
The core principles were then subject to review by three panels of experts in suicide prevention working across various settings and with various target populations.
For a list of specific references for this resource, click here: