From left: Thyra Berg, Alicia Lehoux and Brenda Twidale of Positively Parenting. The organization is set to begin a suicide support group on December 12. (Positively Parenting/Facebook)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Suicide loss

New suicide support group to open in Meadow Lake

Dec 4, 2023 | 12:31 PM

As the holiday season drifts ever closer, thoughts turn to loved ones and being together.

For others, Christmas is a time of grief, guilt or a myriad of other emotions as the empty space at their table may belong to a person who died by suicide. In Meadow Lake, Positively Parenting is about to hold their first Coping with Suicide Loss support group and it’s open to everyone.

“We have such great resources in the community and in neighbouring cities like Saskatoon,” said Alicia Lehoux, executive director of the organization.

“Not everyone can travel three hours and so we wanted to offer something here in our community.”

The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Positively Parenting office on 201 Second Street W. and it will be offered once a month.

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“The purpose of the group is just to provide a safe space who are experiencing that suicide loss grief, because suicide doesn’t discriminate,” she said.

According to the Canadian Associate for Suicide Prevention (CASP) website, feelings of anger, fear, shame, and depression are normal reactions and according to Lehoux, grief isn’t linear.

“We do know that suicide grief is unique,” she said.

“People who have lost someone to suicide experience a more complicated or different unique kind of grief.”

Due to the stigma surrounding suicide, beyond the feelings of guilt or shame, Lehoux said those who are left behind often experience a sense of rejection. Thus, the need for a support group specifically tailored towards this particular form of grief although Positively Parenting also offers another grief support program.

“Sometimes who experience this kind of grief may experience suicidality (themselves) as well as depression, (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), it’s just a very complex grief,” said Lehoux.

When the organization first announced they were setting up the group in partnership with the Roots of Hope Meadow Lake and Area, they received an outgoing amount of support and already have interest.

“We just really wanted to offer it to our community because we know that often being around others who understand can be a very healing process,” she said.

The group will be informal, led by someone with lived experience and will provide a safe space to talk about feelings of loss and loved ones. The one thing it won’t be a place for is discussing details of how those lives were lost, lest it traumatize members of the group.

“Not everyone feels comfortable sharing with others in their daily life or in their community with their friends and family,” Lehoux added.

Lehoux explained that what often happens following a death is a rush of support but eventually life returns to normal – for others at least.

“Grief does not stop, however. It doesn’t have a timeline, so here in group we learn how to integrate that grief into our daily life, how to cope, how to move forward,” she said.

“We never want people to feel isolated.”

For more information, call: 306-236-4804.

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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