December is the month to remember loved ones lost to suicide.
The Canadian Mental Health Association Wood Buffalo (CMHA) invites residents to visit the Recovery College for Angels of Hope month.
Write the name of a loved one on an angel ornament, and hang it on the Christmas tree.
Each year, over 500 Albertans die by suicide.
When Hearts Yearn
Losing a loved one to suicide is a sudden, painful, and life-altering experience.
While each person deals with loss in an individual way, people are reluctant to share their grief due to the stigma of suicide and lack of understanding.
So on Jan. 8, 2019, sessions for the ‘When Hearts Yearn’ support group begin at the CMHA Recovery College.
This Peer Suicide Loss Support Group is a private, confidential, and safe space for people coming to terms and understanding loss.
Each group leader is a suicide loss survivor.
Their testimonies can encourage strength, hope, and resiliency.
CMHA Hope Specialist Donna McQuade said the resources and tools she acquired help to share her grief journey.
“Having gone through the loss of my husband and everyone telling me to move on, I could not. I was told the feelings I had were not “normal” and I wanted to feel normal again. What I learned from my first group, was that what I was feeling was normal for those that had gone through a suicide. These were people that had gone through suicide and understood with no judgements about how I was feeling.”
McQuade will lead group discussions alongside fellow Hope Specialist, Crystal Lund.
The first of eight sessions for the Peer Suicide Loss Support Group: “When Hearts Yearn” begins on Jan. 8, 2020.
Sessions run from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. until Feb. 26, 2020 at the CMHA Recovery College on Manning Ave.
To register or for more information, visit the Recovery College website.
Also, if you or a loved one experience suicidal thoughts or behaviour, contact the 24-hour Mental Health Helpline at 1-877-303-2642 or SOS Crisis Line at (780) 743-4357.
