Supporting Someone Impacted by Suicide
The tools and resources in this section are intended to bolster and give language to people providing support to those impacted by a suicide attempt or death by suicide. There are resources for those struggling with loss, those who are trying to find ways to speak to young people about a suicide that has taken place, and for those who have been impacted by a suicide attempt.
- Struggling With Loss | Crisis Services CanadaCrisis Services Canada provides support and connects individuals with resources, and Bereavement Support Groups.
- Losing Someone to Suicide: How to Grieve and Heal | Kids Help PhoneKids Help Phone shares information to help better understand feelings associated with grieving someone lost to suicide.
- Talking to Children About a Suicide: Mental Health Commission of CanadaThis guide is designed to help parents, guardians, and caregivers of children under 12 know how to speak with them when a suicide occurs in their family or community. It was developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, in consultation with experts and other stakeholders.
- Toolkit for people who have been impacted by a suicide attempt | Mental Health Commission of CanadaA toolkit that offers resources for people impacted by a suicide attempt.
- Toolkit for people who have been impacted by a suicide loss | Mental Health Commission of CanadaA toolkit developed to support people who have been impacted by suicide.
- Guidelines for sharing experiences with suicide | Centre for Suicide PreventionGuidelines to ensure public sharing of experiences regarding suicide are safe for everyone listening.
- Supporting Children & Teens after a Death From SuicideDeveloped by the Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children & Families, a guide with tips for talking with children and teens about a death from suicide and ways to support them as they grieve.
- Supporting Adolescents Bereaved by SuicideAn article by the Suicide Call Back Service that delves into possible behaviours that youth may display after someone close to them dies by suicide. The article also suggests some methods of communication as well as ways to prepare the young person for life after this experience.
- Suicide Grief in Children and AdolescentsAn article by the Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention that outlines the different aspects that follow after telling a child and/or young person about a death by suicide.
- Vocabulary – How to Talk about SuicideA helpful guide to vocabulary created by the Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention that suggests different language to use to ensure sensitivity and consideration when speaking about suicide.
- Children, Teens, and Suicide LossA resource developed by the National Center for Grieving Children & Families that offers strategies for creating open dialogue and spaces for healing.
- How to Talk About the Suicide of your Loved OneAn article from Alliance of Hope, a non-profit organization for suicide loss survivors, about different ways to navigate talking about a loved one that ended their life.
- HOPE and healing after suicide: A practical guide for people who have lost someone to suicide in OntarioDeveloped by the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH), this resource covers strategies on working through grief (for adults and young people) as well as more practical matters such as funeral arrangements.
- Supporting Children and Youth to Grieve After Suicide LossA toolkit to help parents and caregivers support children and youth who have experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide.
