Damariscotta

Suicide survivors group meetings to start

Mon, 02/19/2018 - 8:45am

For those who have lost a loved one to suicide, the struggle to make sense of their loved one’s death may last for a very long time. The unspeakable sadness about the suicide can become a painful circle of never ending bewilderment, questioning, and flashbacks.

Starting on March 2 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Damariscotta, Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice (MSAHHH) will offer a six-week “Survivors of Suicide” (SOS) support group for family members and close friends of suicide victims. The group, which has been underwritten by the Coulombe Center for Health Improvement, will be facilitated by Lisa Hammer, a mental health professional experienced in leading suicide grief groups. Hammer’s co-facilitator will be Don Weatherbee, a volunteer who has been trained in SOS Group facilitation.

Group sessions are structured and provide participants with a supportive environment where they can speak freely with others engaged in the same experience. By bringing survivors together to find comfort and gain understanding from one another, the group can play a key role in helping survivors work through this very unique and complicated grief. Eligible group members may have experienced a recent loss to suicide or they may have lost a loved one to suicide many years ago.

A minimum of four participants is required. Registration by Feb. 26 is required. To register or for more information, please call Connie Jones at Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice at 563-4592.