News

Suicide bereavement workshop for Mildura

Thu, 28 Nov 2013 11:10:00

The needs of people who are bereaved by suicide will be the focus of a Pathways to Care workshop being organised by StandBy Response Service on 9th December 2013 for the Sunraysia region.

The workshop will be held at the Community Hall, Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS)     118 – 214 Madden Ave, Mildura from 9.00am The Pathways to Care workshop will be followed by the Crossing the River training session to provide skills and strategies for those supporting people bereaved by suicide and their local community.

Key community response services and groups will meet to establish an effective, coordinated, community response plan to provide early intervention and ongoing support to families, friends and associates bereaved through suicide for the future. By enlisting local participation in a Suicide Bereavement Referral Pathway a plan for responding to suicide loss in the future will be established for the Sunraysia region.

The workshop will be followed by an afternoon session called Crossing the River which equips service providers and community caregivers with basic suicide bereavement intervention skills.

This workshop is part of the short term StandBy Critical Postvention Response being provided in the Sunraysia region in partnership with Mallee District Aboriginal Services to further enhance the community’s capacity to respond to the impact of suicide and work together towards preventing any further loss of life.

StandBy National CPR Coordinator, Jill Fisher, says it is important for a clear pathway to exist for bereaved people to access and receive support. “People who have experienced the trauma of losing a friend or loved one to suicide are not always able to articulate their need or may require different types of support at different times.“

“These workshops will ensure that all parties involved are clear about their roles and are able to offer coordinated support services which will not only provide much needed support, but will also assist in preventing further suicidal behaviour. They will also ensure participants leave with the confidence to provide basic suicide bereavement intervention skills.”

Mallee District Aboriginal Services chief executive Rudolph Kirby said the training was part of the comprehensive support being offered to people affected by recent suicides in the Aboriginal community.

“We have all been affected in some way by this recent series of deaths, and we are looking at all avenues to try to support the families concerned and to care for the wider community,” Mr Kirby said.

“There is no easy answer to this sad problem, but we are doing everything we can to support people who are needing it, and to be proactive in trying to prevent any further tragedies.”

For further information about the workshops or the StandBy Sunraysia Critical Postvention Response Service, please contact 0488 780 144. For support after suicide call the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or Lifeline 13111.