Heartache2Hope
About Heartache2Hope
As the founder, I am proud to introduce you to Heartache2Hope, a new Halton-based non-profit organization, which offers a variety of services to meet the needs of individuals grieving a suicide loss. Heartache2Hope was created because of the lessons I learned in both my professional and personal life about the impact of a suicide death and a suicide attempt on individuals and families.
Losing someone important to us by any type of death is difficult and life altering. But suicide has been called “a loss like no other”. It is traumatizing, emotionally devastating, stuns family and friends with a soul-crushing impact and leaves them confused and lost. Suicide loss grievers have been found to be at greater risk for mental health issues. They need support to not only survive, but to thrive. Unfortunately, before Heartache2Hope, there were no established and regularly available suicide-specific supportive services in our community.
With the help of three dedicated individuals (Peggy McGillicuddy, Nina Menrai and Bev Wilson), Heartache2Hope opened its doors to adults grieving a suicide loss in October 2014. Our goals are to break the isolation felt by those bereaved by suicide and to assist with healing through supportive care and education. We offer 12-week, closed peer support groups to the suicide bereaved in Halton and surrounding regions. Because we know that grief is a life-long journey, we started twice-monthly, open group sessions in December, 2015 that are held in the Burlington area. These open group sessions are available to all adults in our community and neighbouring areas who have experienced a suicide loss.
Our grief support model is unique in a number of ways. Our support groups run for 12 weeks, with 2 follow up sessions and are led by both a professional and a trained peer facilitator. We believe that understanding the grief journey helps, and provide education and training to group members and the community at large. We believe that grief is a profoundly spiritual journey and have incorporated a Labyrinth Walk as the ending to each closed group. We believe that a continuum of care is needed after a traumatic loss and that different kinds of support are helpful at different times in the grief journey. So we also offer one-to-one supportive sessions when individuals are not quite ready to participate in a group.
Our vision is that no one touched by suicide stands alone. Our goal is to help everyone who experiences a suicide loss to…
FIND THE STRENGTH, HOPE AND SUPPORT.
If suicide has affected you or someone you know, let us support you…
For information:
- visit us at: www.Heartache2Hope.com
- phone: 905-599-4673 (HOPE)
- E-mail: flavia@heartache2hope.com