Didi Hirsch pioneered many of the support group models for people affected by suicide that are in use around the nation and world. Because no one understands the pain of losing someone to suicide like other survivors, Didi Hirsch’s bereavement groups for adults and teens are co-facilitated by a clinician and a peer who has successfully completed the program.
Our support group model for those who have survived a suicide attempt has become a model for other suicide prevention centers around the nation and world. The curriculum was placed on a national registry of best practices and has been downloaded by more than 1,500 mental health providers in every state and 35 countries. To learn more about our Survivors of a Suicide Attempt groups and/or schedule a 2-day facilitator training, contact Division Director Patricia S. Speelman, MA, LMFT at pspeelman@didihirsch.org or (424) 362-2901.
While support groups can be lifesaving for people affected by suicide, some people need short-term individual or family therapy to navigate the complex emotions that arise after a suicide attempt or loss. Didi Hirsch’s licensed clinicians offer both kinds of therapy in English and Spanish at our Century City and Santa Ana locations. For more information about therapy, please call (424) 362-2900.
Adult Suicide Bereavement Groups
Created for people bereaved by suicide, Survivors After Suicide addresses the special needs of people struggling with complex grief, which often accompanies a loved one’s suicide. Co-facilitated by a therapist and a peer who has also lost a loved one to suicide, the groups provide activities and sharing opportunities to help survivors cope with their loss in a positive and productive way.
Groups are held in Century City, Sherman Oaks, Redondo Beach, San Marino, Santa Ana and Newbury Park. Participants meet in groups of six to 10 once a week for 90-minute sessions over eight consecutive weeks. Groups are held during day or evening hours.
For more information, contact Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Bereavement Services Program Director Rick Mogil at rmogil@didihirsch.org or call (424) 362-2912.
Teen Suicide Bereavement Support Groups
Teens who have experienced the death of someone by suicide receive emotional and therapeutic support from clinicians and other teens in our 8-week grief support groups. Meetings are in small groups, once a week, for 90-minute sessions where they learn healthy stress-management tools and new and creative coping skills to help them deal with their loss. Teen support groups are part of the new Everychild Suicide Prevention Project.
For more information on teen suicide bereavement groups, call (424) 362-2911.
Survivors of Suicide Attempts
Didi Hirsch’s Survivor of Suicide Attempts support groups offer a safe, non-judgmental place for people to talk about what led them to attempt suicide and the impact it had on their lives. Participants also learn how to create safety plans to help them cope with suicidal thoughts.
The groups are held in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Participants meet in groups of six to 10 once a week for 90-minute sessions over eight consecutive weeks. They are co-facilitated by a therapist and a suicide attempt survivor who has successfully completed a group.
For more information or to schedule an intake, please contact our Suicide Prevention Counseling Center at spccounseling@didihirsch.org or (424) 362-2911.
If it was not for the lady I spoke to yesterday…I was in a very bad place. Thank you so much, thank you.
They kept me alive. I don’t know how I would have survived without them.
When I hit my lowest point, Didi Hirsch was my lifeline.