Losing a loved one to suicide can create a myriad of complex emotions, questions and experiences. Common emotional reactions to suicide loss may include shock, sadness, anger, denial, guilt, numbness, horror/trauma, betrayal, abandonment, and isolation. The mourning process after a suicide often looks different than other forms of loss. There may be more questions about why this death occurred, what could have been done to prevent it, a greater sense of guilt or responsibility, more trauma symptoms, and the experience of stigma around the manner of death.

As therapists trained and specialized in traumatic grief and suicide loss, the following components of treatment are often present based on each individual/family’s need: empathy, compassion without judgment, psychoeducation about mental health and suicide, psychoeducation about grief, reduction in trauma symptoms, support in approaching the questions of why and responsibility, as well as general grief counseling supports.

Techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and/or EMDR may be utilized.