HUGG was a guest speaker at the Suicide Bereavement Support Awareness Evening in Tullamore on 9th May 2024. Other service providers and speakers included Ruth Swords, a HUGG Member who shared her personal experience of suicide loss and what has helped her on this path and The Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention from the HSE, and the Suicide Bereavement Liasion Officer from Pieta
The purpose of the event was to provide awareness of the supports and services that are available to help people find hope and navigate life after their loss and to enable them to get to a place where they can live with their grief.
Josephine Rigney, Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention HSE Midlands, welcomed everyone to the evening and advised that one of the key aims of Ireland’s National Strategy for Suicide Prevention ‘Connecting for Life’ is to provide information regarding accessible, high-quality services that may be of assistance to people who have been bereaved by suicide to support them in navigating their tragic loss.
Sgt Michael Dardis, from the Birr District Office, spoke about the role of An Garda Síochána following a suspected death through suicide.
This role is both investigative and supportive and whilst he acknowledged that it can initially seem to be intrusive for families, their members strive to give advice, guidance and support both in the initial stages and right up to the point of the Inquest taking place. He advised that some families are allocated a Family Liaison Officer, who is a specifically trained Officer and this direct contact can be very supportive and helpful for families.
Maria McKeon, HUGG Support Groups Manager, spoke about the services that we provide, which include suicide-specific information, telephone support, guidance and peer led support groups. She spoke about how those bereaved by suicide experience more feelings of abandonment, rejection, shame and stigma and often struggle with the unanswerable question of why?
Marie explained that recent research shows that suicide bereavement support groups provide ongoing help to participants in various ways, including normalising the grief journey, enabling the sharing of personal experiences and lowering grief reactions.
All HUGG Support Groups are led by trained volunteers with lived experience of suicide loss and we currently have 14 in-person groups throughout Ireland and 4 online virtual groups. HUGG aims to have one peer support group in each county in Ireland and is seeking the help of volunteers to train as facilitators to run a group for the Midlands area. If you are interested in volunteering with HUGG, please email volunteer@hugg.ie
To read the full article visit the Offaly Express
https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/tullamore-tribune/1501609/support-service-evening-for-offaly-people-affected-by-suicide-attracts-large-attendance.html