Survivors of Suicide
It is estimated that more than 50,000 deaths by suicide occur in the United States each year. Each suicide death leaves multiple survivors, individuals who have experienced the death by suicide of a family member or a friend. Survivors must deal not only with their grief but also with a myriad of other overwhelming feelings, such as confusion, guilt, anger, shame, and hurt. The survivor's ability to cope may also be confounded by the responses of friends, family members and others in the community - well-meaning people who may say hurtful things or place unrealistic expectations upon survivors, or who even may deny the event in its entirety. As a result, survivors are typically overwhelmed and frequently feel very much alone.
To the Survivor: This is the hardest thing you'll ever have to do. Though you may not think so now, you can survive. Know that you are not alone. We provide a variety of services for survivors of suicide, including counseling, a survivor's support group, and a newsletter. We would like to help.
New Survivor Booklet - 2nd Edition
Crisis Center Survivor Brochure
Counseling - Counseling is available - at no cost - for all survivors of suicide. Survivors can be seen individually, as couples, or as entire families. And counseling is available for children. For further information or to schedule an appointment, call 264-6792.
Seeking Counseling After the Suicide of a Loved One
Survivors of Suicide Support Group - Many survivors find it helpful to talk with others who have also experienced the suicide death of a loved one. The Survivors of Suicide Support Group provides survivors with the comfort and support that comes from connection with other survivors. All persons who have been touched by suicide are invited to attend support group meetings as little or as often as they wish. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm here at the Crisis Center. If you are interested in joining the group or for further information, please call Perry Peace, the Group Facilitator, at 352-264-6779.
Survivor Support Groups
Newsletter - "Solace" is defined as "comfort or consolation in times of distress." Solace was a bi-monthly newsletter written to provide survivors with comfort, support and information. Although the newsletter is no longer being written, back issues are archived and can be accessed through the links below.
News - Check this section for information about upcoming events which may be of interest to survivors.
Solace Newsletter
Welcome to Solace, the newsletter of the Survivors of Suicide support group sponsored by the Alachua County Crisis Center.
Below is an archive of issues that are available for download. They are in PDF format. It is recommended that you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.
Issues Archive - Index