Finding the Words - A guide created by UCL and Support After Suicide Partnership

UCL and Support After Suicide Partnership have put together a thorough guide called ‘Finding the Words’  on how to help someone bereaved by suicide. This guide was created by the experience and research of Maxine Frances Roper and research gathered by Dr Alexander Pitman. For anyone looking to help a grieving friend this guide could help. 

At Suicide&Co we're focusing on helping those bereaved but we all need our personal networks to support us and most of the time it is unchartered waters for them as well. This guide discusses topics such as how suicide is a unique type of loss, how everyone grieves differently, things to remember during this time and more. The guide also provides advice on what to say or do in this situation when helping to support someone going through this type of loss. Moreover, it gives advice on things to avoid and suggestions on what to do instead. Alongside this, Finding the Words supplies resources on where to find helpful support.

We know that the subject is difficult to talk about. It's the reason this charity exists and focuses on opening that conversation. We've read a lot of guides out there and this one is truly worth the recommendation. The language is easy to understand and it provides handy tips as well as instilling confidence in how you might be feeling as someone who is helping someone.

If you are bereaved and feel like your friends or family don't know how to help you, then sending this guide to them could be a way to encourage them to act in a way that can. It might feel awkward or like you're saying they're not doing a good job, but they'd likely be open to the extra support and knowledge on the subject.

We all need to work to open the conversation.