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Suicide – breaking the silence

28 June 2012

Each year, around two thousand lives are lost to suicide. On the eve of The Salvation Army’s 3rd National Postvention Conference, Nathalia Rickwood reports on the service that helps many Australians, including Salvationists, deal with the grief of losing a loved one.

Sydney Salvationist, Carol Clark, lost her son Timothy to suicide in 2006. “People don’t know what to say. So they won’t talk to you, and they’ll avoid you,” says Carol as she remembers the devastating aftermath of Timothy’s death.

Her attendance at Campsie Corps led Carol to Hope for Life, The Salvation Army’s suicide prevention and bereavement support service as it was in its infancy. She took part in the pilot program and says it helped her to cope:

“I did Hope for Life because I don’t believe that what I went through was for nothing and I believe God will use that later on” says Carol.“You learnt you weren’t on your own.”

The Salvation Army’s Hope for Life Suicide Prevention and Bereavement Support Services will run the 3rd Australian Postvention Conference this weekend in Sydney, aimed at raising people’s awareness of suicide.The conference is aimed at bringing together those bereaved by suicide and individuals or organisations working in the field of postvention.

The conference is being held at Sydney’s University of NSW and will include guest speakers, specialised workshops, and a remembrance service for those who have lost their lives.

Various support groups are represented, including The Salvation Army’s Hope for Life Support Service. Funded as part of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing National Suicide Prevention Program, this suicide bereavement service provides information, training and resources for people who are at risk or who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Many of those who have been helped by Hope for Life now volunteer their time for the service. Carol Clarke has been involved for many years and says the service provides education and training for all Australians – not just those directly affected.

“It’s not for just bereaved. It’s for any group; community services, corps, any services, to actually do the training to be able to help others.”

Carol has attended each of the Australian Postvention Conferences and will be there again this year. She believes events like these are crucial in raising awareness of suicide and helping people to deal with a topic so often avoided.

“I think it’s important for everybody to be skilled; to have knowledge of what to do. People don’t know what to say,” says Carol. “It’s not because we’ve done something wrong by losing someone to suicide; it’s that they don’t know what to say; they don’t know how to cope.”

If you would like to know more information on The Salvation Army’s suicide support services, or the Postvention Conference, visit the website: suicideprevention.salvos.org.au/

Photo: Carol holding a picture of her son, Timothy, who lost his life to suicide in 2006. (Photo by Shairon Paterson) 

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