Simon’s Says
I spent the last two Wednesday mornings in the Essex Town Hall auditorium at what was termed a “Suicide Postvention Workshop.” Organized by Tri-Town Youth Services, the workshop was designed for folks in the community who might be called upon in the wake of a suicide, in order to both educate and train for prevention. This includes clergy, and I can tell you it is a germane topic and an important use of my time: I have presided over too many services for both youth and adults who have taken their own lives.
Besides clergy, the workshop brings together people representing the TTYS, 211/Youth Mobile Crisis, State Police, representatives from the three constituent town governments, first responders, social service workers, school staff, funeral directors and health care providers, among others. We are in the process of creating task teams to devise strategies for suicide response in our region.
And yes, “postvention” is a word (spellcheck doesn’t even bother to flag it!). One of the key learnings, for me, is that how a community and its leaders respond to suicide A may act as a preventative against suicide B; which is to say, postvention is a form of prevention. (The unfortunate flip side of this is that an inappropriate response to suicide A may actually trigger suicide B; this is a very delicate and sensitive subject.) There were some incredibly gifted and dedicated individuals around that table those two Wednesday mornings, and I look forward to being part of a team that makes a vital difference in the lives of our youth and families alike.
Here are the links to Sunday’s bulletin and service: