Find Support · Your First Meeting
It’s okay to wonder what to expect
Walking into your first meeting can feel like the hardest part. Here is what it’s like — and what no one will ever ask of you.
What It’s Like
Peer-Facilitated Support Groups
- Free and open to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide
- Led by trained facilitators with lived experience
- Gentle, understanding, and non-judgmental
- Held in person to foster meaningful connection
What to Expect
- A welcoming and safe environment
- Time to share, listen, or simply be present
- Respect for every individual's grief journey
- No pressure to speak or participate more than feels comfortable
Before You Come
Two short forms for our adult groups
If you’re joining one of our adult groups, it helps to fill these out before your first meeting. If you don’t get to them, that’s okay — we’ll have copies at the meeting.
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Participation Acknowledgment & Release
Explains what our peer-led groups are and are not, how we look after one another’s privacy, and what happens if there is a safety concern. Please print, sign, and bring it with you.
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Participant Information
Your name, your loved one’s name, and the dates of their birth and passing, so we can remain mindful of the days that are meaningful, and often difficult, for you. Share as much or as little as feels comfortable.
Common Questions
Whatever you’re wondering, someone here wondered it too
Do I have to talk?
No. Many people come to their first meeting and only listen. You’re welcome to share when — and if — it feels right. Simply being in the room counts.
What actually happens at a meeting?
We gather in a comfortable, private space, usually in a circle. A facilitator gently opens the meeting, and anyone who wishes to share may. There’s no agenda you have to follow and nothing you’re required to do.
Is it too soon for me to come? Or too late?
Neither. Some people come within weeks of their loss; others after many years. Grief has no timetable, and neither do we.
Is it religious?
No. Our groups aren’t affiliated with any religion or tradition. People of all faiths, and of none, are equally welcome.
Is it confidential?
Yes. What’s shared in the group stays in the group. In the room, first names are all anyone needs. The short forms we ask adult participants to fill out are kept private and used only to welcome you and to remain mindful of meaningful dates.
Does it cost anything? Do I need to sign up?
No cost, ever, and no sign-up. Just reach out before your first visit so we can share the location and confirm the next meeting date. For our adult groups, we ask you to fill out two short forms, ideally beforehand, though we’ll have copies at the meeting.
Have a question that isn’t answered here? Ask us anything — there are no wrong questions.
