Young People
Support for those Bereaved by Suicide
You Are Not Alone
My guess is that you are looking at this website because someone in your life has died by suicide. Every year we support young people who have been bereaved by suicide.
We can help you by providing a safe, caring and confidential environment to talk through your grief with a trained befriender. We understand that it is not always easy to talk to family or friends because you worry you may upset them or that they won't understand how you feel. We aim to help you make sense of your loss by reflecting on the different aspects of your grief, giving you time and space to express your thoughts and feelings and to share your memories of the person who has died.
Not only do you have your own grief and confusion, but you can feel responsible for helping to support your parents with their grief too. You may also find people inquire after your parents without recognising that you are also grieving. Sometimes, it might feel as if you have lost all your family at once because your parents withdraw from you into their grief, and it can be hard not to blame the person who has died.
You may experience strong feelings of guilt and anger, and also become anxious about your friends who have been affected by suicide. It can be helpful to talk through how you are feeling with your wider family and friends. If a friend of yours is mourning the death of a loved one to suicide, you can get in touch with us, and we can offer you support in how to support your friend.
Schools
Schools can be very supportive and quite skilled in supporting children and young people, who are bereaved by suicide.
Second level schools have school counsellors or other members of staff that can be particularly helpful.
Jigsaw
Agencies that offer support include Jigsaw.
They have branches in Galway and Limerick, though not yet in Clare.
SpunOut
SpunOut website is also worth a visit.
SpunOut offer a crisis text support service.
Text SPUNOUT to 086 1800 280. Someone will respond very quickly to your text.
Childline TEENTXT
childline.ie ‘Teentxt’ is a live one-to-one text messaging support service for young people up to the age of 18.
Text the word ‘Talk’ to 50101.
Barnardos
Barnardos is a guide for teenagers in Ireland looking for advice on their personal problems or issues in life.
Clare Suicide Bereavement Support offers befriending support to children and young people,
their parents and carers.
You are not Alone has some ideas about telling a child on pages 9 to 11. Read Here.
Help is at Hand may be helpful, especially pages 38 to 41. Read Here.
The following site about loss and grief for children has lots of helpful information and guidance
to support children and young people through bereavement. Read Here.