Staff Perspective: The Hilliest Course I’ve Ever Run - Coping with the Suicide of a Loved One
My brother, Wayne, would have celebrated his 41st birthday this month, but he died by suicide 10 years ago. If you’ve ever doubted that stigma surrounds this topic, consider that it has taken me (a psychologist who’s spent years working with trauma and empathizing with clients’ darkest moments) a decade to acknowledge his suicide in a public, uncensored venue. My CDP colleagues have written powerful blogs about coping in survivors of suicide (see recent posts by Dr. Lisa French here and Dr. Regina Shillinglaw here) that inspired to me to reflect both on how I’ve coped with Wayne’s death, and how it has influenced my clinical work.