ABSTRACT

Suicide bereavement support groups have been described and recommended for many years in the literature on suicide survivors (Appel & Wrobleski, 1987; Clark et al., 1993; Gaffney, Jones, & Dunne-Maxim, 1992; Rogers, Sheldon, Barwick, Letofsky, & Lancee, 1982), and they continue to be suggested as a helpful experience for many survivors of suicide loss (Cerel, Padgett, Conwell, & Reed, 2009; Cerel, Padgett, & Reed, 2009; Feigelman, Gorman, Beal, & Jordan, 2008; Jordan & Harpel, 2007; Lifeline Australia, 2009; McMenamy, Jordan, & Mitchell, 2008; Mitchell et al., 2007; World Health Organization [WHO}, 2008). This chapter begins with a brief review of the empirical literature on bereavement support groups in general, as well as suicide bereavement-specifi c groups in particular. This is followed by a discussion of the various functions that support groups might serve for survivors, and the various types of support group formats that can be adopted. It concludes with some general guidelines for facilitators of survivor support groups, as well as some observations about the future direction of support groups as a form of postvention after suicide.