Suicide Bereavement Support Group Facilitator Training
BECOME A VITAL PART OF A COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORT NETWORK
Are you seeking to create and facilitate community support groups for adult suicide loss survivors in the aftermath of a suicide?
For All Seasons’ Center for Learning is pleased to partner with American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Maryland to offer this Facilitator training program. This two-day training includes lecture, interactive discussion, and role-playing.
Participating clinicians will receive 14 Category I CEUs, issued by For All Seasons, Inc., an approved continuing education provider for Maryland Social Workers and Professional Counselors.
Location:
Anchor Church, Easton, MD (in-person)
Date and Time:
June 6-7, 2025, 8am-5pm each day
$175 Registration Fee Includes:
2-Day Training, Daily Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks
All Needed Materials
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, participants will:
- Understand the Unique Needs of Suicide Loss Survivors
Participants will identify the emotional, psychological, and social challenges experienced by individuals grieving a suicide loss, recognizing the complexities of suicide bereavement. - Develop Skills to Facilitate a Safe and Supportive Group Environment
Participants will learn best practices for creating a trauma-informed, inclusive, and empathetic space that fosters open discussion and healing for group members. - Apply Effective Communication and Active Listening Techniques
Participants will practice skills such as reflective listening, validating emotions, and guiding discussions in a way that promotes constructive dialogue and emotional support. - Recognize and Respond to Crisis Situations Within a Support Group Setting
Participants will learn to identify signs of acute distress, suicidal ideation, or emotional crisis in group members and apply appropriate intervention strategies, including referrals to professional resources. - Utilize AFSP Resources and Best Practices for Group Facilitation
Participants will gain familiarity with AFSP’s guidelines, tools, and ongoing support opportunities to enhance their effectiveness as facilitators and sustain long-term peer support groups.
ABOUT THE TRAINERS
Joan Schweizer Hoff, M.A.
Joan Schweizer Hoff has worked for over 25 years at The Dougy Center, National Center for Grieving Children and Families, in Portland Oregon. She has over 40 years of experience working with children and families and has served on local and national boards. She is a member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s National Loss and Healing Council, is a trainer for AFSP Facilitator Training, organizes Survivor of Suicide Loss Day, coordinates Healing Conversations, and supports the Out of the Darkness Walks. As a member of the American Association for Suicidology, she frequently has presented at the American Association of Suicidology/American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Healing After Suicide Conferences. She is a Board Member for the local Suicide Bereavement Support organization. She conducts training nationally and internationally on issues related to program development, the impact of suicide, trauma, and violent death on children, teens, and their families, crisis response, and children and teen grief.
Wendy M. Resnick, R.N., M.S., C.S.
Wendy works as a Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatry. She has worked as a psychiatric nurse in inpatient psychiatry and chemical dependency centers. She co-founded The Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association (DRADA), a non-profit organization in collaboration with The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, which focused on education and support for persons affected by mood disorders and their families. She developed a network of mutual-help support groups across the mid-Atlantic area and a one-to-one peer support program serving individuals nationwide.
Wendy created a nationally renowned group leader training program, and for the last forty years has taught thousands of individuals to facilitate effective support groups. She is the author of The Manual for Mood Disorder Support Groups and CurePSP’s Manual: Effective Leadership of Support Groups for Patients and Families. She provides group leader training and consultation to leaders of all types of groups, and ongoing consultation and training to CurePSP: Unlocking the Secrets of Brain Disease, and The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
PROGRAM LOGISTICS
This training is for...
- Mental health professionals and survivors of suicide loss who want to start a support group
- Current group facilitators who want to strengthen their skills, stay up to date on the latest practices, and explore issues they have encountered while facilitating
- Survivors of suicide loss who have waited at least two years after experiencing a suicide loss
- Non-clinicians who have at least one year of experience participating in a support group
Location
This in-person program will take place over two consecutive days at Anchor Church
620 Goldsborough Street, Easton, MD 21601
Dates and Times
June 6-7, 2025, 8am-5pm each day
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, beverages, and snacks will be provided to participants each day of the training program.
Dinners are not included in the program participation fee.
Registration Fee
To secure the participant’s spot, the registration fee of $175 is due at time of enrollment.
Scholarships
- There are limited scholarships available for those who may otherwise be unable to
participate due to financial hardship. If you would like to request financial assistance through a partial
scholarship for this program, indicate your interest on your enrollment form
(scholarships are first come, first serve).
REGISTRATION & TIMELINE
- Registration is open until the training is full. All registrations are due no later than May 26, 2025.
- Additional information will be sent to participants following registration.
- In-person training days to take place June 6-7, 2025
- For questions, contact Kelsey Trumbull-Meyers at CenterForLearning@forallseasonsinc.org.
Note: Because this training is grant-funded, For All Seasons is required to report program outcomes. Participants will be asked to complete multiple choice surveys before the training begins and following the training’s completion.
SUICIDE BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP FACILITATOR TRAINING REGISTRATION