Samaritans runs Facing the Future, free online peer support groups for people bereaved by suicide.
Facing the Future groups give you the opportunity to meet others who have lost someone to suicide and share your experiences and feelings.
You can find out more about the groups and book a place on the Facing the Future website.
What do Facing the Future groups involve?
Support groups run weekly for six consecutive weeks and last for 90 minutes with up to 10 participants. Groups are free of charge and are run by two trained volunteer facilitators from Samaritans. There are a variety of days and times available.
The benefits of attending a Facing the Future group
Understanding
Grieving because of suicide can make us feel very alone, suffering from a kind of loss we may feel others do not understand. Participants tell us it’s helpful to talk with others who have experienced a similar loss.
Safety
Participants say they feel safe in the group. They’re free to express themselves with others who are also grieving as a result of suicide.
Coping
The group supports one another to come to conclusions that often lead to acceptance and increased hope for facing the future. Everyone who has taken part in a group has said they would recommend groups to others.
Respect
Participants feel they are listened to in a respectful environment. Even when people are sharing things they may never have said out loud before, there is a non-judgemental and supportive atmosphere.
“Learning to be with one's grief and to allow it in, is the only way through. Being with people that know your pain and that are not judging and are there for the same reasons as you is very healing and supportive…. all I wanted to know from anyone trying to help me was whether they knew this pain. Whether they had suffered this loss. If they hadn't, I felt they could not help me. Facing the Future brought me into a circle of my people. I would encourage anyone to go and try it out… Those suffering from loss by suicide have a lot to deal with outside of normal grief and being with those that understand is a crucial part to coping, from my experience.
Emma, Facing the Future participant
Eligibility
You must be over 18 and have lost someone to suicide over three months before attending a group. You can, however, register sooner.
Each group will include people with differing experiences, backgrounds and relationships to the person who has died. People bereaved by the same death will be offered places in different groups to ensure they can speak freely.
Facing the Future Background
Facing the Future was developed in 2010 by Samaritans and Cruse Bereavement Care to help support people who have been bereaved by suicide. Now run solely by Samaritans, in 2021 Facing the Future moved online and runs on Zoom. You can find more information on the Facing the Future website.