Friends and Family Archives - Speaking of Suicide

A mother sits on a porch with her arms around a son and a daughter

Helping Children Understand Suicide

June 29, 2026

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When a loved one loses their life to suicide, it’s difficult for adults to understand, let alone children. The night my husband, Jac, died by suicide, my three small nieces and my nephew were at our home. They were all under the…

Letter to a Dear Friend who Died by Suicide

by Allison Songbird

June 10, 2026

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The last time I saw you was a Saturday night. The air was cold and crisp outside, and your kitchen smelled like mulling spices and Christmas cake. You poured me a glass of red wine, like you had done so many times…

People chat and eat at many tables close to each other in a crowded restaurant

Where is It OK to Speak of Suicide?

by Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW

October 7, 2025

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I was mid-sentence when someone slid a sheet of paper across the table to my friend Sam. “This is for you,” a female-sounding voice said to Sam, and the messenger slipped away without my ever seeing her. We were lunching at a…

The author's hand holding a stone heart for mindfulness

How I Survived the Trauma of My Daughter’s Suicide

by Jay E. Valusek

September 3, 2025

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The last time my daughter, Beth, was seen alive was at 8:01 a.m., July 18, 2018. I know this from the time stamp on a grainy, black-and-white surveillance video taken inside the visitors center of a popular tourist attraction in south-central Colorado.…

Toxic Positivity Doesn’t Fix Depression or Suicidal Thoughts

by AnneMoss Rogers

February 3, 2025

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In 2014, about a year before my son Charles died by suicide, we were sitting on the deck outside of our home in Virginia. He had just posted a rap video online. He was so proud of it, and I think with…

Photo of the letters STOP painted onto pavement

No, Suicide Isn’t Always Preventable

by Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW

September 23, 2024

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It’s a popular message: Suicide is preventable. You can find it on thousands upon thousands of websites. “The good news is that suicide is preventable.” (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) “Suicide is preventable: Here’s how to stop it.” (CNN). “Today,…