Search
Cheryl's Story
I am the Program Director at Suncoast Kid’s Place: Center for Grieving Children and Families located in Tampa, FL. We provide peer support groups for children and teens that have lost a loved one to death.
We opened our doors in June, 2008 with 20 participants. We are now at close to 300. During that time, we have worked with children who have lost parents, siblings, grandparents, friends and others as the result of many different causes. When a child experiences the death of any significant person, they will face a myriad of challenges and setbacks throughout their life. When suicide is the cause of the death, another layer of devastation exists for the survivors.
As the result of working with the families who are suicide survivors, I have developed an interest in how to understand and help them get through the grieving process. Since I have had a front row seat in seeing how difficult it is for children and others, I know the importance of suicide prevention. In addition to the life that is gone, loved ones suffer tremendously with guilt and other questions of responsibility and lack of understanding.
Researchers have concluded that people who lose a loved one to suicide experience more psychological distress following a suicide than from death by natural causes. Suicide dramatically effects at least 6 other people in the victim’s intimate circle. And, while suicide is not an inherited trait, conditions such as depression and bipolar disorder do, which increases the likelihood of suicide.