Join us for Coping After Suicide’s 2025 Educational Series, presented by members of our national support group facilitator corps. The programs are all by Zoom and free of charge. You can register for as many as you'd like. If you can't attend live, or if the date of the program you'd like to attend has passed, don't worry. Each program will be recorded, and we'll send you the Zoom recording(s) if you've registered.

 

Upcoming Programs:

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SUPPORTING GRIEVING CHILDREN, TEENS, & FAMILIES (FACULTY: PAMELA GABBAY)

Monday, April 21st from 7-8 pm Eastern

Do you have questions about the best ways to help grieving children and teens in your life? We’ll cover the unique needs of bereaved children and teens and the issues they grapple with after the suicide of someone in their life. We’ll also discuss the impact of suicide loss on families.​

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WHAT CAUSES SUICIDE? (FACULTY: JOANNE HARPEL)

Wednesday, June 25th from 5:30-6:30 pm Eastern

A straightforward, practical, evidence-informed psychoeducational presentation on what we know from current research about what causes suicide. 

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LEARNING TO LIVE WITH THE LOSS OF A CHILD (FACULTY: JALETTA ALBRIGHT DESMOND AND TAMMY SPERR)

Wednesday, July 16th from 7-8 pm Eastern

We’ve both lived with the loss of our children for more than a decade and have learned how to integrate this tragic loss into our lives. We’ve held space for other parents who are learning to carry their grief while finding ways to live more fully in their child’s honor. No matter where you are on your grief journey, we invite you to join us as we share how we—and others—are learning to live with the loss of our child.

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POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH, CONTINUING BONDS, & MAKING MEANING (FACULTY: PAMELA GABBAY)

Monday, July 21st from 12-1 pm Eastern

In our grief journeys, there are many things we learn along the way, and growth in our grief (“post-traumatic growth”) is often a transformative experience. Join us for an informative discussion of how we find meaning and stay connected to the person who has died

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IT’S COMPLICATED: NAVIGATING COMPLICATED, AMBIGUOUS, OR AMBIVALENT GRIEF (FACULTY: JALETTA ALBRIGHT DESMOND AND TAMMY SPERR)

Wednesday, Aug 20th from 7-8 pm Eastern 

Grief is never simple. But sometimes losses can stir up especially complicated, ambiguous, or ambivalent emotions (for example, we can feel both grief and relief, depending on the challenges in the relationship). If you've ever felt uncertain about how to process your grief or hesitant to share it with others, you're not alone. Join us as we explore these often unspoken grief experiences in a supportive and understanding space.

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UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING MEN’S GRIEF (FACULTY: DON LIPSTEIN)

Thursday, September 18th from 7-8 pm Eastern

Explore common misconceptions about how men grieve and how to overcome them, in order to help men find a healing path of their own.

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LIVING WITH GRIEF DURING THE HOLIDAYS (FACULTY: PAMELA GABBAY)

Monday, November 10 from 12-1 pm Eastern

The holidays can be an especially difficult and demanding time of year when you are grieving. This presentation will cover practical tips for coping with your grief during the holidays, including ways to take care of yourself, to manage difficult emotions as they arise, and to manage the expectations of others. 

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SUICIDE BEREAVEMENT 101 (FACULTY: JOANNE HARPEL)

Friday, November 21st from 12-1 pm Eastern​​

Coping with suicide loss brings up so many complex emotions, reactions, and questions. In honor of International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, join us for an exploration of what most survivors of suicide loss can expect to feel and experience.

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ABOUT THE FACULTY

The faculty are all members of Coping After Suicide’s national support group facilitator corps. For more information, visit https://www.copingaftersuicide.com/support-groups

 

Don Lipstein, CBFRLC, ACC, is a grief and recovery focused coaching professional who has been facilitating individual and group support for men through TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a nonprofit that reaches out to families of fallen military to connect them to grief resources and care) for over 10 years. He founded Imagine Family Recovery (a life-coaching practice focused on families of loved ones in addiction) in 2020.  Don lost his son Joshua to suicide in 2011.  

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Jaletta Albright Desmond lost her 17-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, to suicide in 2012. Jaletta then became a certified Grief Educator and Certified Grief Support Specialist, trained by University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies. She’s trained as a support group facilitator through both the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and NAMI, and has facilitated both virtual and in-person groups, including for Friends for Survival and David Kessler’s grief.com online support program. As a QPR Gatekeeper Trainer, she’s trained hundreds of high school students and adults in suicide prevention.  

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Joanne L. Harpel, MPhil, CT, JD, President of Coping After Suicide, is an international authority on suicide bereavement and postvention response, and the former longtime Senior Director for Public Affairs and Postvention for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the largest suicide prevention organization in the world. She works with individuals, families, and communities nationwide. Joanne lost her younger brother Stephen to suicide in 1993.

 

Pamela Gabbay, EdD, FT, lost her sister Donna and her uncle Alan to suicide and has 25 years of professional experience in family bereavement support. She is the former Director of the Mourning Star Center for Grieving Children in California, Director of Operations and Training for The Compassionate Friends, and co-author of “Understanding and Supporting Bereaved Children: A Practical Guide for Professionals.”
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Tammy Sperr lost her 19 year-old son, Brenden, in 2015. Tammy is a Certified Grief Support Specialist (University of Wisconsin-Madison), a Certified Grief Companion (Alan Wolfelt), a Certified Grief Educator, and has completed LivingWorks’ ASIST suicide intervention training. She is a longtime support group facilitator, including for Friends for Survival.​

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