vSUICIDE continued from page 10 sessions that were specifically for suicide survivors. “There are local grief counseling opportunities, but the Helpline Center is specifically geared toward suicide,” Pat said. “I think if we were in a regular grief counseling group we would have been a mess, it was good to be with a group of people who are all in the same boat. It was definitely worth the hour drive.” The Helpline Center was such a help for the Garritys and their desire to raise awareness of local suicide prevention has spurred them to help organize a local suicide prevention walk. “We and other members from the Yankton community are working with the directors from the Helpline Center in Sioux Falls and Yankton’s United Way to organize the hosting of an annual ‘Step Forward to Prevent Suicide Walk,’ Jan said. The 2017 date will be announced this month (September) along with more details on how to become involved and/or how to register. All proceeds support statewide and local suicide prevention and crisis programs, they said. “We are in a club we didn’t want to join,” Jan said. “But now we have to do something very special to make it through the pain and to help others so they don’t have to go through this.” Now there are only memories and – hope, Jan said. “Sam was very witty, very funny,” she said. “He was a great writer and he was great at telling stories. He could get a room full of people laughing. He was a beautiful speaker. It’s so hard to think of him having that broken heart. It hurts so much thinking of him suffering and not saying anything. If he’d only uttered something.” “We were very close, we talked two to three times a week, there just wasn’t enough there to make us think, ‘Whoa, what are you thinking about?’” Pat said. “So if we can help just one person.” vBy Tera Schmidt Helpline Center The Helpline Center in Sioux Falls is playing a major role in the healing process for Jan and Pat Garrity. If you are dealing with grief after suicide or if you or someone you love is suicidal the Helpline Center is there to help you also. “We provide intervention services statewide through our help hotline, 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255),” said Betsy Schuster, Vice President of Program Development at the Helpline Center. “We are available anytime, day or night. The service is free and confidential.” Help is also available if you dial 211 in South Dakota. “If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or have a friend or family member who needs help please call,” Schuster said. “We are here 24/7 and we can walk you through the different resources available to help that person.” The Helpline Center also provides community awareness training to community members, mental health providers, law enforcement, social workers and case workers throughout the state. “The training depends on who is being trained but we have oneday training and two-day training that focuses on the signs around suicide and how to intervene and get people the help they need,” Schuster said. The Helpline Center also sponsors Our Survivor Voices presentations upon request. This is performed by trained volunteers who have lost a loved one to suicide. According to www.helplinecenter.org, the presentation provides a unique perspective on losing a family member or friend to suicide and designed to help prevent suicide by reducing stigma, educating about warning signs, encouraging helpseeking behavior, teaching people how to better support survivors of suicide loss and how to respond to suicide deaths in a sensitive and informed manner. This presentation is available for service clubs, community organizations, church groups, mental health professionals, support groups, first responders, faith groups, school groups and educators. The Helpline Center also offers post-suicide care for survivors which includes the 9-week course the Garritys attended. “We also do follow-up calls and coordinate events for World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10 and a survivor picnic in September to connect survivors,” Schuster said. “The surviving after suicide class and support group can really help survivors through the grieving process. It doesn’t matter how long they have been grieving, whether it’s been one year or 20 years we are here to provide support to the individual wherever they are at in the process.” The Helpline Center also helps host suicide prevention and awareness walks in many communities in South Dakota. We have a walk in Pierre in September, in Sioux Falls in June every year, in Brookings in April and starting in 2017 in Yankton. “These walks are a good way to build community support for survivors and to raise awareness to prevent suicide,” Schuster said. “We take donations at the walks but the focus is really on the healing process. We don’t require registration we just want people to come out and be there for each other. There is usually a remembrance ceremony aspect to the walk also.” More information about the Helpline Center and their programs is available at www.helplinecenter.org or by calling 211 or 1-800-273-TALK. More information about suicide prevention is also available at www. sdsuicideprevention.org. Jan Garrity said she found reading materials have also helped her understand her grief. Two books she recommends are “Understanding Your Suicide Grief – Ten Essentials for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart,” by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D., and “My Son My Son – A Guide to Healing After Death, Loss or Suicide,” by Iris Bolton, Mental Health Professional, Grief Counselor. HERVOICEvSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016v11