Local residents struggling with the loss of a loved one due to suicide now have a new source of support.
Beacon For Hope Suicide Prevention launched its new suicide survivor support group this past Thursday. The group will meet once a month each second Thursday inside Lyon County State Bank at 902 Merchant Street.
Beacon Executive Director Melissa Owen, a recent guest of KVOE’s Talk of Emporia, says this is a “revamp” of a previous support group that was overseen by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Owen says the formation of the group comes as the number of individuals seeking mental health and suicide prevention services is on the rise locally and nationally.
Owen says suicide survivors often deal with a large spectrum of emotions from depression to guilt and even suicidal tendencies themselves.
The group’s first meeting came just days before the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number rolled out on Saturday. Owen says the rollout of the new number “shows just how far we have come” in addressing the suicide epidemic across our nation.
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with their mental health and would like more information please contact Beacon for Hope by calling 620-794-2229 or the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.
