AFSP Healing Conversations — Free Peer Support After Suicide Loss
Healing Conversations is a free national program of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) that pairs people newly bereaved by suicide with trained volunteers who are themselves loss survivors. The premise is simple and powerful: in the early weeks and months after losing someone to suicide, talking with another person who has walked the same road can be one of the most grounding things a survivor can do. Healing Conversations is available across the United States — by phone, by video, or in person.
What to Expect
A Healing Conversation is a one-time, confidential visit between a loss survivor and a trained AFSP volunteer who is also a loss survivor. There is no script; the conversation is shaped by what the new survivor needs that day. Common topics include the shock and disorientation of the early grief period, the particular kinds of questions that arise after a suicide loss, how to talk about the death with children and other family, how to navigate the social awkwardness of others’ reactions, and where to find additional resources for ongoing support. AFSP has nearly 500 trained volunteers across the country, so survivors can typically request a volunteer with shared experience — a parent who lost a child, a spouse who lost a partner, a sibling, an adult child, or a friend.
Who This Group Is For
Healing Conversations is for anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide and would like to talk with a peer who understands. The program serves people whose loss was recent and people whose loss happened years ago and is being re-grieved for any reason. Survivors of all ages, relationships, and backgrounds are welcome. While a single Healing Conversation isn’t intended to replace ongoing therapy or a long-term support group, it often becomes a meaningful first step into a community of survivors and resources.
Why Peer Support Works
Suicide loss carries a particular weight — the questions of why, the social stigma that still surrounds suicide, the complicated grief that often follows. Talking with another loss survivor breaks the isolation of those first hard days. Survivors describe Healing Conversations as a moment of being met fully by someone who doesn’t need the death explained, doesn’t flinch from the hard questions, and can speak honestly about how they themselves got through.
How to Join
Healing Conversations is free and confidential. To request a visit with a trained volunteer, visit afsp.org/healing-conversations and submit the request form. An AFSP staff member will follow up to match you with a volunteer who fits your needs and preferences. AFSP also runs International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day each November and a national directory of ongoing support groups at afsp.org/find-a-support-group.