Triangle SOS — Free Suicide Loss Survivors Group Raleigh, NC
Triangle SOS hosts one of the only weekly peer support groups in the country for adults grieving the death of a loved one by suicide. Held in Raleigh and open to anyone in the Triangle, this long-running group offers a steady, confidential space to grieve alongside others who understand the particular weight of suicide loss. It has been meeting consistently for years and remains free, open, and welcoming to anyone who needs it.
What to Expect
The group meets every Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Sanctuary at Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607. The first Thursday of each month is hybrid, with both in-person seating and a Zoom option for anyone unable to travel. Sessions are facilitated by Larry (Bernie) Bernstein, LCSW, alongside peer co-facilitators who are themselves suicide loss survivors. Each meeting opens with a check-in round and moves into open peer conversation; there is no curriculum. There is no pressure to speak. Many people attend for weeks before sharing, and that is welcomed and expected. The Sanctuary space itself is intentionally calm, with comfortable seating, low lighting, and tea available.
Who This Group Is For
Open to adults 18 and older who have lost a family member, partner, friend, coworker, or other loved one to suicide, no matter how recent or distant the loss. Many members are years into their grief; others arrive in the first raw weeks. Both are welcome. This is a peer space, not a clinical group, and it is not intended to be a substitute for individual therapy — though many members find it complements clinical work well. People grieving suicide loss from any age, cause, or relationship are at home here.
Why Peer Support Works
Suicide loss carries layers other griefs often do not — stigma, unanswered questions, complicated relationships, and the sense that few people in your life can really sit with what happened. Being in a room with other survivors, in person or on screen, can reduce that isolation and make the grief feel survivable again. Members frequently describe the group as the only place they can say everything out loud without softening it for the listener.
How to Join
The group is open and free; new members may join any week. To attend in person, simply arrive at Transitions LifeCare before 6:30 p.m. on a Thursday. To join the hybrid first-Thursday Zoom, text your full name, email, and phone number to Bernie at (919) 946-0112 or email BernsteinLCSW@gmail.com to receive the link. More information is available at trianglesos.org.