Alt2Su Support Group

Service Description

Alternatives to Suicide is a peer-to-peer support practice for voicing, sitting with, understanding, and moving through suicidal thoughts. The primary focus of Alternatives to Suicide lies in mutual connection and relationship. While one outcome may be suicide prevention, the parameters of Alternatives to Suicide groups are distinctly different from current suicide prevention efforts. Alt2Su groups focus on connection (relationship-building) and exploration (putting our suicidal thoughts in context and discerning our unique paths forward). They reclaim the notion of being able to name difficult themes/emotions and hold them in communal settings without the presence of someone acting in a clinical role. The meetings are social groups and not medical treatment. Instead of a list of rules on the wall, groups are guided by shared values such as Respect and Self-Determination which each member of the community holds.