Beyond Loss: Supporting Suicide-Related Grief with a Trauma-Informed and Culturally Responsive Lens

Description

  “Beyond Loss: Supporting Suicide-Related Grief with a Trauma-Informed and Culturally Responsive Lens” 

September 5th, 2026 | 5:00 p.m. EST

Facilitator: 

 Heath Hightower, Ph.D., MSW, ACSW, LICSW 

  This workshop explores best practices for supporting individuals, families, and communities experiencing suicide-related grief. Suicide loss often carries unique challenges, including stigma, shame, isolation, complex trauma responses, and complicated grief trajectories. Drawing on trauma-informed principles, grief theory, suicide postvention research, and culturally responsive frameworks, this session will equip participants with strategies to provide compassionate, effective, and contextually sensitive care. Participants will examine the intersection of grief and trauma, explore approaches for addressing stigma and fostering connection, and consider the influence of culture, identity, and systemic inequities on the grieving process.