Survivor Voices

Survivor Voices:  A Public Speaking Training for Virginia Survivors of Suicide

The Virginia Department of Health will be offering a series of two day trainings for survivors of suicide loss who are interested in learning how to tell their story safely to friends, various audiences, and the media. Suicide survivors (those who have lost a loved one to suicide) play an important role in increasing awareness about suicide. By speaking about their personal loss and telling the story about their loved one’s life and death, survivors can promote healing and understanding, which in turn supports and encourages suicide prevention efforts. Suicide is a very complex issue and a great deal of research has been done about how to talk about suicide in a safe manner and in a way that will not increase the risk for those who may be vulnerable. This two-day training assists speakers in honing a message that tells their story in a safe and effective manner.

Survivors who complete the training are certainly not required to tell their story publicly after the training, but most do go on to speak at local suicide prevention conferences and local venues such as rotary, their church, legislative committees, etc. The training was developed by NAMI NH and is part of their Connect Suicide Prevention Project, which is listed on the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Best Practice Registry.

It is suggested that survivors be at least two years from their loss before attending; however, some survivors are ready earlier and should feel free to talk with us if you would like to attend.

The training is conducted over the course of two days and you will be asked to commit to both training days. The first day of the training will focus on the basics of public speaking, issues to be aware of around speaking about suicide, safe messaging, honing your message for particular audiences/media, and composing your personal story. The second day of the training will give you an opportunity to share your presentation, evaluate yourself, get feedback from the group, discuss how to be responsive to your audience, and review possible responses to difficult questions. There will be a homework assignment for the night of day one.

The training is free of charge to participants and is made possible through funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Each training is limited to 8 participants. Information on training dates, location and registration can be found below:



May 21-22, 2012 – Chesterfield, Virginia
Featherstone Professional Center
Suite 108
1807 Huguenot Road
Midlothian, VA 23113

Register: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SurvivorVoicesRichmond


June 20-21, 2012 – Abingdon, Virginia
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
One Partnership Circle
Abingdon, Virginia 24212

Register: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SurvivorVoicesAbingdon



July 18-19, 2012 - Roanoke, Virginia
Blue Ridge Behavioral Health
3517 Brandon Ave
Roanoke, VA 24018
Register: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SurvivorVoicesRoanoke