Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct contact information for Mark Houser.
JACKSON, Wyo. — The Survivors of Suicide Loss Bereavement Group will meet on Zoom Dec. 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and the first Wednesday of each following month. The group is free to attend.
Mark Houser, the group facilitator, was a case manager at Mental Health and Recovery Services of Jackson Hole for 10 years and has recently retired. Houser told Buckrail that he facilitates the group as a peer as he is also a loss survivor.
The group itself finds participants from across the country, although many attendees live in the Jackson area.
“I find that many participants find the meeting to be helpful for individuals who have suffered that particular loss,” Houser shared with Buckrail. “There’s still a stigma that exists in our society about suicide, and oftentimes when someone suffers a suicide loss, those closest to them are often not fully equipped to support them in the ways that survivors need.”
For those interested in joining the virtual bereavement community, contact Houser for login information at (307) 690-5419 (call and text) or safeschools@wyoming.com.
Additional resources for survivors of suicide loss are available through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Association of Suicidology, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education and Alliance of Hope.
For anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 to call or text at 988.
