Hope and healing at core of postvention conference
Hope and healing at core of postvention conference
10 November 2016
Postvention Australia is hosting a conference next March as part of its focus to support those bereaved by suicide.
The Salvation Army will again play a major role at the fifith Australian Postvention Conference, to be held from 23-25 March, 2017, at the University of NSW in Sydney.
Postvention is suicide prevention for those left behind after the loss of a loved one to suicide. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal that suicide rates in Australia are rising. In 2015, 3027 people lost their lives to suicide. The social, emotional, health and economic consequences of this are immense. For each suicide, at least seven people close to the person who died are left severely grieving. Those left behind after a suicide are at up to eight times greater risk of suicide themselves, than the general population.
“To lose someone close through suicide commonly results in intense emotional trauma, shock, grief, guilt, physical and mental ill health and adverse social consequences,” said The Salvation Army's Envoy Alan Staines who is National Secretary of Postvention Australia, the organisation hosting the conference.
The theme for the conference is “Hope and Healing – Surviving the Impact of Suicide”. International guests and Australian presenters will conduct workshops and speak throughout the conference, which will conclude with a Healing and Remembrance Service for the bereaved by suicide. Delegates invited to the conference not only include the bereaved by suicide and those who support them, but also chaplains for military personnel, emergency services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
“The conference provides comfort, hope and healing for those bereaved by suicide, as well as providing education, information and opportunities for collaboration for those supporting the bereaved by suicide," said Envoy Staines. "This is to facilitate resilience and equip the bereaved with skills to survive the impact of their loved one’s suicide.”
The Salvation Army, through the Hope for Life program, has been at the forefront in providing training programs and support for the bereaved by suicide over the past 10 years. Suicide is a major issue impacting many Salvation Army programs including homelessness and drug/alcohol programs.
For more information on the conference or to attend, go to 5thpostventionconference2017.com.au
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