Griffith University Research opportunity

 

Bereaved by Youth Suicide

We are conducting a study to help understand the grieving process in people who have lost a young person they love to suicide. 

If you have lost a brother, sister or child to suicide, we would like to invite you to participate in a private interview and/or an online survey about your brother, sister or child’s death and how if has affected you and your family. The online questionnaire should take less than an hour to complete. The interview, arranged to suit you is also usually completed within an hour.

Participants must be at least 18 years of age, and have lost a brother, sister or child younger than 20 years of age, in the past 5 years. The aim of this study is to learn more about the grieving process and its impact on families and their relationships.

We hope information gained will help develop better treatment and support for families who suffer this terrible loss.

If you would like further information, or to participate in this study,

please contact Liz Adams on 0402692755 or via email at:

Elizabeth.adams@griffithuni.edu.au for a link to an online survey or to make an appointment for a private interview.

Parents who prefer to share their story anonymously can click onto an online survey link here

Siblings who prefer to share their story anonymously can click onto an online survey at this link  


Researcher Supervisors:

Dr Kairi Kolves, Senior Research Fellow,

Ms Jacinta Hawgood, Lecturer, AISRAP,

Griffith University, Brisbane

(07) 3735 3382 or aisrap@griffith.edu.au

Approved by Griffith University Ethics

Protocol Number PSY/D8/13/HREC

Help for Victims after a Suicide

After the suicide of my 18 year old in 2014 I was left in a totally numb state of mind. Even though I appeared pretty together in the initial period, after a couple of months I decided to access counselling. However I found it difficult to find a specialist in counselling for bereavement much less something suitable for someone whose child had suicided.

Eventually after much net trawling and talking to people I found some excellent choices for me. Perhaps they may help you as well.

I found a wonderful counsellor at Relationships Australia in Brisbane (Spring Hill). It runs a service to assist the victims of trauma : Victims Counselling and Support Services (VCSS). It is funded through the Department of Justice and Attorney General to provide information, referral support and counselling to victims of crime and their families living in Queensland. http://www.raq.org.au/services/counselling/victims-counselling-and-suppo...
Phone: 1300 139 703.  

There are also a couple of meetup groups in Brisbane and some throughout the state that support victims of suicide through holding regular meetings.  http://www.supportaftersuicide.org.au/find-related-organisations#services-qld.
 

Survivors of Suicide Bereavement Support Association  (SOSBSA) is another great help and also runs a regular small group. http://www.sosbsa.org.au/

Lifeline (provided by UnitingCare Community) have established the ‘South East Queensland Crisis Support and Counselling’. This organisation also runs a regular group in Brisbane central which is facilitated a trained psychologist and which I have found very helpful.The contact is Lyndall Stafford who is a Psychologist and senior practitioner in the South East Queensland Crisis Support and Counselling. Phone 07 3624 2400 or email lyndall.stafford@uccommunity.org.au    The website is  www.uccommunity.org.au/lifeline

There are other groups out there such as Beyond Blue etc and a good list with many options is given at The Compassionate Friends website (which sadly doesn’t have an office in QLD) http://www.compassionatefriendsqld.org.au/links.html.

I’ll add to this list as I find new and useful resources. Please feel free to add your own resources.

Is Your Child Getting the Help They Need?

NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR MENTAL HEALTH

Since the untimely death by suicide of three of the children who had to leave the Barrett Centre because it was closed I and others have been researching mental health policies and thinking about reform of the services available in Queensland for young people with severe mental illness. 

We found the following document: Implementation Guidelines for Public Mental Health Services and Private Hospitals. 

This guide published by the Commonwealth of Australia in 2010 provides explanations of each of the federal government’s Ten National Standards for Mental Health, which are the standards used for accreditation of state mental health organisations and institutions such as hospitals. 

As such they are the minimum standards set for all mental health care institutions across the nation.    

My colleagues and I (all caring for children/young people with severe mental illnesses) drew up a survey trying to find out whether these standards were being met.

We would love you share your experience as it will give us material to argue for changes in mental health care in QLD for our young people.Click on this link to go to the document. 

If you have problems with that link try this link to a PDF Version  or email me on the address given below and I'll send you a copy by email. 

When you have finished please send the document to me at KikisBlogSpace@gmail.com. 

I f you would like to contact me to ask about anything or share your experiences you can also contact me on this email. KikisBlogSpace@gmail.com.

 

WHO AM I?

WHO AM I?

I am one of a group of parents, carers and community members closely involved with a young person who suffers or suffered from severe, complex and chronic mental illness and who were all in-patients at the Barrett Adolescent Centre in Wacol before it was closed in 2014.

The Barrett Centre was a holistic medical facility specifically set up for adolescents and run by QLD Health. Our children were there because we had exhausted all treatment services in the community and they were in the high risk category with nowhere else to go.

We know however that there were many young people across the state on the waiting list for Barrett when it closed and that there are many others in the community still unidentified who had not even got that far. They now have to rely on what services are available in the community.

We would like to hear about your experiences in accessing mental health services across the state. 

Have you or are you still trying to find medical help in your own community for your young person with a mental illness?  

TELL US YOUR STORY.

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