Sibling Suicide Loss Survivors - Holding Honor Guard for Our Brothers and Sisters: #ElevateTheConvo Twitter Chat

When: December 18, 2019

8:00PM ET/7:00PM CT

6:00PM MT/5:00PM PT

December 19, 2019 1:00AM (Sorry!)

Where: Twitter #ElevateTheConvo

What: 1-hour conversation. Just follow the #ElevateTheConvo hashtag on Twitter and join in as our panelists share their perspectives on sibling suicide loss.

Feel free to join in the conversation. If you are new to participating in a Twitter Chat here is a brief   "how to" article. At the time of the chat just put the hashtag #ElevateTheConvo in the Twitter search field, then hit the "latest" tab and you will see the most recent posts. When you refresh the search tab new posts will emerge.

Who: All those interested in learning more or sharing about sibling suicide loss.

Overview:

This #ElevateTheConvo twitter chat is inspired by Dr. Lena Heilmann, editor of “Still with Us: Voices of Sibling Suicide Loss.” After losing her sister to suicide in 2012, she is turned her tremendous grief into energy to help other siblings who have experienced suicide loss. Several of us who contributed to her book are participating on this twitter chat with her.

Questions we will discuss include:

Q1: What does it mean to you to be a sibling suicide loss survivor? Tell us about your story and what your sibling meant to you. How you have come to understand their death? What is one memory of your sibling that makes you smile?

Q2: What are some specific rituals/memorials/tributes you do in honor of your sibling? How do you hold "honor guard"?

Q3: What coping strategies have helped you? Have you found support/healing through any specific organizations or programs? Suicide loss survivor support groups?

Q4: What is one thing you wish someone had told you when you first lost your sibling to suicide? What is one thing you would tell others about the grief journey after losing a sibling?

About the Panelists

Dr. Lena Heilmann

@LenaSchatz

Dr. Lena Heilmann lost her sister Danielle to suicide in 2012. In response to this traumatic loss and as a way to honor her sister, Lena transitioned to the world of suicide prevention. Her recent project is a collection of essays titled Still With Us: Voices of Sibling Suicide Loss Survivors (forthcoming), which includes 23 essays written by sibling suicide loss survivors. These essays share a common message: No matter how much time passes, our siblings are still with us.

Janet Schnell

@JanetSchnell

Janet Schnell, MSW, LSW, is the past American Association of Suicidology Loss Division Chair, and is an active member of Indiana, Southwest Indiana, and Dubois County Suicide Prevention Coalition. She is also a master trainer and instructor for QPR (Question Persuade and Refer), trainer for CALM (Counseling on Access to Means) and CONNECT (suicide response in postvention and support group facilitator training).

Master Sergeant Christopher Jachimiec

@cjachimiec

Master Sergeant Christopher D. Jachimiec lost his brother to suicide. He served as the Section Chief, Quality Assurance for the 99th Communications Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and the principal advisor to the commander on cyberspace policy, evaluations and compliance for 130 assigned individuals and provides guidance on cyberspace efforts to six wings and over 52 tenant organizations. 

Venessa Abram

@sdpppinc

Venessa D. Abram lost her brother to suicide. She holds a MBA Degree with a focus in Management and is a Five Time Award-Winning Author and a Radio Personality. Venessa is a speaker and facilitator with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Junior Board Member of

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and a member of United Suicide Survivors International International Advisory Council.

Dr. Michelle L. Rusk

@MichelleLRusk

After spending a number of years writing and speaking about suicide and suicide loss, Michelle (Linn-Gust) Rusk returned to her love of writing fiction, finding a way to weave her writing together through her lifestyle brand, Chelle Summer. For Michelle, it’s about inspiring the world through sharing her creative endeavors. Read more about Michelle at www.chellesummer.com.

Dr. Michelle Cornette

@CornettePhD

Michelle Cornette, Ph.D. is the Past Executive Director of the American Association of Suicidology. Dr. Cornette previously supported the Research & Program Evaluation and Data & Surveillance Divisions at the Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Office and was Military Suicide SME at the Center for Deployment Psychology. She has presented and published extensively on the topics of civilian and military suicide prevention.

Helio Nowell

@helionowell85

Helio Nowell is 34 years old and a hotelier in California. He lost my brother to suicide 12/27/16 and is passionate about saving someone’s life and spreading awareness about mental health.

Dr. Heather Ann Sutherland

@HermanaMam

Heather Sutherland (PhD) is a former academic media historian from the UK. Her brother, Martin (her only sibling), took his own life on 15th December 2011, whilst she was living in Mexico. Since her brother’s death she has written posts for The Mighty and Our Side of Suicide, and has recently contributed to the book collection ‘Still With Us: Voices of Sibling Suicide Loss Survivors’, collated by Lena Heilmann (PhD). She has a blog including accounts from her loss experience at: www.sibsas.blogspot.com, and is passionate about elevating the conversation around sibling grief, especially that after suicide loss. 

Wykisha McKinney

@KishaGotTheTea

WyKisha McKinney's fight against suicide began in 2004 when her bother ended his life. Although devastated by grief and loss, she found healing through helping others. Throughout the years, she has managed a crisis hotline, facilitated support groups, lead trainings and workshops, coordinated fundraisers, and contributed to documentaries and books. She is a highly sought after speaker and continues to share her story across the country. Currently, she manages the Zero Suicide Initiative at The Harris Center for Mental Health & IDD, Board Chair for the local chapter of AFSP, and owner of The TwenTea Company, a social enterprise that gives 20% of its profits toward her mission to stop suicide. 

Sarah Gaer

@SarahGaer

Sarah Gaer is a clinician and Suicide Prevention Specialist with Riverside Trauma Center, a program of Riverside Community Care based out of Needham, Massachusetts. She is Co-chair of the Pioneer Valley Coalition for Suicide Prevention in Western Massachusetts and an active member of the Executive Committee for the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention. She is a passionate public speaker and author having recently published her first novel “The Price” and preparing to publish several more. Sarah is also a member of the Board of Directors for United Suicide Survivors International.

Corbin Standley

@CorbinStandley

Corbin J. Standley lost his older brother, David, to suicide in 2010. Since then, he has worked with multiple organizations to help save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. Corbin holds a master’s degree in Community Psychology from Michigan State University where he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. His research focuses on community- and systems-level approaches to youth suicide prevention. He is also active in policy work at both the federal and state levels and helps to translate research into policy. Corbin also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the AFSP Michigan Chapter.