***TRIGGER WARNING - this episode contains talk about Suicide and self harm. Please use your discretion while listening.

Resources:

The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Connect with Lisa: http://www.lisasugarman.com/

Lisa Sugarman (she/her) is a Boston-based author, columnist, crisis counselor with The Trevor Project, storyteller with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), survivor of suicide loss, and a mental health advocate. Her mission is to help end the stigma surrounding suicide & mental illness by normalizing conversations about MENTAL HEALTH, SUICIDE, LOSS, and GRIEF. After learning that her father Jim took his own life (35 years after he died), she had to re-grieve his death for the second time in my life. She also needed to process this new kind of loss and come to terms with the fact that he was mentally ill and suffering in silence. Sadly, since her dad was struggling at a time when talking about mental illness was taboo, he couldn't be saved. But others can. That's why she's turned her pain into purpose by working as a crisis counselor with The Trevor Project and as a mental health advocate. Now, her purpose is to share content and spark conversations to help end the stigma of suicide. One. Story. At. A. Time. She wholeheartedly believes there's strength and healing to be found within our shared experiences, that's why she's committed to sharing her story of life after loss.