Lisa Sugarman is a three-time survivor of suicide loss, a mental health advocate, and a crisis counsellor with The Trevor Project. She is also an author and a nationally syndicated columnist.

We discussed her personal journey of discovering that her father, whom she believed had died from a heart attack when she was just ten years old, actually took his own life. She learned this truth 35 years later, which led her to grieve for him once again. Her cousin and a close family friend also died by suicide.

These tragedies drove Lisa to seek an understanding of the thought processes of individuals who decide to end their lives, leading to her involvement with The Trevor Project.

The Trevor Project provides support to the LGBTQ community's at-risk youth (ages 13-24) for any mental health issues.

We discussed the range of emotions—sadness, heartbreak, pain, agony—that accompany the loss of loved ones, how one questions themselves, asking why, and how signs that someone may be struggling and contemplating suicide can be spotted, as well as their impact on mental health.

We talked about how people might show signs of struggle, such as posting on social media. We also discussed specific ways to help someone contemplating suicide, like being a good listener and offering resources, including the emergency response number.

As a friend or colleague, you could make a third-party call to the emergency number on behalf of the person contemplating suicide.

You could also encourage them to call a therapist, which we shared.

We talked about stigmas surrounding mental health issues and different ways these could push people to being suicidal

Lisa discussed her self-care as someone who confronts trauma and the imminent risk of suicide. She explained how these can sometimes act as trauma triggers for her, as a person who has survived multiple suicide attempts. However, she has access to a robust support network that offers therapy and outlets to help her unwind and debrief after each call.

Additionally, Lisa is a storyteller for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an LGBTQ+ advocate, a survivor of suicide loss and grief, a support group facilitator with Samaritans, and a mental health advocate.

She writes the opinion column "We Are Who We Are" in Boston and is the author of books such as "How To Raise Perfectly... Imperfect Kids And Be Ok With It,"

"Untying Parent Anxiety," and "LIFE: It Is What It Is," which are all available where books are sold.

Lisa also contributes to Healthline Parenthood, GrownAndFlown, TODAY Parents,

Thrive Global, Little Things, and More Content Now.

Lisa resides and writes just north of Boston. For more information, visit her website at www.lisasugarman.com.

#Suicide

#Suicide Awareness

#Survivor of suicide

#Mental Health

#Mental Health Awareness

#Mental Illness

#Grief

#Healthcare Advocate

#LGBTQ

#it is OK not to be OK

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