Friday, March 21: 4:00-9:00 pm CST
Saturday, March 22: 9:00 am-2:30 pm CST
Sunday, March 23: 1:00-6:00 pm CST
AFSP Colorado and Nebraska are excited to sponsor the Suicide Bereavement Suicide Support Group Facilitator Training virtually so that many participants from different communities can attend, including rural communities.
Before You Begin:
Who Should Attend?
Mental health professionals and survivors of suicide loss who want to start a support group
Current group facilitators who want to strengthen their skills, stay up to date on the latest practices, and explore issues they have encountered while facilitating
Survivors of suicide loss who have waited at least two years after experiencing a suicide loss
Non-clinicians who have at least one year of experience participating in a support group
About the Training:
The AFSP Facilitator Training Program offers suicide prevention organizers a way to create and facilitate a community support group for suicide loss survivors in the aftermath of a suicide. Courses are offered as three-day training, including lectures, interactive discussions, and role-playing. They are led by experts in the field of suicide bereavement. AFSP offers two courses: one on facilitating adult support groups and another on facilitating child and teen support groups.
If you are a current AFSP volunteer or partner, registration is $50.00 per participant. If you are not currently connected to AFSP programs, please register under General Admission; the cost is $100.00 per participant.
About the Trainers:
Pamela Gabbay, EdD, FT
Pamela is an author, trainer, and consultant who has served the bereavement field in many capacities during her career. Dr. Gabbay is part of the training corps of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and travels throughout the country conducting trainings on their behalf. She is on the Advisory Board for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). Formerly, she was the Director of Operations and Training for The Compassionate Friends. She was also the Director of The Mourning Star Center for Grieving Children and Camp Erin, Palm Springs. Dr. Gabbay is the co-author, along with Andy McNiel, of Understanding and Supporting Bereaved Children: A Practical Guide for Professionals. Formerly, she was an adjunct faculty member in the psychology department at Brandman University. Dr. Gabbay holds a Fellow in Thanatology (FT) from the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and earned a Master of Arts degree in Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. She earned her Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University. Dr. Gabbay conducts nationwide presentations for organizations including Hospice Foundation of America (HFA), ADEC, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and the National Alliance for Children’s Grief.
Wendy M. Resnick, R.N., M.S., C.S.
Wendy works as a Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatry. She has worked as a psychiatric nurse in inpatient psychiatry and chemical dependency centers. She co-founded The Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association (DRADA), a non-profit organization in collaboration with The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, which focused on education and support for persons affected by mood disorders and their families. She developed a network of mutual-help support groups across the mid-Atlantic area and a one-to-one peer support program serving individuals nationwide.
Wendy created a nationally renowned group leader training program, and for the last forty years has taught thousands of individuals to facilitate effective support groups. She is the author of The Manual for Mood Disorder Support Groups and CurePSP’s Manual: Effective Leadership of Support Groups for Patients and Families. She provides group leader training and consultation to leaders of all types of groups, and ongoing consultation and training to CurePSP: Unlocking the Secrets of Brain Disease, and The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.