By Rhys Baker

November 23rd is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. Pawnee Mental Health in Clay Center and the Clay Counts Coalition are joining forces to commemorate the day with a suicide loss survivor coffee. Clay Counts Community Mobilizer Lori Martin says the coffee is not just for the survivors but also for those trying to help others. “Those of us who haven’t had that experience are uncertain about the right things to say. It’s helpful to be gathering with others who have experienced that loss, to be able to share those feelings and to do that in a guided setting where there are folks there that are grief counselors and help folks to understand that it’s okay to, have the feelings that they have and to be able to talk about them is a healing process.”

Counselors from Pawnee Mental Health will be on hand to help guide conversations if needed. Martin says she hopes the coffee will help anyone, wherever they are in their grieving process: “In order to be able to really walk through that brief journey, you do have to be able to identify your feelings and talk about them. And the ability to share it with somebody who’s been there, I think, is really powerful. And so that’s the goal of that event.”

National Suicide Survivor’s Day Coffee will be held on November 23rd at 9:00 a.m. at Pawnee Mental Health Office in Clay Center to assist anyone struggling.