We run local SoBS support groups at locations around the UK – and we are always looking to open more. Groups are open to anyone over 18 and create an opportunity for people to meet with others who have been bereaved by suicide so that they can share experiences and ask questions. They meet once a month, at a set time and location. Find out more about what happens at a group.
Each local SoBS group is run by a team of 3 group facilitators. Between them, they facilitate the session, get the conversation started, make sure everyone has the opportunity to talk if they want to, and generally look out for people. The team also work together to manage the administration, fundraising and communication for the group.
Great group facilitators do more listening than talking, are comfortable listening to the experiences of others and pay attention to their own well-being and boundaries.
All volunteers are to be bereaved by suicide for more than 2 years. This shared experience with the people who come to our groups is a really important part of what makes them so effective. People feel that they will be understood.
All 3 volunteers must attend SoBS training before a group can start.
Click here to apply to become a group volunteer and to see our other volunteer opportunities
Recruitment Video
Have you been bereaved for at least 2 years or more?
Please contact us if you think that you could offer support to others by volunteering on the Helpline, or set up a support group near to your location. For more information Please contact our National office 01159 441 117
Since losing our son Jonathan to suicide in May 2011, we have done quite a lot of fundraising. We have held boot sales, stalls at fetes, skydives and many, many raffles.
In 2005 we tragically lost Fee – beloved wife and mother, when she took her own life. The shock and loss was enormous and it wasn’t until 2009 when we discovered Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide. This charity has helped all three of us, in different ways, in coming to terms with such a painful loss. It is a loss that you never get over, but their involvement in our lives has helped us to move on but not forget.