3. Huaawhi – Support from Our AWESOME Coach
Sometimes this is a one-off; sometimes it’s the beginning of a more in-depth healing support journey. The mahi begins with a focus on what motivates you and what is holding you back. It’s a great tool to untangle your thoughts and feelings around where you are at / where you want to be, and offers you guidelines on how to work towards your goals.
4. Buddied Blogging
Ideal for when there’s a physical distance between the Retreat and you, when sitting down with someone to talk feels like ‘too hard basket’, or if writing is your ‘thing’. We offer a secure online shared blogging platform. There, people privately blog on a regular basis. One of our Care Team sits alongside you as a buddy in your blogging, sharing the journey, and responding with encouragement and reflection. It can really help to process stuff – and is sometimes a great scene-setter for further support.
5. Grief Journalling
If you have experienced a bereavement in which the circumstances were tragic, and you are hurting from that loss, this programme could be for you. In five one-on-one or whānau sessions, your story will be heard and honoured, recognising the magnitude of your loss, the mix of painful emotions experienced, and providing tools and empowerment to recovery.
Keen to access these supports? Click here to sign up – no cost, and no strings.
Getting Through - People to Talk to
Getting Through - People to Talk to
You and others may appreciate assistance with letting others know; looking after yourself and others; memorials and gatherings; dealing with hardship; or caring for rangatahi/tamariki. There are many organisations who can and will help:
The Rural Support Trust: Free and confidential help is available through the Trust’s coordinator, and contact is one-on-one at a place that suits you. The Support Team are rural people with local knowledge who understand the challenges of rural life. Call 0800 787 254 or click here.
Victim Support provides a free 24 hour, seven days a week response to help people immediately affected. Support is provided by volunteers, who are specially trained in supporting people after a suicide. This free service provides emotional and practical support, information, and referral to other support services. Volunteers can provide you with an information pack called ‘Here for You’. You can call Victim Support yourself, or ask them for assistance for family, whānau or friends. To do this, ring Victim Support directly on their 24/7 line, 0800 842 846 or click here.
Taranaki Retreat offers a Drop-In Support Hub (Waimanako;/The Hope Centre) and a peaceful Retreat Centre. At Waimanako, you’ll find our Koha Cafe – a welcoming space where you can rock up for a good feed and excellent coffee for koha, and talk face-to-face to someone who cares and understands. No question will be too tricky, and there will be no judgement. Call 06 2150993 or click here.
Taranaki Hospital’s Assessment & Brief Care (ABC) team are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on site. They also have a mobile mental health assessment team responding to people experiencing distressing and/or debilitating mental health concerns across the region. Freephone 0508 292 467
Need to talk? Call or text 1737 for free support from trained counsellors 24/7
Lifeline: For free 24/7 telephone counselling and support, call 0800 543 354 or Text ‘Help’ to 4357
Samaritans Helpline: For anyone who is lonely, or in emotional distress, call 0800 726 666
Click here to access a really cool ‘Find a Helpline’ service. You can filter by area and topic. Worth having a browse.
This is just a starter; there is much, much more available …but we want to avoid information overload.
We find that the best course of action can be to sit down with someone and talk through your needs and those of your whānau, workmates and friends (for example – do our rangatahi need counselling? If so, when? Who offers that?) Navigating the right resources and knowing what’s available takes time, energy, and may be not what you need right now. That’s all good. That’s what we’re here for – to help navigate this, get an understanding of what the needs are, and work on solutions together, linking you up with the right support services and caring organisations who can help.
You might find the drop-in service at Waimanako helpful for that; our Care Team have a database system of local supports (such as Yellow Brick Road, working with WINZ/MSD around housing, agencies and groups in your area, mentoring services, business support, financial and legal assistance etc.) we warmly invite you to call in for a cuppa and kōrero.
Wholeheartedly and with aroha – we are all here to help. If you’d broken your leg – you’d go get professional help rather than ignoring it or limping and expecting it to improve! Be mindful of how much we need support through different kinds of pain and breaks. Respect to you for heading to this page – and for reading it through. Not sure what to do next? Just drop an email here and say so. We’ll understand.
With aroha and manaakitanga.
If you have been affected by a loss by suicide, our hearts go out to you.
We want you to know that there is support available.
There are people and support groups who care; available to be alongside you and your friends, workmates, groups and whānau. Resources to guide you in knowing what to do or how to cope. Helplines to call. Safe spaces to talk. This is a time when you may well need some listening ears and awhi.
If you have been affected by a loss by suicide, our hearts go out to you.
We want you to know that there is support available.
There are people and support groups who care; available to be alongside you and your friends, workmates, groups and whānau. Resources to guide you in knowing what to do or how to cope. Helplines to call. Safe spaces to talk. This is a time when you may well need some listening ears and awhi.
Information
Good, clear, practical information can be very helpful, especially when we’re working through shock.
This page offers a range of detailed information and resources, and answers to questions you may have.
Waves is a suicide bereavement support and education programme (meeting weekly, over an eight week period). It is regularly offered in Taranaki. There is no cost to take part. Many people have found Waves to be helpful – providing a safe, supportive environment, and helpful tools in working through bereavement together. See below for more information.
A no-cost residential stay, away from it all could be the right call – now, or in the future. We’d love to explore that with you. Reach out
Please remember that we are here for you.
Waves – A Grief Education Programme for Adults Bereaved by Suicide
This grief education programme is for adults who have been affected by the suicide of someone they know.
The group allows members to:
- Share their thoughts and feelings around what’s happened
- Discuss the nature of suicide
- Gain information and ideas about how to care for themselves and others, including children and young people, after a suicide
This small, facilitated support group runs over eight weeks. There is no cost to take part. Many people have found Waves to be helpful in providing a safe, supportive environment, as well as useful tools for working through bereavement together. If this is something you may be interested in, drop us an email or give us a call on 06 2150993, and we’ll get together to share more information about how the programme works.
We look forward to hearing from you; we stand alongside you in your loss.
“Empathy”
A Support Group for Those Touched by Suicide
A facilitated Support Group that meets fortnightly.
An opportunity to process our loss together; to learn from one-another; to gather resources that will help our healing; and to be alongside each other on this journey.
To find out more, or if you would be keen to take part, please call Taranaki Retreat on 06 2150993, or drop us an email.
