July 11–14, 2024 • Austin, Texas

• Opening Reception on Thursday, July 11 at 6pm CT
• Sessions will begin on Friday, July 12th at 9am CT and will continue through Sunday, July 14th, 2024, at noon in Austin, Texas 
• Downright Austin, A Renaissance Hotel (formerly Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol): 701 East 11th Street, Austin Texas, 78701*
  *Note: AFSP has a limited block of hotel rooms available for Summite Attendees. Book your room here.

If you have any questions about the summit, please email [email protected].

This is the only conference of its kind, best suited for long-term loss survivors who have found healthy ways to integrate the experience of losing a loved one to suicide into their lives. The conference features workshops, expert-led discussions, and social activities exploring how grief evolves over time.

While it can be challenging to define long-term loss survivors solely in terms of time since their loss, most attendees of this conference will be five or more years beyond the date of their loved one’s suicide. Those suicide loss survivors who have engaged in support groups, counseling or other coping strategies will learn ways to increase their support, connect with other long-term loss survivors, and find ways to further understand their loss as a part of their life’s journey.

This Summit is built to create connection and healing among long-term loss survivors.

Conference Highlights:

Keynote

Releasing the Pain of Grief, Guilt & Trauma
David Kessler                                      

David Kessler, MA, RN, FACHE, is one of the world’s foremost experts on grief. He’s the founder of Grief.com and author of six books, including Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. He has a new Finding Meaning workbook coming out this fall. He’s coauthored books with Elisabeth Kubler Ross and Louise Hay. He also leads grief certification programs for professionals and online groups for those in grief. His keynote, titled Releasing the Pain of Grief, Guilt & Trauma, will address the tragedy of a loved one’s suicide can leave people with complex grief, living burdened by guilt and trauma in grief. The keynote will uncover techniques to help with guilt that resides in grief; distinguish between grief and traumatic grief; demonstrate several strategies to help release guilt, shame and more; and teach meaning-making strategies that help lead to post-traumatic growth. 

Plenaries

Beyond the Brain: Soul Exhaustion and Soul Care
Sarah Gaer       

Throughout the history of humanity and within every known culture there has been the concept of the Soul. Yet, over the last century or so, its value has lost much ground. For many people, the idea of the soul, the essence of "who" they are, resonates deeply and yet, has been significantly diminished by the medical model of mental health. This keynote will bring the concept of the soul back to the forefront of discussion regarding how we conceptualize ourselves, others, our world, and mental health. Perhaps most importantly, we will also explore how the soul, the essence of who we are as human beings, is impacted by the experience of suicide loss and grief.

Turning Pain into Purpose: The Story of The Defensive Line
Chris & Martha Thomas

On January 23, 2018, Martha, Chris, and Solomon Thomas lost their daughter and sister Ella Elizabeth Thomas to suicide. Over the last six years, that story of profound loss and grief evolved into The Defensive Line, whose mission is “To end the epidemic of youth suicide, especially for young people of color, by transforming the way we communicate and connect about mental health.” In this plenary, Chris and Martha Thomas will share their family’s journey of turning pain into purpose and founding The Defensive Line.

Sessions Include

• A to Z Grief Healing Technique: Practice different grief healing exercises and tools with Lori Jark from the book, A to Z Healing Toolbox: A Practical Guide for Navigating Grief and Trauma with Intention by Susan Hannafin-MacNib.

• The Second Word: Participate in a discussion about how to confront the centuries-old stigma around “mental illness” and speak openly and honestly about suicide losses.

• Finding My Voice...How I Became a Suicide Prevention Speaker: Learn about grief journeys and share stories of being vocal about suicide loss.

• Murder/Suicide: The healing process after a murder-suicide can be especially hard for the families of the responsible person to navigate. They may face social isolation, fear for their safety, and intense media presence while simultaneously grieving the loss of their loved one, trying to make sense of it all, and potentially experiencing a sense of guilt.

• Who am I now? Reflections on Identity and Loss: Participate in a discussion about the impact of suicide loss on a person’s identity, as well as how these changes in identity affect the grieving and healing processes.  

• His Living Legacy: Healing and Posttraumatic Growth after Suicide Loss: Discuss what posttraumatic growth and healing means after a suicide.

• Continuing Journey; Your Story Now: Participants will have an opportunity to examine where they are in their grief journey, where they want to be, and ways to continue moving along on their healing path. 

• Men Talk: Men Heal: A “safe space” for men to discuss the unique challenges they face regarding mental health and grief.

• Suicide and The Other Side: Discuss our connection to spirituality and what happens when our soul leaves this plane and goes to “the other side”.

• Tragedy: How to Reclaim Hope by Telling Your Story: Learn how storytelling can help manage difficult situations and feelings. Participants will walk away with the tools to begin telling their stories in whatever form most resonates with them.

• HealthRHYTHMS Therapeutic Drumming: Harness the power of group drumming to promote connection, support cognitive function, encourage self-expression, and inspire engagement. 

• Survive Suicide Loss, Yes You Can: Using Peggy Green’s Four Cornerstones of Healing, learn about the complexities of suicide death, and gain an understanding of how someone might move through your loss.

• Breaking the Silence: Learn tips and tools for starting conversations about suicide within one’s own family.

• Four Phases of Suicide Loss - Tailoring Individual Healing: Discuss Journey Thru Grief’s four phases of suicide loss and unpack the importance of individually tailoring bereavement resources to facilitate healing.

• Suicide Loss and The Soul: Learn about and reflect on the impact of suicide loss on your deeper self, often referred to as the soul.

• Advocacy and Action as Suicide Loss Survivor: Workshop ways to get involved in advocacy as a long-term loss survivor.

• The Journey of Loss, Love, and Hope - How in Supporting Others, there are True Gifts to Receive: Engage in dialogue about how long-term loss survivors can search for hope and meaning after their loss.

• JourneyDance - Transforming Grief through Movement: Release tension and create space for transformation and healing through guided movement.

Additional Offerings

• Sound Bath
• Drum Circle
• Art Therapy Room
• Sharing Circles