View the presentation slides.
View presentation materials.

When someone is grieving, it can be difficult to know how to best support them. When their person died from a stigmatized death, like suicide, it can be even more difficult. During this session, we will discuss what grief is, how grief is impacted by a death from suicide, supportive actions in grief and where additional resources can be found to continued support.

Learning Objectives:
Participants will:

1. Discuss what grief is and the factors that impact grief on individuals;
2. Differentiate how grief after a suicide death may be experienced differently from other non-stigmatized causes of death;
3. Identify supportive actions in grief to utilize for practical tools to provide support to those grieving.

Buffy Peters, BS
Director, Hamilton’s Academy of Grief & Loss

Bio: Buffy Peters is the Director of Hamilton’s Academy of Grief & Loss, a division of Hamilton’s Funeral Home in Des Moines, Iowa. For over a decade, Buffy has been honored to provide support to children, teens and adults grieving the death of a loved one. Some of this work includes: connecting them with appropriate grief support services; supporting schools through grief education, facilitation of grief support groups, as well as assisting with grief responses after a death; and oversees Hamilton’s two children’s grief programs serving children ages 4 to 12. Buffy is active providing presentations, both locally and nationally, and is particularly passionate about educating on grief after a stigmatized death; such as suicide, homicide and substance—related deaths. Buffy has contributed to many grief resources, including the NACG’s GriefTalk toolkits, “Supporting Families after a Homicide” and “Creating Children Friendly Spaces in Funeral Homes”.