AFSP Indiana | Support Group Facilitator Training (Adults)

The AFSP Support Group Facilitator Training program offers suicide prevention organizers a way to create and facilitate a community support group for suicide loss survivors in the aftermath of a suicide. AFSP offers two courses: one on facilitating adult support groups, and another on facilitating child and teen support groups. Each course is comprised of a two-day training for up to 50 attendees, and includes lecture, interactive discussion, and role-playing. This course will focus on facilitating adult support groups.

Between October 18 and 21, 2023, the Indiana Chapter of AFSP will be offering both the adult support group training and the child/teen support group training. You have the option of attending both trainings, or you can choose to attend just one of them. If you are only able to attend one training, then the best way to decide between the trainings is dependent upon the main type of support group you will be offering. The content and material is different for each training due to the approach being taught. The adult facilitator training focuses on learning how to create, run, and facilitate suicide bereavement groups for grieving adults in your community, whereas the child facilitator training focuses on how to create, run, and facilitate suicide bereavement groups for children and teenagers.

The trainings will be led by experts in the field of suicide bereavement, Pamela Gabbay, EdD, FT, and Andy McNiel, MA.

Registration and $100.00 is required to secure your place in this training (valued at $550.00), and is being offered at this drastically discounted rate due to the generous donations of Hoosier Out of the Darkness Walks put on by the Indiana Chapter of the AFSP and our Indiana Circle of Hope donors.

You must attend both days to complete the training. We do not offer CEs for this training course.

Who should attend:

• Mental health professionals and survivors of suicide loss who want to start a support group
• Current group facilitators who want to strengthen their skills, stay up to date on the latest practices, and explore issues they have encountered while facilitating
• Survivors of suicide loss who have waited at least two years after experiencing a suicide loss

Accommodations:

Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all registered participants on both days.
If you have any dietary restrictions, please email Brandon Puszkiewicz at bpuszkiewicz@afsp.org after registering to let him know what those restrictions are.

If you’re traveling into Indianapolis for this event, we recommend flying into Indianapolis International Airport (IND).

If you’re looking for hotel accommodations near the venue, you can visit this website to find hotels. The address where the training will be taking place is:
Ivy Tech Community College Culinary and Conference Center
2820 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46208

If you have any questions regarding your registration, please email Brandon Puszkiewicz, AFSP Indiana Program’s Manager, at bpuszkiewicz@afsp.org