Hello and welcome to the September edition of the Connect Newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the lovely blue skies and sunshine we have had lately. The good weather certainly lifted my spirits and encouraged me to get out walking a bit more which is always good for my mental health! It’s been a bit blustery and wet in the last few days as Autumn begins but I have promised myself to keep getting out and about so I don’t miss the amazing display of colour nature provides at this time of the year.
September for me, always seems like the start of the year. Maybe it’s because it is back to school time and this for me, evokes memories of the new – maybe a new teacher, new books, new school uniform (new to me that is, because mine were usually second hand or hand-me-downs!). For many it can be a time to re-set after the summer when there has been space to gather their thoughts and make plans.
September is an especially important month for us at Suicide or Survive because it is marked by World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th. The theme for this year is Creating Hope Through Action. This theme particularly resonates with us as building hope and taking a proactive approach to our mental health runs through each of the programmes we run. September is also traditionally the time we start to promote our Eden Programme and Eden is very focused on rebuilding hope. The Eden Programme is for people over the age of 18 years who have thought about or attempted suicide. You can read more about Eden and meet Patricia, one of our most experienced Eden Facilitators below.  Our ask of you this September is that you help us to spread the word about the Eden programme so that we can reach as many people who could benefit from it as possible.
The team here at SOS are continuing to work hard to develop partnerships so that we can bring our innovative programmes to communities across Ireland. It has been fantastic to be meeting people face to face again on our Eden Programme, Wellness Workshops, WRAP, Supporters and Corporate Wellness Programmes. We will also be continuing with the online delivery of some of our programmes as we know this is preferable to some of you for a variety of reasons.
If you are interested in bringing one of our programmes to your area or to your workplace, you can get in touch with the office and the team would love to chat with you about how we can make this happen. If you want to know more about the Eden Programme and/ or how you can help us promote it, please do contact us on eden@suicideorsurvive.ie
I hope you enjoy this edition of our newsletter where you will be able to read more about our programmes, partnerships, and the fantastic people we work with. There’s something for everyone in this issue, from opportunities to challenge yourself while fundraising for SOS, to learning about our offerings for this upcoming World Suicide Prevention Day, and meeting some of the amazing people who support us in our work. We hope you enjoy.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support
Paula Lawlor, CEO
At SOS our mission is to create and deliver innovative approaches that educate, inform and inspire people to cultivate good mental health and reduce stigma leading to less death by suicide.Â
We do this through our innovative programmes in both Community and Corporate settings. With our Eden Programme, Wellness Workshops and Webinars, our Supporters Programme, WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), and a full suite of Workplace Wellness programmes, Suicide or Survive runs the spectrum from suicide prevention to mental health promotion
SOS also provide online wellness workshops which are fully funded and so are available to the public for free, these have videos, PDFs and activities to help manage your own wellness, in your own time.
Notice: We’ve Moved Office
We are delighted to announce that we have moved to a new office space at:
1st Floor, 3-5 Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 W9X6.
 Our phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same, as will our website address and social media accounts.
Please update your records with our new address.
We look forward to continuing to work with you from our new location.
Have you thought about or
attempted suicide?
If so, the Eden Programme may benefit you
Eden is:
- An educational programme with a therapeutic element
- For people over the age of 18 years
- Group setting: up to 16 people
- 1 morning a week for 26 weeks
- No fee (participant financial contribution agreed depending on means)
- Application process with informal interview to see if programme can meet needs
- Endorsed by the HSE and evaluated by DCU
SOS Croke Park Abseil Challenge this October – Back by popular demand, this October 7th we will be hosting another abseil at Croke Park. Whether you are a complete novice or a seasoned thrill seeker this is the challenge for you.
How to get involved:
1. Register for the event on link hereÂ
**We are asking each person taking part to raise a minimum of €300 to join this challenge.
2. Promote your online fundraising page on your socials.
3. Start fundraising!! (Once registered you will receive your abseil pack containing sponsor cards & SOS goodies)
4. SOS will fully support you all the way on your fundraising.
To find out more about this event, contact anthony@suicideorsurvive.ie
**Please note: You must be over 18 to participate in this event
Momentum Support has been incredibly proud to support our charity partner, Suicide Or Survive, over the past two years.
We have worked with Suicide or Survive on a number of fundraising initiatives, most noteworthy of all being the annual SOS abseiling fundraiser at Croke Park, which I personally had the pleasure of experiencing first-hand this year! We have also had the pleasure to be involved in the Suicide or Survive Soccer Palooza and Christmas Jumper Day.
In 2019, as part of Momentum Support’s ‘Mission Right: Let’s Make the Right Choice’ CSR strategy, we selected Suicide or Survive as an organisation that we wanted to support and work with on a consistent basis, due to a number of factors. Firstly, we felt the mission of SOS was incredibly important..Â
Just a quarter of mental health experts believe employees can speak openly about mental health issues, according to new international research carried out in eight countries.
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Sixty-five academic experts and business representatives completed a survey that sought to support the development of a workplace intervention to tackle depression, anxiety, and mental illness-related stigma within small- to medium-sized businesses.
Just 26.2% of experts agreed that employees could speak openly about mental health issues.
The research recommends awareness campaigns, workshops with people with lived experience of mental illness and guidelines for managers on methods of combatting mental health stigma in the workplace. To read more of the article, please click hereÂ
What can organisations do to support mental health in the workplace?
At Suicide or Survive, we work with organisations to open the conversation around positive mental health and to introduce staff and management to the positive benefits of taking personal responsibility for their own wellness. Our programmes help break the stigma that stops people from seeking help when they struggle.
So whether your company has an existing wellness programme, or you just are starting the journey, our team can tailor a plan to suit your organisation’s needs.Â
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This year is my 23rd anniversary surviving suicide, I celebrate life and not my death.
My name is Elaine Dardis and this year I am challenging myself to summit Kilimanjaro.
During the lockdown, my biggest fear was for my mental health. The fear of the unknown, the loss of my freedom and the fear of getting sick. It was during this time that I returned to sport, walking, hiking and even a bit of running, but it was also during the pandemic that I discovered I am a lot stronger than I ever thought I was and for some reason gave myself the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro!
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MEET THE TEAM
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Hi, I am Patricia Allen-Garrett, I am married and am a mum to twins Daniel and Alannah and am a twin myself. I have always been interested in how people feel and think and initially graduated with a psychology degree in 2003. From there I went on to train as a Person-Centred and Integrative psychotherapist and have been working as a therapist since 2006. I also work as a lecturer training counsellors and psychotherapists as well as working extensively in trauma both as a therapist and lecturer/trainer.
There have been many times in my life when I have needed and benefited greatly from being supported by people and I try to give that back through my work in therapy with people. Whether it is to clarify what is important in life, to get in touch with inner resources, to work through childhood experiences and trauma, to live a life that is more fulfilling, to explore feelings, to receive support at a time of crisis or to explore areas of pain, I really believe that having someone who will listen non-judgementally and be with us helps so much and again that is what I try to offer the people I work with.
A key thing that brought me to work with Suicide Or Survive in 2011 was my best friend died by suicide in 2008 and in the aftermath of his death I felt helpless and grief-stricken and just wanted to help in some way. SOS and in particular Caroline McGuigan spoke my language and held the same values I had in relation to people who are struggling with thoughts of suicide and seeing the worth in each and every person. I wanted to try and help people find an alternative to suicide if it was possible and it was from there that my journey with the Eden Programme started. I have been a Facilitator on Eden since 2011 and although it can be really tough going at times to see the pain people are in, I never fail to be in awe of the absolute strength that people show in the face of great adversity. I am passionate about this work and can say with all sincerity that it is a great honour to do it. I also work as a Facilitator on the Supporters Programme and the Wellness Workshops and Webinars.
All of the work I do with SOS matters because people matter. And I am really grateful to get the opportunity to be part of this organisation.
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is September 10th. Our Mission at Suicide or Survive is to: Create and deliver innovative approaches that educate, inform and inspire people to cultivate good mental health and reduce stigma leading to less death by suicide This WSPD we are bringing the public free webinars, we have a range of topics and some special guests during the month of September. We will have webinars on self care, rediscovering hope and a chance to learn about our flagship Eden programme, which aims to provides a safe space where participants can develop the skills to monitor and manage their own mental health, build a range of supports appropriate to their individual needs and move away from suicide as an option of choice in times of crisis. |