Safe Place (Grief Support)

 RHODE ISAND REOPENING INFORMATION

Safe Place is NOT open yet. (as of 10/4/2021)

As the state reopens under new COVID guidelines, we at The Samaritans are continuing to monitor the reopening.

Please be assured we are as eager as everyone to offer our Safe Place grief support group, but are aware that reopening is a new phase of COVID and want to be assured that we can keep our volunteers and guests safe.

Need to talk? Please call our Listening Line

In the meantime, please know our Listening Line volunteers are there to offer their nonjudgmental listening support to Safe Place participants as well. (401.272.4044 or 1.800.365.4044) Remember, you are never a bother to our volunteers. And while we may not have volunteers available for every shift, be assured we have many hours covered and encourage you to keep trying.   We try to help as many callers as possible. You are welcome to call every day as long as we are needed.

(New!) FIND IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT MANAGING STRESS DURING COVID-19 EMERGENCY FROM THE U.S. CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL. Connect HERE.

Please see the Providence Journal stories below for helpful, timeless information about loss by suicide.

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Please see our link: Experiencing Traumatic Loss

See brochures available on our website for other Safe Place information.

Established in 1981, The Samaritans’ Safe Place is RI’s original and only continuously operating bereavement support group for adults grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide.

Learn more about the impact of Safe Place by watching our video.

Here are two stories about Safe Place and loss by suicide as reported in the Providence Journal. IMPORTANT NOTE: Correct date/time for Safe Place is below on our website – info relating to Safe Place program details listed in the stories may no longer be correct.

“Left behind by suicide – There’s a Safe Place to Talk” by Laura Meade Kirk

“In suicide’s wake, questions: Bishop and police chief will share their experiences” by Tom Mooney

Brochure: Dara’s Story – If  you are the survivor of a parent or caregiver’s suicide

A description of The Safe Place Experience:

There’s a Safe Place to talk each Tuesday evening from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Our peer to peer support group, for adults 18 years and older, provides a non-threatening environment where caring people who have experienced loss through suicide can share their feelings.

Facilitated by experienced Samaritan volunteers, this free program is only open and exclusively for adults including family members, close friends and co-workers of people who have died by suicide.

• Established in September of 1981, Safe Place provides an atmosphere of acceptance for exploring feelings not understood by others and gives you an opportunity to look at your future with a little more hope.
• Safe Place is a peer to peer support group, facilitated by senior Samaritan of RI volunteers.
• Safe Place meets at the First Unitarian Church Community Center, 1 Benevolent Street, Providence RI 02906.
• There is no charge for participating in Safe Place. No referrals are necessary.
• Please refer children ages 17 and under to your child’s pediatrician, school nurse and school counselor for appropriate, coordinated follow-up care and referrals.
• Please also see our Resource Center for brochures and other reference materials for adults and children.
• Learn more about bereaved by suicide at Befrienders Worldwide.
• Learn more about grief support groups nationwide at American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

What to Expect

• Never a burden to your fellow Safe Place participants, you can share thoughts and emotions in a supportive and caring environment.
• Safe Place operates as a self-help model in which members help each other through befriending and mutual understanding. Because our mission is nonjudgmental befriending, you can go without the fear of being judged.
• As a self-help model, The Samaritans will not call you to follow-up and ask how you are doing. We will not share your contact information with other. It is up to participants to come, share their thoughts and feelings or contact information with others.
• You may come to Safe Place and say nothing at all.
• At Safe Place, you will be among others who have experienced your unique loss. At Safe Place, you are not alone and your fellow survivors will be there with you in this journey.
• Often times, those who return regularly find comfort and support and then continue to attend so they may help others.  Consider becoming a Safe Place “Buddy”.
• Unfortunately, we cannot serve children and encourage you to discuss care options with your child’s pediatrician.
• At Safe Place, you can attend alone or you can bring an adult family member or friend.

Safe Place does not replace professional care

• As a peer to peer bereavement support group, Safe Place is not a licensed, professional counseling program and does not replace professional care (medical, behavioral or pastoral).
• We encourage you to inform your primary care doctor about your loss by suicide. You are under a great deal of stress and your primary care doctor best knows your medical history.
• Also, please be sure to coordinate licensed, behavioral health care with your primary care doctor as well.
• When family friends and professional are not available, please feel free to contact our Listening Line at (401) 272-4044 or in RI  (1-800) 365-4044. Our volunteers are there to listen. Many people from around the state cannot attend Safe Place for one reason or another but find support through a nonjudgmental listener.  Please note: Our Crisis Hotline/Listening Line hours vary depending on the availability of volunteers. If you have an emergency, please contact 911 directly. If you need talk, our volunteers, are among the kindest people, are there to listen. If the line is busy, please keep trying. We do our best to help as many people as possible and our line is open as often as volunteers may be available.
• OUR SISTER SAMARITANS BRANCHES ALSO HAVE LISTENING LINES. IF OUR LINES ARE BUSY, PLEASE CONSIDER TALKING A SAMARITAN VOLUNTEER IN ANOTHER STATE. See list of numbers – Here.

Where does Safe Place meet?

Safe Place meets each Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church Community Center, 1 Benevolent Street, Providence RI 02906. The church has parking which can be entered from Benefit Street. For directions visit www.firstunitarianprov.org

Other Notes: Because Safe Place is free, we can’t guarantee how many people will attend on any given evening. Sometimes there are ten people and other times one. If no one attends by 7:00 p.m., our volunteer facilitator will leave. Safe Place meets every Tuesday unless the day is a major holiday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day or if there is a major weather event.

To request a copy of Left Behind by Suicide, Providence Journal, Lifestyles, August 26, 2001, please call our business line at (401) 721-5220 or write to us at P.O. Box 9086, Providence, RI 02940.

Questions? Please call our business line at (401) 721-5220.

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