August – Book of the Month

The experiences of people bereaved by suicide

‘A Special Scar’ – Alison Wertheimer

Every 85 minutes someone in the UK takes their own life, but what happens to those left behind? In a society where suicide is often viewed with fear or disapproval, it can be difficult for those personally affected by a suicide death to come to terms with their loss and seek help and support. A Special Scar looks in detail at the stigma surrounding suicide and offers practical help for survivors, relatives and friends of people who have taken their own life. Fifty bereaved people tell their own stories, showing us that, by not hiding the truth from themselves and others, they have been able to learn to live with the suicide, offering hope to others facing this traumatic loss. This new, revised edition includes new material on:
* counselling survivors of suicide
* group work with survivors.
The new material incorporates the latest research findings which have added significantly to our understanding of the impact of suicide, an area which the UK Government has targeted for action in the mental health arena. This new edition will continue to be an invaluable resource for survivors of suicide as well as for all those who are in contact with them, including police and coroner’s officers, bereavement services, self-help organisations for survivors, mental health professionals, social workers, GPs, counsellors and therapists.

“As a facilitator of Rosedale’s support group for those bereaved through suicide, and as someone who trains professionals on how to support people bereaved through suicide, I know how important this book is. It is a book that compiles the different experiences that people have from the moment they find out about the death, why it happened through to the inquest, families, support and finding a way through.”
Lucy Coote – Rosedale’s Community Ambassador and Bereavement Support Group Facilitator in Suffolk

Reviews

“It is not a textbook for counsellors; nor a self-help support for those bereaved by suicide; nor a support for the suicidal; nor a collection of case studies. It is all of these and more: and greater than the sum of its chapters… Despite its dark content, this is a very readable book, well written, open, clear and accessible to all. I would strongly recommend it to all therapists; to other helpers such as the clergy, police, undertakers and others whose work involves the emotionally distressed. It is particularly valuable to those bereaved by suicide, even if the event was many years ago. One intervention when counselling the suicidal is to ask “who would be affected by your death?” This book shows that the answer can never be a despairing “No one”. So, paradoxically, it is also a book, in appropriate circumstances, for potential victims as well.” – Tony Morris, in Self & Society, Vol 31 No 2, June-July 2003

“The first edition of this important book opened our eyes to the special needs of people bereaved by suicide. Since that time the author and others have increased our understanding of these needs and helped to develop services to meet them. In this second edition she has drawn on this knowledge and experience to augment and enhance the foundation which she laid… a volume which will be of value to members of caring professions, counsellors and other bereavement service providers.”‘” – Colin Murray Parkes, in his Foreword

Rosedale’s Bereavement Library

Each branch of Rosedale has it’s own bereavement library where you can find all of the books in our ‘Book of the Month’ series. There are books for all ages, and all types of grief. If you would like to find out more, don’t hesitate to contact any one of our branches.

If you wish to purchase it, you can either look in your local bookstore, or order it from an online retailer such as Amazon.