Workshops/Retreats
Eye of the Survivor: Your Hero’s Journey About Surviving Suicide
United Survivors provides our signature Eye of the Survivor workshops and retreats in partnership with local agencies and organizations upon request. Workshops and retreats include 1-2 days of facilitated instruction and interactive sharing that culminates with participants learning to tell their stories to ignite change from a place of healing and empowerment.
Overview
This unique training was developed by Board President Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas and Vice President Dr. Ursula Whiteside – both psychologists with lived experience of suicide, Sarah Gaer – public speaker, author, suicide loss survivor, and Suicide Prevention Specialist, our national board, and international advisory council to ensure it is inclusive and culturally appropriate for diverse audiences. Among the goals are using stories both to impact change in participants’ communities and organizations, and promote personal and collective healing and empowerment. By the end of the course, participants have a chance to share their stories and receive feedback. If resources allow, there may be an opportunity to videotape polished stories for the storytellers’ advocacy efforts – on their own or on behalf of the organization they serve. U
Who Is It For?
Lived experiences with suicide include grieving a suicide loss, living through a suicide attempt, living with suicidal thoughts or feelings, or being a caregiver for someone who has been suicidal. No matter where someone is on their journey related to suicide, participants will find value in these exercises and lessons. Audiences include:
Peer specialists/peer supporters
Suicide prevention and mental health trainers
Public health professionals
Those preparing for media engagement
Those preparing for legislative testimony
Those preparing for public speaking events
Content developers, artists, YouTubers, influencers, and potential influencers
Therapists who would like to explore or use narrative therapy to help clients
Employees working to make change within their organizations
Students, advocacy-oriented youth
Those wishing to connect more deeply with those around them
Key Topics and Learning Goals
Storytelling around suicide has unique caveats. Key workshop/retreat topics include:
Training helps to ensure that the storyteller is ready and uses best practices for safe and impactful storytelling.
People who have had personal experiences with suicide learn to prepare for and deliver safe and effective storytelling about how they lived through it.
Pricing and Partnership Process
If you are interested in bringing an Eye of the Survivor Storytelling Workshop or Retreat to your organization, event or conference, please email us at info@unitesurivors.org to get started. The cost for the facilitated Workshop/Retreat is $8500.00 for two facilitators or $5,000.00 for one facilitator, which includes 1-2 days of facilitated instruction and all travel and lodging. Contact us to learn more about which options work best for you, as well as possible discounts for nonprofits and government agencies.
Upcoming & Past Workshops & Retreats
February 24, 2025 - Construction Working Minds Summit, Arlington, TX
November 14-15, 2024 - Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention, MA
February 26, 2024 - Construction Working Minds Summit, Kansas City, MO
Retreat Trainer Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas’s Tedx Talk on “Stopping Suicide with Story”
Dive into the transformative power of storytelling with our highlight video from the Eye of the Survivor Storytelling Retreat offered by United Suicide Survivors International at the 3rd Annual Construction Working Minds Summit in Kansas City, MO. This unique event, facilitated by Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas and Sarah Gaer and hosted at JE Dunn Headquarters, empowers individuals with lived experiences of mental health challenges, suicide, addiction, and overdose to share their stories safely and effectively. Watch as participants learn the art of storytelling that not only narrates the crisis but focuses on the journey of overcoming and the possibilities of change.
Meet the Trainers
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Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas
Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas sees issues of suicide prevention and mental health promotion from a host of perspectives. Clinical psychologist. Mental health advocate. Faculty member. Researcher. And suicide loss survivor. A public speaker and author, she has earned an international reputation as an entrepreneur and innovator in social change, holds numerous leadership roles, and is the recipient of many awards.
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Dr. Ursula Whiteside
Dr. Ursula Whiteside is a licensed clinical psychologist, the CEO of NowMattersNow.org, and Clinical Faculty at the University of Washington. As a researcher, she has been awarded grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She treats high-risk suicidal clients in her small private practice in Seattle. As one of the first psychologists to publicly disclose that she has experienced suicide ideation, Dr. Whiteside has been featured in films and numerous national media outlets.
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Sarah Gaer
Sarah Gaer is an award-winning master’s level clinician with 25 years of experience in the field of mental health care, working as a consultant in suicide prevention and trauma recovery. She spent almost a decade as a Suicide Prevention Specialist focused on men in the middle years and first responders. Sarah is a QPR (Question, Persuade & Refer) Master Trainer. She has delivered keynote addresses and presented her work both internationally and nationally, developed her own training program, and authored three books.