Finding Light in the Dark: Honoring Suicide Prevention Month

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to bring awareness, break silence, and offer hope. For me, this month carries a weight that is both deeply personal and profoundly shaping. I lost both of my parents to suicide. These losses are woven into the fabric of my life, shaping not only who I am as a daughter, but also who I am as a person and a therapist.

Grief after suicide is unlike any other. It is not only the pain of losing someone you love, it is the layers of shock, shame, and silence that often surround the loss. It is the unanswered questions that echo in the quiet moments. It is the heaviness of wondering if something could have been different. For a long time, I carried those questions close to my heart.

What I have learned through my healing is that grief is not something to “get over.” It becomes a part of us, reshaping the way we move through the world. Healing, for me, wasn’t about finding closure, it was about finding a way to carry both the love and the loss together. Some days that means honoring the sadness, and other days it means letting myself feel joy again, knowing my parents’ love lives on within me.

This personal journey has deeply touched my professional path as a therapist. My lived experience allows me to hold space for others with a deeper kind of empathy, especially those navigating grief, despair, or trauma. I know firsthand the terrain of loss, and I also know the possibility of healing, resilience, and connection. It has given me a passion to help others realize they are not alone in their suffering, and that even in the darkest places, light can emerge.

Suicide prevention is not only about raising awareness, but also about creating spaces of compassion where shame is lifted, silence is broken, and connection is restored. Too often, conversations around suicide are avoided out of fear, discomfort, or stigma. But silence isolates us, and silence does not heal.

If you have lost someone to suicide, your grief is valid.

If you are carrying pain or struggling yourself, your life matters deeply.

There is no shame in your suffering, and there is courage in reaching for help.

My hope in sharing my story is not to focus on tragedy, but to honor resilience and the power of connection. Healing is possible. Even when the loss feels unhealable, we can find ways to weave the threads of love, memory, and meaning back into our lives. While I will always carry the absence of my parents, I also carry their love, and that has become a guiding light for me, both personally and professionally.

This month, I invite you to honor your own journey. That may look like lighting a candle, sharing your story, or simply take a moment to breathe and remember that you are not alone. Together, in compassion and remembrance, we can shine a light in the darkness.

Here are some resources if you or someone you love is struggling:

• In the United States, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with support right away.

• For international, you can find hotlines worldwide at findahelpline.com.

• If you are supporting someone grieving a suicide loss, resources are available through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) at afsp.org.

Remember: reaching out is a sign of strength.