What is a L.O.S.S. Team and Why is it Important?
L.O.S.S. stands for Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors. A L.O.S.S. Team is an active model of postvention that involves two or more trained volunteers. The Volunteers go to the scene of a suicide to provide immediate support to loved ones. Having a L.O.S.S. Team at the scene of a suicide provides loss survivors with human connection and resources.
Having a team member who has gone through a similar loss brings hope and empathy, turning postvention to prevention.
By simply saying “I lost a loved one to suicide” a volunteer gives permission for the newly bereaved to use the word suicide and allows him/her to know that he/she is not alone.
