S5E3-Surviving Suicide Loss: Healing Survivor’s Guilt with Verline Davis, LPC on JR’s Hunt for Life – Safe Talk Podcast

In this deeply honest and compassionate episode of JR’s Hunt for Life Suicide Prevention Podcast, Safe Talk, host Jenny Hunter is joined once again by Verline Davis, a licensed professional counselor with advanced training in trauma and child therapy, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Together, they tackle one of the heaviest and least-talked-about experiences after suicide loss: survivor’s guilt.

Drawing from both personal and professional experience, Verlene shares her story of losing her first husband to suicide after years of attempts, safety planning, and trying everything she could think of to help him stay. She also talks about family members and clients who have been impacted by suicide, reminding listeners that “survivors” are not just spouses and parents, but also children, classmates, coworkers, church communities, and even people who have attempted suicide themselves and lived.

Jenny and Verline explore how guilt, “what ifs,” and self-blame can consume a survivor’s life, block healing, and even lead to their own suicidal thoughts. They discuss the reality that, no matter how much we love someone, we cannot control another person’s final decision, and that it is possible — and necessary — to move toward self-forgiveness, compassion, and post-traumatic growth.

In this episode, they explore:

​ What suicide survivor’s guilt looks and feels like in everyday life

​ Why our brains latch on to “What if I’d done more?” and “Why didn’t I…?”

​ The hard truth that someone who is fully determined may still find a way — and why that doesn’t mean you failed

​ How guilt can spiral into addictions, legal trouble, relationship struggles, and self-destructive choices

​ The importance of postvention (getting help after a suicide loss) through counseling, EMDR, and supportive community

​ Practical tools for healing:

​ Writing letters to the person who died and letting anger, pain, and love all come out on the page

​ Drawing or coloring to move feelings from the inside to the outside

​ Learning to reframe the story over time by looking at what you did do, rather than what you think you missed

​ Allowing tears, anger, and questions without judgment

​ How nutrition, protein, and B vitamins can support a grieving brain and body that often forgets to eat, or turns only to comfort foods

​ Ways friends and family can support a survivor with healthy food, presence, and patience

​ Why counselors are often a safe place to talk: confidential, nonjudgmental, and focused on helping you find your own path forward

Jenny also shares pieces of her own journey after losing her son JR, including exhaustion, moments of conflicted relief, and watching her daughter struggle under the weight of guilt — and how therapy, EMDR, and time helped open space for healing and self-compassion.

This episode is for anyone living with that quiet thought: “It’s my fault” — and for those who love someone carrying that burden.

Visit jrshuntforlife.org or join the private Facebook community “JR’s Hunt for Life” for confidential connection, education, and hope.

🎙️ Credits“Safe Talk” is hosted by Jenny Hunter, founder of the global suicide-prevention movement J.R.'s Hunt; For Life. Voiceover courtesy of Billy Floyd, media broadcaster and positive influencer. Featuring music by “Sounds of Soul,” courtesy of Fearless Motivation, this episode is produced by Angel Mountain Media.

Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and support our life-saving mission. “Safe Talk” is available on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Audible, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, and more.

🕊️ No judgments. Talk saves lives.

#ChooseHope #SupportAfterSuicide #TraumaTherapy #EMDRTherapy #CommunityHealing #BeTheLight

🎧 CALM Training & Lethal Means Safety with Sheena Hicks, PPC on “Safe Talk” JR’s Hunt;for Life Suicide Prevention Podcast

In this episode of JR’s Hunt for Life Suicide Prevention Podcast, Safe Talk, host Jenny Hunter welcomes returning guest Sheena Hicks, newly graduated Provisional Professional Counselor (PPC). Sheena shares her journey through seven years of education and supervised clinical training, and she explains what it takes to become a licensed counselor in Wyoming.

Jenny and Sheena dive deeply into CALM Training — Counseling or Conversations on Access to Lethal Means. This practical, life-saving approach teaches everyday people, first responders, mental-health professionals, and community members how to:

* Recognize signs of distress or suicidal ideation

* Ask direct, clear questions about suicide

* Safely and compassionately discuss firearms, medications, and other lethal means

* Create time, distance, and safety during moments of crisis

* Understand impulsivity and the crucial 8-minute window between trigger and attempt

* Support individuals in building safety plans, storing firearms responsibly, and reducing access to high-risk items

* Maintain hope, build connection, and understand the limits — and possibilities — of intervention

Sheena emphasizes that CALM is not anti-gun; it is a training centered on responsible storage, safe households, and preventing impulsive tragedies, especially in states like Wyoming where firearm ownership is common. Jenny and Sheena talk about youth suicide, aging populations, medication safety, and the importance of 988, supportive networks, and proactive conversations long before a crisis peaks.

If you or your organization are interested in CALM training, Sheena continues to offer sessions and can be contacted through Jenny.

If you or someone you love is struggling, you are not alone — help is available.

📞 Need Support?
In the U.S., call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If danger feels immediate, dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Visit jrshuntforlife.org or join the private Facebook community “JR’s Hunt for Life” for confidential connection, education, and hope.

🎙️ Credits
“Safe Talk” is hosted by Jenny Hunter, founder of the global suicide-prevention movement JR’s Hunt for Life. Voiceover courtesy of Billy Floyd, media broadcaster and positive influencer. Featuring music by “Sounds of Soul,” courtesy of Fearless Motivation, this episode is produced by Angel Mountain Media.

📲 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and support our life-saving mission. “Safe Talk” is available on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Audible, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, and more.

🕊️ No judgments. Talk saves lives.

#JRsHuntForLife #SafeTalkPodcast #TalkSavesLives #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthAwareness #PassiveSuicidalIdeation #YouAreNotAlone #EndTheStigma #CheckInOnYourFriends #AngelMountainMedia #JennyHunter #WyomingCounselor #TherapyWorks #HopeAndHealing #988Lifeline #NoJudgmentZone #MentalHealthMatters #CommunityCare #calm

Season 5 Premiere — Understanding Passive Suicidal Ideation with Cassidy Lach, MA, LPC on “Safe Talk” JR’s Hunt;for Life Suicide Prevention Podcast

Season 5 opens with an eye-opening conversation about a topic that’s rarely named but widely felt: passive suicidal ideation. Jenny sits down with Cassidy Lach, a licensed professional counselor with nearly two decades of experience in Wyoming’s mental-health community, to unpack what it means to feel “okay if something happened” — without an active plan to end one’s life.

Cassidy explains the critical differences between passive and active suicidality, emphasizing the importance of intent and imminence. She helps listeners recognize common warning signs — such as thoughts like “I don’t care if I wake up tomorrow” — and explores how these thoughts can stem from deeply rooted beliefs of being “not good enough” or “broken.” Drawing on her background in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and the Gottman Method for marriage and relationship counseling, Cassidy offers grounded, compassionate tools for reframing these beliefs before they escalate.

Together, Jenny and Cassidy remind listeners that talk saves lives — and that asking directly, without judgment, can be the most powerful act of care. They discuss how to identify imminent risk, when confidentiality limits apply, and why simply checking in — even with a “Good morning, how are you doing?” — can truly make a difference.

Key Takeaways

• “Passive” thoughts don’t always mean immediate danger — but they always deserve compassion.

• Validation, not minimization, builds safety for honest conversation.

• We can only act on what we know in the moment, but consistent connection can change outcomes.

• If you or someone you love is struggling, you are not alone — help is available.

Need Support?

In the U.S., call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If danger feels immediate, dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Visit jrshuntforlife.org or join the private Facebook community “JR’s Hunt for Life” for confidential connection, education, and hope.

Credits

“Safe Talk” is hosted by Jenny Hunter, founder of the global suicide-prevention movement JR’s Hunt for Life. Voiceover courtesy of Billy Floyd, media broadcaster and positive influencer. Featuring music by “Sounds of Soul,” courtesy of Fearless Motivation, this episode is produced by Angel Mountain Media.

Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and support our life-saving mission. “Safe Talk” is available on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Audible, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, and more.

No judgments. Talk saves lives.

#JRsHuntForLife #SafeTalkPodcast #TalkSavesLives #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthAwareness #PassiveSuicidalIdeation #YouAreNotAlone #EndTheStigma #CheckInOnYourFriends #AngelMountainMedia #JennyHunter #BillyFloyd #CassidyLachLPC #WyomingCounselor #TherapyWorks #HopeAndHealing #988Lifeline #NoJudgmentZone #MentalHealthMatters #CommunityCare