Dear friends,

September is Suicide Prevention Month, which gives us an opportunity to address the challenging road to healing for those grieving from this painful and all too common loss. It can also have a rippling effect across communities and in schools.

Losing a loved to suicide is one of life's most painful experiences. The feelings of loss, sadness, and loneliness experienced after any death of a loved one are often magnified in suicide survivors by feelings of guilt, confusion, rejection, shame, anger, and the effects of stigma and trauma.  

Furthermore, survivors of suicide loss are at higher risk of developing major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal behaviors, and a prolonged form of grief called complicated grief. 

In addition to our one-on-one counseling services, Hospice of Santa Barbara offers a Suicide Loss Support-Group for those who share this uniquely difficult kind of loss. For many survivors, participation in support groups is felt to be their only access to people who they feel can understand them, and the place where their feelings are acceptable and valid without judgement.

The universality of their experiences provides great reassurance that they are not alone in their feelings and that others have had similar experiences and have come out not only intact but often stronger. The bonds that develop among people can be extraordinarily strong as they join a special club where they offer each other mutual support. 

If you, or someone you know, would benefit from our next Suicide Loss Support Group, beginning in January 2024, please contact 805 563-8820. 

Be well,

David Selberg

Highlights from our

11th Annual Heroes of Hospice Luncheon

Hospice of Santa Barbara would like to thank our wonderful sponsors, attendees, staff and committee members who made our 11th Annual Heroes of Hospice luncheon possible. With your generous contributions we were able to raise a record-breaking $215,000!

Your continued support allows us to care for anyone experiencing the impact of serious illness or grieving the death of a loved one. Thank you for allowing us to continue doing what we do.

Please enjoy some photo highlights below. Photos of the event by Monie Photography are available to view here: 2023 Heroes of Hospice Photos



Sorrow

By Kathleen Dean Moore

Sorrow is part of the earth’s great cycles, flowing into

the night like cool air sinking down a river course.

To feel sorrow is to float on the pulse of the earth, the

surge from living to dying, from coming into being

to ceasing to exist. Maybe this is why the earth has the

power over time to wash sorrow into a deeper pool,

cold and shadowed. And the heart has the power to

somehow heal. And maybe this is why, even

though sorrow never disappears, it can make a deeper

connection to the currents of life and so connect,

somehow, to sources of wonder and solace.

Happy work anniversary to Sharon, Amara, Lexi, Liz, Brian, Rebecca, Aeron, Lauré, Sam and Nancy!

Sharon Vineall, LCSW, Bereavement Counselor, celebrates her 12-year anniversary.

Amara Maliszewski, ACSW, Social Work Care Manager, celebrates her 9-year anniversary. 

Lexi Murray, LMFT, Bereavement Counselor, celebrates her 5-year anniversary.

Liz LaCasto, LMFT, Bereavement Counselor, celebrates her 5-year anniversary. 

Brian Ordoñez, Data Analyst, celebrates his 5-year anniversary. 

Rebecca Foley, ACSW, Bereavement Counselor, celebrates her 4-year anniversary.

Aeron Hart, LMFT, Bilingual Bereavement Counselor, celebrates her 4-year anniversary.

Lauré Brecher, Development Coordinator, celebrates her one-year anniversary.

Sam Shafer, Director of Finance, celebrates his one-year anniversary.

Nancy Shobe, Key Relationships Manager, celebrates her one-year anniversary.

Get It Done SB! (GIDSB) and Mi Regalo (MR) are HSB’s Advance Care Planning (ACP) programs, focused on bringing awareness and education in English and Spanish to ensure that all of our community members have a completed Advance Directive before they need one. 

RSVP to Attend an Upcoming Community Workshop:

• 10/10 and 10/17 6:30-8:00 PM at Eastside Neighborhood Clinic (SPANISH)
• 10/18 and 10/25 4:00-5:30 PM at Carpinteria Woman’s Club (ENGLISH)

Only need notary services? Join us at Part 2 of any of our community workshops and get your document notarized for FREE! Please call or email to RSVP. 

Can’t make it to one of our next workshops? Schedule a one-on-one appointment with our trained facilitators for personalized attention answering your questions, reviewing your completed document and ensuring submission to Cottage Health. 



For more information on Advance Care Planning, upcoming workshops or to request one-on-one help from our experienced volunteers, visit Get It Done SB! (English) or Mi Regalo (Spanish). You can also call us at 805-705-4846 or email us at CommunityACP@hospiceofsb.org.