Joanne L Harpel, Mphil, CT, JD
suicide bereavement & Postvention specialist
Training & Education
I don’t know anyone who actually enjoys listening to PowerPoint slides being read aloud verbatim. Personally, it’s my idea of torture. But all too often, that’s what (painfully) passes for “professional education.”
As a former commercial litigator, I bring a strategic sensibility to my presentations. And as a suicide loss survivor myself, I bring a personal connection that can only come via lived experience. Whether I’m delivering grand rounds at a medical center, a training on postvention response at an army base, a webinar on compassion fatigue for funeral directors, or a Care for the Caregiver® retreat for mental health professionals, I pride myself on offering pragmatic evidence-informed material in an engaging, relatable, and meaningful way.
Recognized by Amherst Magazine for “shaking up the conversation” on suicide as a crucial public health issue, I’ve been an invited guest lecturer and trainer over 100 times.
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programs
Facilitating Suicide Bereavement Support Groups for Adults
Whether you’ve been facilitating a group for years or it’s just an idea in the back of your mind, join us for a series of Zoom training workshops to explore best practices for facilitating warm, welcoming, and effective suicide bereavement support groups.
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Facilitating Suicide Bereavement Support Groups for Children & Teens
This interactive, experiential training workshop series is for anyone with a personal or professional interest in facilitating peer support groups for children, preteens, and teens (ages 6-18).
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Ask The Experts: Helping Our Kids Cope With Suicide Loss
A multi-part series of interactive conversations and open Q&A with leading experts, covering ages 2-29.
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Ask The Experts: LGBTQ Suicide
An interactive conversation and open Q&A with one of the nation's leading experts in LGBTQ suicide.
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Key Considerations for Working with Survivors of Suicide Loss
Professional education for clinicians, medical professionals, clergy, funeral directors, and interested others.
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Finding Your Way Through Grief
An exploration of how to find support, clarity, hope, and yourself in the aftermath of traumatic loss.
Care for the Caregiver®
An interactive exploration of the impact of personal loss on professional caregivers, including clergy, hospice staff, support group facilitators, and others. Previously delivered in collaboration with a national nonprofit organization, a national thanatology institute, and a statewide funeral directors association.
The Nuts and Bolts of Effective Suicide Postvention Response
Previously delivered to grand rounds at regional medical centers, the US Army Chaplain Center and School, the Veterans Administration National Chaplain Training Center, the South Korean National Police Agency, and the interdisciplinary crisis response team of a large public university.
To hear about programs, join my email list
“Joanne’s training was one of the best I’ve heard."
"I was dazzled by her subject-matter expertise, articulateness, facility with group process, and the quality of her materials."
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​"Wow. There are simply not enough words to thank you for your powerful, timely, and transformational presentation. Truly."
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"Joanne has a unique talent in translating complex research and knowledge to a language that is easily understood by each particular audience"
“I loved listening to your presentations.”
“Your talk was exquisite.”
“Your information was so perfect in its content, delivery, and tone.”
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“Phenomenal”
Training the Psychologists of the
South Korean National Police Agency
Custom Programs
The content, focus, and duration of any presentation can be easily customized to suit the particular interests, needs, and size of the target audience, as well as the budget of the host organization. Trainings typically combine lecture with extensive audience participation and group interactivity, and include concrete takeaway messages, relevant handouts, and carefully vetted resource information. To talk to me about what I can do for your organization, contact me.
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools
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Five Things Every Funeral Director Should Know About Suicide
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Food for Thought on Yom Kippur
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Grief After Suicide: The Impact on Families
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Have You Lost Someone to Suicide?
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Survivor Narratives: Stories of Hope and Healing​
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Training the Chaplains of the U.S. Army