Why This Group Exists

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Too many people in Allegheny County say the same thing:​

"There's nowhere I can talk honestly about suicidal thoughts or my attempt without feeling judged, monitored, or unsafe"

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Most traditional mental health groups (even well-intentioned ones) are built around clinical protocols, crisis management, and liability fears. 

That means people quickly learn to:

• Censor their real experiences

• Avoid mentioning attempts

• Hide ongoing thoughts

• Stay "safe-sounding"

• Avoid being seen as a "risk"

• Fear being removed, reported or redirected to crisis services

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This creates silence where honesty is needed most. 

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Still Here was created to fill this gap -- a true peer space where people can tell the truth without clinical consequences.

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Who This Group Is For

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This group welcomes adults who:

• Have survived a suicide attempt

• Struggle with chronic or recurring suicidal thoughts

• Live in the "in-between" places of hope, fear, coping and survival

• Want connection with others who understand the complexity of living through this

• Want to reduce shame by speaking openly 

• Want community support, not clinical oversight

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No diagnosis needed. 

No insurance. 

No psychiatric requirements.

Just people helping people.

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What This Group Is:

• Peer-led Support Group

  • Co-facilitated by people with lived experience of suicide or those who have walked alongside it with deep empathy and understanding -- not clinicians acting in a clinical role​

• A Place for Emotional Honesty​

  • You can share what you're actually feeling, not the sanitized version​

• A Context-Allowed Space​

  • You can talk about the meaning (not graphic detail) and emotional weight of your attempts or thoughts, without being shut down​

• A Shame-Free, Judgement-Free Environment​

  • Your experience is valid. You are not a burden. You will not be lectured, monitored, or pathologized​

• A Community Built on Mutual Support​

  • We're here to listen, witness, validate, and support -- not fix or diagnose​

• A Space for Real Conversations About Survival​

  • Hope is welcome. Fear is welcome. Ambivalence is welcome. You don't need to pretend you're "better now"​

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What This Group Is Not:

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• Not Therapy

  • We are not a replacement for mental health treatment or crisis services. We are a peer community ​

• Not a Crisis-Intervention Space​

  • If you are in immediate danger, we will help connect you to support, but the group itself is not a crisis response program​

• Not Clinical-Led or Clinically Surveilled​

  • No assessments. No safety plans forced on you. No monitoring your "risk level". No clinical gatekeepers​

• Not a Place for Graphic Details​

  • We talk about context, meaning, and emotions -- not instructions or anything that could be harmful to others​

• Not a Space Where Your Honesty Will Get You In Trouble​

  • No one will be punished or excluded for openly sharing struggles, urges, or the complexity of survival​

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Why This Approach Matters, and Why It's Needed Now:

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Right now in Allegheny County:

• Suicide rates have not improved in over two decades 

• Adults report feeling more isolated, more overwhelmed, and more invisible than ever

• There are no peer suicide groups available in Allegheny County

• Clinical systems are overwhelmed 

• People are slipping through the cracks after attempts or ongoing thoughts

• Shame continues to silence the people who need support the most

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You're Here.

You Survived. 

You deserve connection, not isolation. 

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Still Here is about reclaiming community, dignity, and hope . . .Together

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What Makes This Different from Other Support Groups?

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We center lived experience -- not clinical authority

• Peers lead or co-lead. Peers share. Peers understand

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Honesty is allowed

• You don't have to edit yourself to stay safe in the room

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We treat suicidal thoughts as human experiences -- not emergencies

• You are more than a risk assessment

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We build safety through community, not control

• Supportive boundaries, not clinical restrictions

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We focus on meaning, story, and connection

• Not on symptoms, diagnoses, or compliance

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We recognize survival as a complex journey

• We know you have good days and bad days. This is not a linear recovery path.

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We see you as a whole person

• Not as a crisis waiting to happen​