Support after suicide matters.
I’m working to change how people understand, navigate & support suicide loss.
Through speaking, education and support programmes, I offer practical, research-informed ways to support people in their own suicide grief, and others, in ways they can experience as helpful.
We aren’t taught how to navigate suicide grief, or how to support others (adults or children) when they are struggling to cope with the unimaginable.
I believe most people genuinely care and want to support those around them, yet they rarely know how. Support can become awkward, avoidant, overwhelming, or unintentionally unhelpful.
Consequently, suicide loss is often navigated alone, masked in front of others and experienced in silence. When people are in greatest need of support, it is most absent.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
With a better understanding of suicide and suicide grief, and practical ways to respond, people can feel more confident offering support in ways that can be experienced as helpful. Those who are grieving can feel more understood, supported, and less alone.
I’m Dr Shelley Brunskill-Matson.
I help people navigate suicide grief, and show up for others, when life gets messy and hard.
As a grief and suicide loss specialist, and postvention researcher, educator and practitioner, I’ve spent my career supporting thousands of individuals impacted by suicide, equipping them with practical tools that work for them.
Recognised as a global authority on supporting children and families after suicide loss, and a leading voice on suicide support, I am the founder of the mattering-reinforcing care approach to grief support, I help individuals and teams explore how to live and work while grieving. I don’t offer empty platitudes or false positivity. Instead, I bring grounded hope, evidence-based insights and practical tools that can make a difference.
Whether you are grieving yourself or doing your best to support others who are, I can help.
My goal is simple: to bring hope, agency and genuine care following suicide loss.
Looking for a Speaker your audience will thank you for booking?
If your organisation employs humans, we should talk.
Chances are, most of your staff have been impacted by suicide, either directly or through others they care about. When a suicide happens, loss, grief, and disruption don’t stay neatly outside the workplace. They show up in how people think, feel, work, and relate to others.
I work to improve how grief and suicide loss are understood and supported in ways that are actually helpful.
I believe most people genuinely care and want to show up for those around them when the unimaginable has happened, yet they often don’t know what to say or do, so they do nothing.
I get it. None of us are taught about suicide loss, how to navigate this form of grief, or how to support others, in school or in leadership programmes. And yet, it doesn’t have to be this way.
By learning practical ways to cope, and support others, including colleagues, friends and family, we can move from feeling unsure and awkward to confident and present. More importantly, those who are grieving can feel less isolated and alone, and instead feel understood and genuinely supported.
We can’t change what has happened.
But we can change how we respond.
A highly experienced speaker and facilitator, I take complex research and theory and translate it into practical, human insights and tools that can be applied in real life.
Whether I’m delivering a keynote, facilitating a masterclass or hosting a webinar, I speak about some of the most difficult and most human experiences we face.
I don’t just speak about how people cope, but how we support them in ways that make a genuine difference.
This is why my work resonates: because it reflects real life and offers something useful, when it’s needed most.
If you, or someone you know, have been bereaved by suicide, you may want to join one of my four online, small-group education and support programmes:
1) Navigating Suicide Grief
2) Living With Suicide Loss
3) Who Am I Now?
4) See Me, Hear Me (for parents supporting children after suicide)
Suicide loss can be particularly difficult. My programmes provide an opportunity to come together with others who “get it”, and learn research-informed tools to help you make sense of what you are experiencing and find ways of coping that work for you.
Separate programmes are run for bereaved parents, spouses, adult children, siblings, and other groupings, so you can connect with others who truly understand.
Support after suicide for individuals
Support after suicide for workplaces
If you are an HR or People & Capability professional, people leader, or CE seeking to support for staff impacted by suicide, contact me to discuss your specific needs.
Whether an individual, team, or entire workforce has been affected by suicide, the right support matters. One in four employees will be grieving at any given time, and that grief comes to work. The impact and cost of unsupported grief are very real: productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, staff morale, and staff turnover can all be negatively impacted.
I offer a range of sessions, from 90-minute to full-day options. Partner with me to show your staff you care, and to equip them to better support themselves and each other through life’s most difficult times.
“Just amazing - research, knowledge, practical, passionate, authentic. Thank you Shelley.”“Articulate, informative and highly practical. This session was a real game-changer for me. Thank you!"“A quality workshop; the information was invaluable, the authentic delivery with passion and no apology was amazing."“Shelley radiated such a 'heart' for the subject matter. I came in with very little knowledge and now feel equipped."Work with me
Whether you are organising an event, supporting a team or workplace, working in a professional role, or navigating suicide loss yourself, there are a number of ways to work with me.
Speaking
Keynotes, Presentations, Talks & Q&A Panels
I ensure your audience leaves feeling more confident and able, with practical tools to help them navigate their own grief and support others in ways they can experience as helpful. Every keynote and talk is tailored to its audience, and provides practical, research-informed information that people can take into their work and everyday lives, immediately. Grief is one of the most universal human experiences, meaning my keynotes and talks resonate across all audiences and contexts.
Training
Masterclasses & Workshops
Empower and equip your teams to support others following a suicide or to navigate suicide loss themselves. I offer a range of topics, each designed to be highly practical and based on the latest research. My work is focused on taking the awkwardness and guesswork out of suicide grief support, and ensuring people are supported their way.
Increasingly, my masterclasses and workshops focus on two key areas:
Workplace support and education after suicide
Professional development for professionals supporting children affected by suicide.
Public Webinars
Webinars for professionals
Through live webinars, you will learn practical, research-informed ways to better understand suicide loss and grief, and how to support yourself or others in ways that can be experienced as helpful. These small-group webinars offer practical guidance tailored to different audiences, including parents, professionals, and those supporting someone in their personal lives. Some webinars are designed for those bereaved by suicide, offering support, connection, and practical ways to navigate their grief. Each webinar clearly outlines who it is for, so you can choose what best fits your needs.
Join my newsletter to be notified when new webinar dates are released.
Support after suicide
Programmes
I offer four programmes for adults affected by suicide, providing an opportunity to come together with others who “get it” and learn ways to cope, make sense of what has happened (as best you can), and find ways to foster an ongoing connection with your loved one. When you’re ready there is also space to explore issues of changed identity. You can learn more about each programme here.
Join my newsletter to be notified when new programme dates are released.
My Bio
Highlights
25 years experience providing grief and suicide loss support education to individuals, teams, organisations and communities, globally
Global authority on supporting children after suicide (postvention)
Founder of the Mattering-Reinforcing Care approach to grief support
PhD: Mattering: Children’s Experiences of Care & Support After Suicide
TEDx Speaker - topic: “Rethinking Care and Support for Grieving Children”
Creator of Matika, Skylight Trust’s group education and support programme for children
Creator of the My Grief, My Way series of grief support resources for children
Co-Founder & Director of Tony’s Place (www.tonysplace.org.nz), a charity that supports adults and children affected by suicide
Founder & Owner of The Grief Shop (www.thegriefshop.co.nz)
Author of What Are You Waiting For? A Practical Guide to Knowing What You Want and Making It Happen Now (Exisle Publishing, 2015)
Author of Your Grief, Your Way (coming soon)
Other aspects of my work
Tony’s Place Charitable Trust provides free age-appropriate support to children, teens, adults and whānau affected by suicide - visit www.tonysplace.org.nz
The Grief Shop provides a range of grief support-specific products. This online store was created to make it easier for people to show others they care (providing thoughtful and lasting alternatives to flowers!), or to support people in their own grief - visit www.thegriefshop.co.nz
