LOSS Team

If you are interested in joining our LOSS Team, you can send an email here: LOSS Team Interest Email

Suicide deaths frequently surprise the friends, family, and loved ones who were close to the decedent. The sudden loss leaves them in a daze of shock and mourning, and unprepared for the weeks following the death. The LOSS Team is comprised of individuals who have themselves endured the challenges of losing a person to suicide, as well as clinicians and trained community volunteers.

LOSS Team members work in conjunction with the Coroner's Offices of both Tulare and Kings Counties, local mortuaries, organ donation networks, chaplains, and other persons and organizations that are involved in the response continuum following a death. When a possible suicide occurs, the LOSS Team is contacted to dispatch to the scene of the loss. The team then provides information, linkage, and guidance to those in need. The team does not provide therapy or counseling but will help those willing to receive these services find appropriate providers via our Grief & Bereavement Counseling voucher program.

The Suicide Prevention Task Force, working with local first-responder agencies, evaluated the Active Postvention model and allocated resources to establish a team. We continue to work with Dr. Frank Campbell, who created the LOSS Team model, to ensure ongoing effective training, implementation, and functioning of our local effort. To read more about LOSS Teams, please visit Dr. Campbell's website: www.lossteam.com.

Steps to Becoming a LOSS Team Member

Our LOSS Team has been running for two years and is focusing efforts on adding capacity. We currently offer our services following all suicide deaths in Tulare and Kings Counties with only five volunteers. We need more LOSS Team members!

Step 1: Send us an email expressing your interest: LOSS Team Interest Email

Step 2: Attend a session of Sudden & Traumatic Loss, which provides the foundation of understanding for this team. The training session examines tragedies, from mass disasters to the personal tragedy of suicide. We discuss Crisis Theory and the value a LOSS Team can have in a community.

Step 3: Meet with our LOSS Team Coordinator. This face-to-face meeting is an opportunity for us to get to know each other, discuss what active response looks like, review your commitment to serve, and ensure this is an excellent fit for both you and our team.

Step 4: Complete a LOSS Team Volunteer Application Packet, which will be provided to you by our coordinator, and which is then submitted to and processed by the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (www.tchhsa.org).

Step 5: Complete a Live Scan background check. Our volunteers respond to active incident scenes and interact with community members during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. We need to ensure our volunteers are fully vetted and able to provide high-quality services.

Step 6: Attend our LOSS Team Member Training, which provides a foundation of team policies, procedures, and day-to-day operations. This training has participation from the Coroner's Offices of both Tulare and Kings Counties and introduces attendees to multiple current team members.