Lived experience advocates are more than their story

Lived experience advocates are a critical part of the mission of suicide prevention. Their stories, insights, and advice enable us to continuously improve how we help those battling suicidality and ill mental health. 

However, it is essential to remember that every time a person with lived experience steps up to the podium for a presentation or sits down for a focus group, they revisit some of their life's most difficult periods. 

Like all professionals, people in lived experience roles are much more than their jobs. While they allow themselves to be vulnerable in sharing their stories and experiences to help others, there is much more to them than their struggles and/or diagnoses. 

Well-meaning people in the sector may meet an advocate and become hyper-focused on talking about suicide or their experiences. But remember that they have lives outside of suicide prevention. 

Asking a lived experience advocate if they are comfortable discussing suicide or their experience before diving into the conversation is respectful and collaborative. Be ready to respect their choice if the answer is no. 

You could try saying:

“I was hoping to ask for some advice about handling a situation as I know it aligns with your experience. But I just want to check that you are comfortable talking about your lived experience today?” 

Or

“Thank you for agreeing to share your presentation. I would love it if you could also, during the speech, share some things about yourself that are important to you or of interest as we want attendees to know advocates are more than their lived experiences.” 

Or

“Thank you for sharing your powerful story of recovery. Is there anything important for me to know about you, whether related to your experience or not?” 

We all do this work to help people, and ensuring that our care extends to others working in the field is important.