The Imperfects Karissa Lewis - We're Not Better Off Without You
Sep 7, 2025
Karissa Lewis, a lived experience practitioner with Social Futures, provides valuable insights into the aftermath of suicide. She highlights the importance of postvention as an essential form of prevention and discusses the emotional impact on communities, especially in schools. Karissa shares strategies for communicating honestly with children about grief and suicide, aiming to reduce stigma. The conversation emphasizes that every life matters and the powerful role of community support in mental wellness and healing.
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Professionalise Lived Experience Work
- Postvention (support after suicide) acts as powerful prevention when done well and must be professionalised.
- Lived experience needs boundaries, training and supervision to help rather than harm.
Share Lived Experience Intentionally
- Before sharing your lived experience, ask why and ensure it serves the person you're supporting, not your healing.
- Use intentional peer support, clear boundaries, supervision and wellbeing plans to avoid vicarious trauma.
Walking Into The Chaos After A Death
- Karissa describes arriving at homes where loved ones were found and the immediate chaos: emergency calls, resuscitation attempts, police and coroners.
- She stresses the sensory overload for witnesses, neighbours and children who are often profoundly affected.