**TRIGGER WARNING** This episode covers sensitive subject matter and is not suitable for all listeners. If this topic could be a trigger for you, listen to this episode with a friend, a sibling, a loved one or a parent so you can talk about any emotions that come up for you. The contents of this episode are not intended to replace therapy and should not be taken as such. If you need immediate help, please call the crisis hotline listed below in our resources.
In this episode, I’m joined by Hannah Mac, who is 20 years old from Michigan and is currently in her second year of college, studying to be an elementary art teacher.
We’re talking about the tragic death of Hannah’s sister, Leah, who died by suicide when she was only 16 years old.
As you’ll hear in our conversation, Leah was so much more than Hannah’s sister – she was her best friend. Hannah recalls how she has never felt that level of comfort and closeness with anyone she’s ever met, not even with her significant other.
Listen in as we talk about:
Their close-knit relationship, struggles with mental health, and suicide attempts
How their family dynamic has changed since her sister’s death
Susan E. Casey, MSW, MFA, is an author, a licensed mental health clinician, a certified bereavement group facilitator, a certified life coach and a podcaster. Throughout the past 29 years, Susan has worked in hospice, in-patient, and home-based settings with teens and adults, and taught numerous courses to executive leaders and clinicians.
Currently, Susan works for a measurement-based care organization, providing clinical coaching to therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists countrywide to improve mental health outcomes for youth and adults.
Susan’s blog on her website, susanecasey.com, chronicles her grieving process following the death of her younger brother. Her fiction has won numerous awards, including first place in the PEN/Nob Hill Literary Contest and Green Writer’s National Literary Contest. Rock On: Mining for Joy in the Deep River of Grief is her first work of nonfiction published on February 14, 2020 by Library Tales Publishing. Both Susan’s professional and creative work have been guided by her deep belief that every individual has purpose and inherent strengths and deserves the opportunity to reach their own unique potential. Please be sure to check Susan's podcast, L.E.A.P https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/trailer-welcome-to-the-l-e-a-p-podcast-with-susan-e-casey/id1573809035?i=1000526765528
Susan lives in Maine with her husband Steve and miniature aussidoodle Rocky
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