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Julie Compton
Coordinator and Survivor Facilitator
I was a wife and mom to 2 sons, 18 and 21. I was also a teacher and specialist for students with behavioral
and emotional disorders. Then on August 6, 2010 my life was turned upside down when my oldest took his life.
Friends and family were wonderful, but loss to suicide is so complicated. It’s hard for people to know how to help and
what to say. Thankfully, a friend connected me with Suicide Survivors: The Healing Journey After Loss,
a group that was specifically designed for those experiencing a loss to suicide. It was there that I was surrounded by people who “got it”.
The fact that it was closed, had a curriculum, and 2 facilitators made it just what I needed.
I still, 10 years later, remember everyone who sat in that circle. Over the next few years, I volunteered as a facilitator which
was another step in my healing. Then the group changed hands and eventually was discontinued.
I was honored when the previous coordinator, Mackey Brittain, asked if I would consider helping her to bring it back.
Together with the help of a wonderful advisory committee made up of survivors and mental health professionals, Healing After Suicide was born in 2019.
It brings me hope and healing to continue the legacy set out by our Mackey!! I do this work in loving memory of my precious son, Chantz.
Barbara Alderete, LCSW, LPC
Licensed Advisor and Facilitator
Barbara Alderete is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Professional Counselor who became a facilitator with suicide survivors about
16 years ago. She has worked in the mental health and counseling field for more than 35 years. She has had a passion for grief work and
especially the unique grief of those who have experienced the suicide of a loved one. She facilitated groups with Suicide Survivors: The Healing Journey After Loss
and with Trauma Support Services of North Texas.
With Healing After Suicide, Barbara has been on the organizing Advisory Committee, participated in
writing the curriculum and policies, has facilitated groups, and has trained facilitators. Outside of Healing After Suicide she works in the field of critical incident
stress management part time.
She is retired from her full time work and enjoys staying active with her family, sports, and church.
Linda Duncan, Ed. D., LPC
Licensed Advisor and Facilitator
Dr. Duncan is Professor Emeritus of the Psychology and Counseling Department at Tarleton State University,
a member of the Texas A & M University System. She was a Professor of counseling and Coordinator of the Graduate Counseling Program at
Tarleton for many years, serving at both the main campus in Stephenville, and later at the Fort Worth campus.
She maintained a private practice in counseling until 2010, when she decided to devote time to finishing her book entitled The Phases and Skills of a
Counseling Session: Special Emphasis on Emotional Exploration. In counseling, she relies on mostly emotion-focused and experiential work.
She retired from full-time faculty in 2014 but continued to teach part time for 4 more years. She is a frequent keynote speaker at
various events, on topics related to the psychology of living well. She has also been a presenter at professional conferences at the state, national, and
international level, such as the European Symposium in Group Analysis in Dublin and London.
She serves as an advisor to the Healing After Suicide Committee. She became involved because
helping survivors of a loved one’s suicide is such necessary, yet daunting work. Her involvement is also based on the
enormous respect she feels for all survivors, but particularly of those who serve on this committee and act as co-leaders of groups.
Of this she said, “If these brave souls can bring themselves to a space and time where they can reach out to help others, then I can do it.
The work of this committee challenges me in ways I could not have imagined, and hopefully has made me a more compassionate and
humble human being. For that, I salute these people of whom I speak.”
Monica Kintigh, Ph. D., LPC
Licensed Advisor and Facilitator
Monica Kintigh has over 40 years professional experience in training, education, counseling, and consulting.
Her work with diverse ages and stages across the life span in both community and private institutions allows her to accommodate to meet the needs
of students, clients, participants, and organizations. In recent years her work has focused on building suicide safer communities as a part of an
international suicide prevention company, LivingWorks Education Inc. She is a trainer of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST),
Suicide Alertness (safeTALK), a Team Leader for the LivingWorks ASIST training for trainers, an instructor for LivingWorks safeTALK training
for trainers, and member of the Trainer Support and Quality Assurance Team.
Her community involvement is both local and statewide. She is a member of the Texas Suicide Prevention Council and assisted in the writing of the
Texas State Suicide Preventio Plan. She is an active member of Suicide Awareness Coalition of Tarrant County, a consultant
for Tarrant County LOSS team (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors - those bereaved by suicide), a member of the team that wrote
a collaborative grant to support the creation of a Family Advocate position with our Medical Examiner’s office to assist families with
suicide loss, a member of the curriculum development team for the Healing After Suicide (HAS) Group that offers support to the bereaved along
with training in resilience and growth from loss.
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Please note: The Healing after Suicide website is not intended to provide help in a crisis.
If you are feeling suicidal or need help for yourself or someone you know, please consult IASP’s Suicide Prevention Resources to find a crisis center
anywhere in the world.
In the US, call toll-free 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for a free suicide prevention service or visit
SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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