President, Coping After Suicide, LLC; President and CEO, Rethink The Conversation, Ltd.New York, NY, Joanne is one of the world's leading experts on suicide bereavement and postvention response with 20+ years' experience, Joanne is certified in thanatology (death, dying, and bereavement) and has a private practice working with individuals, families, schools/colleges, faith communities, and workplaces coping with the aftermath of suicide; and training clinicians, clergy, medical professionals, school personnel, and funeral directors.
The recipient of the American Association of Suicidology's Survivor of the Year Award and the International Association for Suicide Prevention's Farberow postvention award, Joanne was a founding co-lead of SAMHSA's Survivors of Suicide Loss Task Force, and serves as an advisor to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK), the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, and Anonymous Alerts. She is also a professional member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the National Alliance for Children's Grief, and Hospice Foundation of America.
A former attorney and longtime survivor of her brother's suicide, she was recruited by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (the world's largest nonprofit dedicated to the issue) to lead their effort relating to the aftermath of suicide. During her tenure there, she created the most well-respected, far-reaching array of educational and outreach programs in the field, including International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day (now an annual event in 300 cities worldwide); a toolkit for schools; and a primer on explaining suicide to children.