- Alternatives to Suicide is a new peer-led support group in Fox Valley that prioritizes open conversations without fear of hospitalization or law enforcement
- Unlike traditional crisis intervention, the initiative focuses on community-building and confidentiality, with no records or mandatory reporting
- Organizers are securing locations in the Fox Valley, aiming to hold meetings once or twice a month in the coming months
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
MENASHA, WI – Suicide prevention efforts often focus on crisis intervention, but a new approach in the Fox Valley is shifting the conversation. Instead of emphasizing intervention at the moment of crisis, this initiative creates a space where people can talk openly—without fear of being reported or hospitalized.
Michael Berge, a psychiatric nurse in Oshkosh, WI, and a volunteer with Mental Health America of Wisconsin, is among those leading the effort to bring the Alternatives to Suicide support group to the region.
"In our three counties, we lost 78 people to suicide last year. So we need this. We needed this yesterday," Berge said, referring to Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago counties.
Alternatives to Suicide is designed to be a peer-led, confidential space where individuals can share their experiences without the presence of law enforcement, mandated reporting, or clinical intervention.
"So much of what the clinical world is doing—hospitals, psychiatrists, and medications—is simply not working and, unfortunately, is making things worse because we can't talk. We can't share because someone will call the cops," Berge said.
Training for the new initiative is currently underway in Menasha, led by Caroline Mazel Carlton, director of the Massachusetts-based Wildflower Alliance.
"Out of this training, we do expect to see a group right here in Menasha, an in-person 'Alternatives to Suicide' group, where people can come, build community, and share without shame or judgment of what they’re going through," Mazel Carlton said.
Unlike traditional suicide prevention programs, Alternatives to Suicide operates with complete confidentiality—no notes, no attendance records, and no law enforcement involvement.
"If you take away that element of reporting, people are more likely to share what’s going on," Mazel Carlton said.
Mental Health America of Wisconsin is leading the effort, with similar groups already operating in Milwaukee. Erica Steibe, the state suicide prevention program manager, facilitates bi-weekly sessions in Milwaukee and sees the expansion into the Fox Valley as essential.
"I’m just so excited for the community that will be built here in Menasha and the Fox Cities area because it’s needed. It’s definitely needed," Steibe said.
Berge said the group is actively working to secure multiple locations in the Fox Valley, with hopes of meeting once or twice a month. While the program is still in search of a space, organizers estimate it may take a couple of months before the first sessions begin.
