Podcast discusses the power of peer support for separated fathers

As part of Men’s Health Week, Parents Beyond Breakup released a new episode of the Dads Alive podcast series, discussing the power of peer support in male mental health and suicide prevention.

In the episode, Glen Poole (founder of Stop Male Suicide, CEO of the Australian Men's Health Forum, co-founder of Men and Boys Coalition in the UK, and a board member at Parents Beyond Breakup), calls for a better understanding of the structural challenges separated dads face, and the ongoing impacts for dads over their life. Glen states the importance of peer support to help separated dads process their experiences and make sense of what has happened, which can help parents process trauma and work towards new ways of parenting post-breakup.

Dads Alive is a six-part podcast series for listeners experiencing situational distress as a result of separation. Each podcast episode explores an aspect of situational distress with a qualified subject matter expert to better understand parents' legal rights, and how to prioritise mental and physical health following a breakup.

Parents Beyond Breakup is a national suicide prevention charity focused on supporting parents experiencing trauma through family breakdown and separation. Relationship breakdown is recognised as a risk factor for suicide in males, with Parents Beyond Breakup working to support male connections through peer support.

It started in 1999 on Father’s Day under the name of ‘Dads in Distress’ in Coffs Harbour NSW. Founder Tony Miller OAM created the group after experiencing distress and suicidal thoughts from his own separation, to provide a space for dads to meet and talk about their experiences and support each other to navigate parenting during relationship breakdown.

This model of support soon led to the development of other Dads in Distress support groups, eventually leading to the creation of Parents Beyond Breakup in 2017 to accommodate for mums who are also experiencing distress from parenting and relationship breakdown.

It has now grown to offer a telephone helpline (1300 853 437), online support groups and multiple local face-to-face groups. Its online resources include separation checklists, links to external support groups, and more recently, the Dads Alive podcast.

Parents Beyond Breakup is funded under the Australian Government’s National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program.