StandBy - Support After Suicide hosted a suicide "postvention" workshop in Horsham on Tuesday. Police, State Emergency Service, health and education workers, council staff and social support organisations attended.

The organisation was invited by the Wimmera Primary Care Partnership.

The PCP's Aboriginal health project officer Felicity Johns said the workshop followed a high demand for the mental health rural outreach program that has been running across the Wimmera for nearly a year.

"The four outreach workers work eight hours a day, but we need to support people impacted by suicide after hours, because often that's when things go pear-shaped for a lot of people," she said.

"StandBy offers a 24/7 service for people who've been bereaved by suicide, and they are people trained to provide support. Then during office hours we can get people referrals to the right place at the right time."

Ms Johns said StandBy would now offer a phone service for Wimmera residents who engaged with the outreach program as part of a six-month trial.

Ms Johns' father Noel, a farmer, died by suicide 27 years ago.

She said stigma towards suicide remained strong.

"In my own lived experience, people would cross the street not to talk to you because they didn't know what to say," she said. "That's their issue - but it just makes that shame deeper.

"You still have to say their name. I don't want people to forget my dad lived, and that he still lives in me and my family and the community.

"A lot of people think suicide is a shameful thing. Whoever has taken their life has made that decision on their own, but the shame that gets attached to loved ones close to that person is quite toxic and that trauma changes the brain - particularly for young people.

"Statistically, the sooner we get out to someone face-to-face, the less likely it is they are going to have a prolonged illness or upset. I think it's important for people to understand situational distress - whether it's job loss, relationship breakdown or another factor - is a very normal thing people go through, and it can cause them to make the decision to take their own life."

StandBy hosted a further two sessions on Wednesday, which were open to the public and discussed how to support adults and children affected by suicide.

National partnership co-ordinator Susan Vaughan said the seminars were aimed at giving people the confidence to talk.

"Sometimes children can be forgotten as bereaved people," she said.

"They may not have the words to express how they are feeling, so part of what we did was give people different resources where they may be able to work with young people to express their experiences and feelings in ways that may not be words."

Mrs Vaughan said people could access StandBy's resources here.

The Wimmera's rural outreach program recommends people who need support contact them on 1300 OUTREACH (1300 6887 3224), or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

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