Another OP Author - Connie Saindon

Connie Saindon, whose cottage is on Short Street at OP, is our second featured author from OP. If you have ever joined the throngs viewing the sunset from the rocks at OP, you have probably seen and maybe spoken to Connie!  If you are an author and would like to post information about your book, please write me.

Connie's book is Murder Survivor's Handbook, Real-Life Stories, Tips & Resources. Its release date is September 25, 2014.

About the Book

Connie Saindon's professional as well as personal experience have given her a unique
perspective that few others have. Not only did she learn first-hand about criminal death, she
learned that she is a Survivor in every sense of the word. However, she also realized that little was known about the impact of murder on the survivors or their needs.

Murder Survivor's Handbook: Real-Life Stories,Tips & Resources fills that void for the
Survivors, the co-victims of murder. This book provides information, resources, and strategies for learning to live with the aftermath of a homicide, including safety issues, dealing with the criminal justice system, addressing the news media, and coping with traumatic grief, while preserving the memory of a loved one.

In the book, Survivor Writers describe their own experiences and, through their tips and
suggestions, lend a helping hand to those who follow in their footsteps.

The Foreword to the book is written by Edward Rynearson, MD, Medical Director, Separation and Loss Services Program, Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA, and the author of Retelling Violent Death.

About the Author

Connie Saindon is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and among the few specialists in the field of violent death bereavement. She is the founder of the non-profit Survivors of Violent Loss Program in San Diego, which began in 1998. Her commitment to violent loss bereavement is related to the loss of her sister, aged 17, to homicide in 1961.

Ms. Saindon's training includes the Restorative Retelling Model developed by Edward Rynearson, MD. She co-authored a preliminary study that showed significant decreases in symptoms using this model.

She has provided program development, clinical services, training, and supervision of medical residents, interns, and clinicians. Subsequent research resulted in two more studies—of which she has been a primary and contributing author—published in Death Studies Journal, 2013.

These studies cover 14 years worth of work, with results showing significant decrease in client symptoms related to traumatic grief, complicated bereavement, and post-traumatic stress. She is a frequent presenter at national conferences on this specialized topic.

Ms. Saindon's training programs have included online courses and two-day training for mental health professionals, universities, and crime victim advocates with the Office of Victims of Crime. Course titles include The Restorative Retelling Model, Violent Death and PTSD, and Violent Death: Fostering Resilience While Healing Wounds.

She is author of The Journey: Ten Steps to Learning to Live with Violent Death, an adaptation of the Restorative Retelling Model for adult self-help and paraprofessionals. She also is a contributing author of Violent Death, Resilience and Intervention Beyond the Crises.

She has written articles on murder as well as homicide for the Encyclopedia of Trauma. She has worked as a consultant for the Department of Defense, augmenting the mental health services for active-duty military and their families during war.

Ms. Saindon has received citizen awards from community groups such as the Psychiatric Society and the Victim Assistance Coordinating Council.

When not pursuing her professional interests she may be found kayaking in the Atlantic or
Pacific oceans, skiing, walking her dog, or taking photographs. A native New Englander,
Saindon splits her time between Boothbay, ME, and San Diego, CA.