Meet
Steven J.
Karaiskos, Ph.D.
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Founder and CEO
Steven J. Karaiskos, Ph.D. is an educator and emotion scientist who brings over 25 years of experience and a deeply personal understanding of loss, healing, and human connection to every space he enters. His career has spanned early childhood classrooms, K–12 schools, and university teaching as a professor, as well as serving as Senior Director of Education & Community Outreach at Samaritans, Inc. as well as the Director of Postvention and Community Programs at The Kita Center. After losing his partner, David, to suicide in 2009, Steven placed that lived experience at the heart of his work, fueling his commitment to cultivating communities where people feel seen, heard, and valued.
Whether leading keynotes, designing workshops on empathetic listening, mentoring grieving teens, guiding educators in building emotionally safe classrooms, or supporting communities through suicide prevention and postvention, Steven weaves together research, real-life stories, and practical tools with honesty, depth, and warmth. He is a dynamic speaker, a compassionate storycatcher, and a steady presence through seasons of growth and grief alike.
Steven is also a proud uncle, godfather, brother, son, and friend. Through every role, he moves with the belief that care is a form of courage and that offering hope, actively and intentionally, is one of the most powerful things we can do for one another.
How I Work
I lead intentional, individualized work rooted in dignity, reflection, listening, and well-being. Through storytelling and storycatching, I build relationships with care and creativity, and I honor the lived experiences of the individuals, educators, schools, organizations, and communities I work with. Whatever the setting, my aim is the same: to help create spaces where people can heal, grow, and thrive.
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Keynotes and speaking
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Professional development and workshops
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Mentoring and coaching
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Organizational consulting
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Program design
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Suicide prevention and postvention support
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Grief-responsive schools and workplaces
1:1 Grief Mentoring
Grief is complex, personal, and not one-size-fits-all. My 1:1 support sessions are designed to offer individualized, grief-informed care rooted in dignity, empathy, and emotional safety. Whether you're navigating suicide loss, anticipatory grief, or another form of heartbreak, these sessions are a place to be met exactly where you are.
I design and facilitate powerful, customized workshops for educators, clinicians, and community leaders centered on SEL, community-building, empathetic listening, and educator and student well-being. Topics also include grief literacy, dignity-driven care, and suicide prevention and postvention. Whether in-person or virtual, each experience is tailored to your community’s values, needs, and culture because healing and connection aren’t one-size-fits-all.
Steven is a dynamic, story-rich speaker known for blending lived experience, emotional science, and practical tools with honesty, insight, and compassion.
Common speaking topics include:
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Suicide loss & the power of postvention
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Grief literacy & community healing
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LGBTQIA+ grief & belonging
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The psychology of hope
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“Heart Work” in leadership
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Empathetic listening as a foundation for connection and change
I have been featured at national and international conferences, including the American Association of Suicidology, Long-Term Loss Conference, LOSS Conference, the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, among others and the Keynote Speaker at the Connecticut Suicide Prevention Conference (2026) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maine Conference (2026) as well as leading workshops at 21st Century Learning Conference in Hong Kong (2027)
Online Peer Support Groups
I facilitate a variety of virtual support groups through Coping After Suicide ©, each grounded in care, lived experience, and community connection.
Current Groups Include:
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Teens (ages 13–18) who have lost a loved one to suicide
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Twentysomethings navigating life and grief in early adulthood
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Adults who’ve lost a parent to suicide
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LGBTQIA+ individuals who’ve experienced suicide loss
These closed groups offer weekly connection, reflection, and shared understanding over the course of 10 weeks.
They are not therapy, but they are profoundly supportive—centered on peer connection, empathetic listening, and emotional safety.
Optional follow-up support is available.
Virtual Workshop Series
I also lead two 6-week virtual workshop experiences designed to deepen reflection, community, and healing around grief and suicide loss.
Current Workshop Offerings:
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Who Am I Now? – A space for individuals navigating identity shifts and meaning-making in the wake of grief
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Beside Them – For those supporting someone who has experienced a suicide loss (friends, spouses, parents, peers, coworkers)
Both workshops offer guided conversation, creative reflection, and practical tools to support personal growth and compassionate presence.
Workshops are held online, once a week for six weeks, and can be customized for schools, organizations, and community groups.
Writing & Storytelling
My writing explores grief, identity, and community in deeply human ways. Follow my ongoing series “I’m Still Sad” on Substack and stay tuned for upcoming book projects weaving together narrative, research, and hope.
Elpis Vision
Elpis is the Greek word for hope.
A world where every person, school, and organization is rooted in belonging, dignity, and hope; where lived experience, including grief and loss, is honored; and where connection and community help people not only heal, but thrive.
A world where people know they matter, and where schools and workplaces are places they can show up as their whole selves, on good days and hard ones.
Where pain, and loss are met with care instead of silence, and no one is rushed toward better.
Where stories are shared and received, strength and self-efficacy are nurtured, and deep roots of connection and camaraderie hold communities steady.
Where hope is not a feeling we wait for, but something we cultivate together.
Current Community Connections
The way Steven approaches his work is transformative by nature, he sees people for who they are and what they carry with them, always. His reflective and thoughtful style is powerful and ground-breaking, consistently keeping both the head and the heart integrated into the way he interacts, educates, and supports. He is truly a pioneer in fostering organizational change, increasing its adaptability and flexibility by helping them to see further, think wider, and be far better than they were before.”
Kacy C. Maitland, LICSW, Chief Clinical Officer
Samaritans, Inc.