About Ronnie Walker

Ronnie Susan Walker is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor with a personal experience of loss by suicide. She holds a master’s degree in Counseling as well as post-graduate certifications from the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children, and the American Academy of Bereavement.

Walker has worked in academic, clinical and social service settings. Following the death of her stepson in 1995, she focused on helping others who have experienced traumatic loss. Her experience and training as a trauma and loss counselor led to numerous assignments at disaster relief sites by the Red Cross and U.S. government. She also served as a counselor and support group leader for Catholic Charities LOSS Program (Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide.)

In 2008, she founded the Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors – as a labor of love. Sensing that many survivors had little or no access to specialized support, she created a website and supervised community forum that could transcend time and distance. In a true story of “build it and they will come” survivors arrived seeking information and hope. First in a trickle and then by the thousands. Today the Alliance of Hope’s website provides a comprehensive resource for survivors and the professionals who serve them. Its online community forum operates like a 24/7 support group, with more than 19,500 members.

In 2019, Ronnie received the Fr. Charles Rubey Award from Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Chicago, and in 2020 she was named “Survivor of the Year” by the American Association of Suicidology. Both awards were given in recognition of the difference she has made in the field of suicide loss. Walker and Alliance of Hope staff are currently working with mental health professionals, first responders, and funeral home directors to ensure that the newly bereaved receive materials that enable them to find local and online support in a timely manner.

Ronnie Walker resides on Kauai, HI. She is deeply devoted to her family and especially grateful to them for their support of the Alliance of Hope.