Postvention

What is Postvention?

Postvention is a term used in the suicide prevention field. It means having an organized response in the aftermath of a suicide to accomplish any one or more of the following:

To facilitate the healing of individuals from the grief and distress of suicide loss
To mitigate other negative effects of exposure to suicide
To prevent suicide among people who are at high risk after exposure to suicide

Why You Need a Plan

As with any crisis, having a plan in place BEFORE anything happens will help those affected by a suicide loss begin to address the trauma.

When a person dies by suicide, many others are deeply affected. Some call it a ripple effect.

One study estimated that 115 people are exposed to each suicide, with 1 in 5 reporting that this experience had a devastating impact or caused a major life disruption.¹
Everyone grieves differently. Some people may experience short-term reactions, while others may have long-term responses or complicated grief.
Exposure to suicide can lead to an array of negative outcomes, including mental health issues, social isolation, and an increased risk of suicide.¹

What Should the Plan Include?

A comprehensive postvention effort includes:

Planning ahead to address individual and community needs
Providing immediate and long-term support
Tailoring responses and services to the unique needs of suicide loss survivors
Involving survivors of suicide loss in planning and implementing postvention efforts

Get Started Now

All settings should incorporate postvention as a component of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention.

All communities and organizations should be prepared to respond to a suicide death, including tribes, towns, schools, senior living facilities, workplaces, and health care providers.

Plan Ahead:

Gather a crisis team to lead the postvention response. The team should include a spokesperson, mental health professional, counselor, nurse or physician, and others who can contribute their expertise to the plan.

Develop a plan and protocols in advance that will enable your institution or community to respond quickly and compassionately in the crisis period after a suicide death.

Be prepared to respond to the immediate emotional needs of people affected by the crisis as well as to the long-term effects and risks that may be associated with exposure.

Educate and build relationships among those who will interact with bereaved people to enable a coordinated community response rather than fragmented services. Involve law enforcement, emergency medical services, community mental health, social service agencies, and other institutions.

Review the SPRC's Best Practices Registry to learn more about Prevention and Postvention Strategies.

Respond effectively:

Immediately following a suicide, work with the news media to encourage safe reporting.

Work with those affected by the suicide death to aid mourning in ways that avoid increasing the risk of contagion.

Build capacity for ongoing support and treatment, including professional and peer-support options, for those who need it.

Provide support and guidance for friends and family members of the bereaved to help them provide effective ongoing support.

For more action steps, see the U.S. National Guidelines. Appendix B provides recommendations specific to national organizations; state and tribal governments; communities and local officials; schools, universities, businesses, and workplaces; mental health and public health agencies; professional organizations and accrediting bodies; faith communities and leaders; funeral professionals; first responders; social media and online communities; media; loss and attempt survivors; and researchers.

Reference

Survivors of Suicide Loss Task Force. (2015, April). Responding to grief, trauma, and distress after a suicide: U.S. National Guidelines (p. 1). Washington, DC: National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.sprc.org/online-library/responding-grief-trauma-and-distress-after-suicide-us-national-guidelines

A Culture of Caring: A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools (K-12) was created as a resource for educators who want to know how to get started and what steps to take to create a suicide prevention plan that will work for their schools and districts. It is written from my perspective as a school principal and survivor of suicide loss, not an expert in psychology or counseling. I hope that any teacher, school counselor, psychologist, principal, or district administrator can pick up this book, flip to a chapter, and easily find helpful answers to the questions they are likely to have about what schools can do to prevent suicide.