Workshop Description: The term “postvention” refers to planned interventions with those affected by a suicide death that aim to address the needs of the bereaved, reduce the risk of contagion, and promote healthy adaptation of individuals and the community. The goal of this presentation is to provide guidelines for effective postvention as they relate to schools, workplaces, organizations, and communities. The presenters will draw from their broad experience in postvention, and will present informational highlights, which include data and comments generated by students at schools throughout Massachusetts where postventions have been implemented. This training is based on Riverside Trauma Center’s Postvention Protocols, which were listed in Section III of the former SPRC Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention.
Objectives: • Identify three goals of a suicide postvention response • Describe three dilemmas/obstacles to implementing a postvention response and describe a best practice solution for each dilemma. • Identify at least 3 postvention tasks that should be undertaken during the first 72 hours of a response • Explain the difference between suicide contagion, suicide clusters, and suicide cohorts. Presented by: Riverside Trauma Center Staff: Riverside Trauma Center’s highly-trained, licensed mental health professionals have extensive clinical experience with trauma, suicide survivors and suicide prevention.
