AFTERMATH: Suicide Postvention in the Workplace
What is suicide postvention?
The American Association of Suicide Prevention defines suicide postvention as the:
Suicide postvention is psychological first aid for those bereaved by suicide (aka, “survivors of suicide loss”). Postvention is ultimately about hope -- about re-establishing hope in a person or a community that has been devastated. The information presented here is apart of a larger guidebook designed to offer a framework of postvention. This framework outlines the recommended steps to help workplaces get back on track after being impacted by the trauma of a suicide.
A suicide death by an employee is only one type of suicide that could impact the workplace -- others might be suicide deaths of clients, vendors, or a family member of an employee. If any of these people engaged in deliberate self harm with intent to die, this too might impact a workplace.
Postvention is Prevention
Postvention and prevention represent a cycle where each informs the other. How we handle the crisis of a suicide death impacts how people respond to future suicides. When postvention is not addressed or approached incorrectly, the risk for future suicides increases. Those who are bereaved by suicide are at increased risk for becoming suicidal themselves, thus, an appropriate response can make the difference between life and death. Finally, prevention efforts are bolstered by what is learned in the postvention process when we ask, what are the policies, services, messages, and supports needed to save lives? |
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Goals of Postvention
1. To stabilize the workplace community and to help individuals at all levels of the organization (and related family/community) to cope with the trauma and grief. Survivorship of suicide loss, if not supported well, may lead to other psychological conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and substance abuse. The initial hours and days following a suicide can make a big difference for survivors and their subsequent emotional healing; however, longer-term support may also be needed.
2. To prevent further suicides. Suicide contagion, or the copycat effects of suicide, are often seen in younger high-risk adolescents, but can also happen among vulnerable adults. Postvention practices work toward minimizing the factors that might make copycat suicide more likely.
3. To help the workplace return to normalcy and the pursuit of its mission. Rumors, second guessing, and blame can create critical rifts in the workplace family; thus, containment is needed to help reassure people and give them appropriate means to express their feelings. A balance is often needed between providing support for those who need it and letting people get back to their regular lives. For most, after an initial expression of grief, a workplace may be able to return to a normal routine more quickly than for workplaces that are denied an opportunity to express openly.
