This resource is intended for use by colleges and universities that are affected by and/or want to be prepared for campus crises and campus deaths. Suicide postvention efforts address the need for predetermined strategies to effectively and sensitively respond to campus deaths after they occur. We believe that it is important to note that a good postvention plan can have a positive impact on prevention, as well. This resource defines specific areas of consideration and planning and offers suggestions for best practices. Planning and implementation of postvention efforts rely heavily on using an interdisciplinary approach that utilizes the skills and resources of administrators, practitioners and the greater campus community. These disciplines will ideally collaborate in the postvention planning and coordination, implementation of postvention efforts, clinical services, communication efforts, and decisions about holding memorials and other related events with the goal of helping the community return to a normal routine.
It is our hope in developing this guide that schools will be better prepared to manage the painful challenge of a student suicide death. While our hope is that schools will use this guide to help with planning so that systems are in place to respond, we have tried to make this guide sufficiently concise to be valuable is faced with a student suicide and needs to rapidly develop and implement a response plan. We have tried to develop guidance that is adaptable to the full range of institutions of higher education.