POSTVENTION IS…

defining, researching, and practicing postvention

We define postvention as activities which care for and support survivors along the intentional self-harm & suicide spectrum, specific to the recuperation needs of suicide attempt survivors, attempt survivors’ family & friends & coworkers, suicide loss survivors, first responders, and other unaddressed demographics.

We support postvention education a’la Edwin S. Shneidman, often cited as the father of the suicide prevention movement, who in 1971 directed that the most critical needs to address were those of survivors. More than five decades later, his advisements have not come to fruition.

We support qualitative and quantitative research via direct input from survivors. We want to know what keeps survivors alive. We want to know if what we do actually makes a difference. We believe that research should be done with fully informed direct input from survivors themselves. We believe survivors must be directly consulted to understand precisely what causes intentional self-harm & suicide spectrum behaviors, and what factors keep us alive after experiencing a suicidal event. We adhere to the NOTHING-ABOUT-US WITHOUT-US model of knowledge-production.

Essential Reading:
Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All
Perspectives of lived experience across continents: our reality and call for universal health coverage