sara l. shelton is the founder of the postvention project. she holds a bachelor of arts in business administration and management, a master of science in gerontology, and a certificate in project management. throughout more than two decades in healthcare, consulting, operations, and program leadership, sara has built her career around understanding how complex systems function—and how they can better serve the people who depend on them.

early in her career, sara managed senior living communities, where she learned that exceptional care depends on far more than individual programs or services. it requires thoughtful systems, strong relationships, clear communication, and coordination across disciplines. that systems-oriented perspective became the foundation of her approach to leadership, consulting, and organizational strategy.

after founding an eldercare consulting practice that helped families navigate complex care decisions, sara went on to lead strategic initiatives across healthcare, consulting, and technology. throughout her career, she has consistently been drawn to work that brings people, processes, and organizations together to solve complex problems and strengthen the systems that support people during times of vulnerability.

in 2019, sara's sister, heidi, died by suicide. as she navigated the months and years that followed, she recognized that survivors were often left to find support on their own. compassionate people and helpful resources existed, but there was no coordinated way to help people access them when they needed them most.

that realization redirected her career toward understanding—and ultimately helping communities build—the systems she believed were missing.

to answer that question, sara immersed herself in the field of postvention, conducting an extensive review of the literature, studying postvention models from around the world, and conducting and analyzing qualitative interviews with suicide loss survivors. she synthesized those findings to better understand how communities can respond in ways that promote healing, connection, and long-term support.

her research led her to a defining question:

if postvention is recognized as an essential part of suicide prevention, why do so many communities struggle to build coordinated systems of support for the people left behind?

the answer became the foundation of the postvention project and the postvention systems stability model™ (PSSM), a systems framework designed to help communities strengthen support after suicide and overdose loss.

today, sara partners with communities, organizations, and leaders to strengthen postvention systems through assessment, implementation planning, facilitation, technical assistance, and continuous quality improvement. her work combines systems thinking, implementation planning, survivor-informed practice, and collaborative problem-solving to help communities build coordinated responses that are practical, sustainable, and centered on the needs of those most affected.

she believes communities already possess many of the people, organizations, and resources needed to support survivors. the challenge—and the opportunity—is helping those efforts function as a coordinated system.

* the use of lowercase lettering throughout this site honors heidi.