our work

the postvention project focuses on three areas of work — each designed to help organizations build the capacity to respond to suicide loss with clarity, confidence, and care.

most organizations are not equipped to support suicide loss survivors in ways that feel safe, clear, or helpful — or to create space for them to speak openly about their experience.

how we work together

most organizations begin with a postvention readiness assessment to understand how they currently respond to suicide loss — and where gaps exist in communication, support, and staff preparedness.

this work is designed to move organizations from reaction to readiness — building the clarity, structure, and confidence needed before a loss occurs, and strengthening their ability to respond in ways that support survivors, rather than unintentionally causing harm.

clinician training

most clinicians will work with a suicide loss survivor. few feel prepared to do it well.

graduate programs rarely cover suicide bereavement in depth. yet the clinical terrain is distinct — guilt and self-blame, fear of contagion, anger toward the person who died, complex family dynamics, and elevated suicide risk among survivors all require specific knowledge, language, and clinical judgment.

the postvention project's clinician training is built around what survivors say helps — and what harms. it integrates lived experience with clinical frameworks to strengthen confidence, clarity, and nuanced judgment in real-world practice.

clinicians learn how to respond in ways that allow survivors to speak openly — creating space for honest, meaningful conversations.

key areas include:

  • understanding the specific grief and trauma profile of suicide loss

  • navigating guilt, stigma, anger, and fear of contagion

  • responding when a client identifies with the person who died by suicide

  • assessing and managing elevated suicide risk after loss

  • language, framing, and what survivors wish their clinicians knew

available formats:

2-hour workshop · half-day training · multi-session cohort · self-paced CEU course


organizational consulting

most organizations are not prepared for the realities of suicide loss.

every suicide creates a new population of people at elevated risk. organizations that experience a loss therefore face not only grief, but increased vulnerability across their communities.

when a death occurs, responses are often improvised, fragmented, and focused on immediate crisis management rather than sustained support. the postvention project helps organizations move from reaction to readiness — before a loss occurs.

working across sectors, we provide survivor-informed strategic guidance to help institutions build the postvention infrastructure needed to respond effectively.

organizations typically engage this work to:

  • assess postvention readiness and identify gaps

  • develop clear, coordinated response protocols

  • strengthen communication across stakeholders

  • equip leadership and staff with practical language and decision-making frameworks

  • establish support structures that extend beyond the immediate crisis period

areas of focus:

  • higher education — developing coordinated approaches that balance privacy, communication, and care for students, faculty, staff, and families

  • corporate & workplace — supporting leaders and HR teams in responding to suicide loss while prioritizing employee wellbeing and organizational stability

  • first responders & government — building postvention capacity within systems navigating elevated occupational exposure to suicide loss

formats:

workshops · strategic consulting · program advising · research translation

if you’re considering how your organization would respond to a suicide loss, we’d be glad to talk through your current approach and where support might be helpful.


speaking & education

suicide bereavement is one of the most complex forms of loss — shaped by trauma, stigma, and a grief trajectory that general bereavement frameworks rarely address.

much of this work is grounded in direct conversations with suicide loss survivors — and what they reveal about what helps, what harms, and what’s missing.

sara l. shelton speaks and writes about suicide bereavement, postvention strategy, and the role of survivor-informed insight in strengthening suicide prevention efforts.

the postvention project offers keynotes, workshops, and educational sessions designed to deepen understanding, reduce stigma, and position postvention as a critical component of suicide prevention.

topics include:

  • what postvention is — and why it matters

  • the distinct clinical and social profile of suicide loss

  • the self-perpetuating cycle of unsupported bereavement

  • survivor-informed insights on what helps — and what harms

  • the infrastructure gap and what organizations can do about it

formats:

keynotes · conference workshops · professional development sessions · panels