A Managers Guide to Suicide Postvention in the Workplace

Course overview

his course is based upon material published by the Workplace Postvention Task Force of the American Association of Suicidology and the Workplace Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and is available as an open-access article. Managers play a critical role in setting the tone for how the rest of the workplace will respond to suicide. This course presents details of action steps to be taken in the aftermath of a suicide. The steps encompass the immediate, acute phase, the short-term recovery phase, and the longer-term reconstructing phase. It includes a checklist for each action step, as well as sample written notifications that may be used following a suicide that impacts the workplace. Resources, definitions, and a decision-making flowchart give this course particular usefulness. This course on recovering from workplace suicide is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop or increase their knowledge of suicide postvention in the workplace. The course material includes a review of interventions. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. Authors: Workplace Postvention Task Force of the American Association of Suicidology, Workplace Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Carson J. Spencer Foundation, and Crisis Care Network Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding workplace suicide postvention. Specifically, a professional will: Recognize the critical roles managers play in setting the tone for how the rest of the workplace will respond to a suicide Summarize the ten action steps for dealing with the aftermath of a suicide Define key terms related to suicide and grief Citation: Carson J Spencer Foundation, Crisis Care Network, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and American Association of Suicidology (2013). A Managers Guide to Suicide Postvention in the Workplace: 10 Action Steps for Dealing with the Aftermath of Suicide. Denver, CO: Carson J Spencer Foundation.