Prevention is Abstract Postvention is major part of prevention. The plan that organizations and practitioners have in place after a crisis is critical. For mental health clinicians in private practice, a comprehensive crisis management plan to reduce risks of suicide for students and families in postvention crisis of a school shooting requires many levels of systemic support and change. This includes increasing the awareness of suicide prevention, joining with communities in times of a school shooting to provide therapeutic support. Overall, with the flexibility of private practice, therapists can readily partner and provide access to resources in the aftermath of a school related shooting or suicide pact crisis. Suicide prevention in crisis management is the topic area that ignited this researcher’s interest, a passion for postvention, and concrete answers. For the purpose of this article, the researcher focuses on the positive ripple effects of crisis management on the private practice mental health care system in the area of suicide prevention. Keywords: Postvention, Crisis Management, Suicide Postvention Columbine. Sandy Hook. Majorie Stoneman Douglas. The three names listed above are schools that endured lifeshattering crisis. The Columbine massacre was a school shooting that occurred on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado where fifteen youth were killed (including both perpetrators). The Sandy Hook shooting occurred on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut leaving 26 lives lost (20 children and 6 adult staff members). On February 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (17 students and staff members were murdered while many others were injured and survived). It has been 3 years since the Parkland community made national news, sharing an outcry of pain from the lives lost, and 22
January 2022 InSession | FMHCA.org
sparking a movement on gun violence prevention with the “March for Our Lives”. Recently, the Parkland Survivors returned to the headlines as the families of the 52 people killed, injured or traumatized in the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School reached a $25 million settlement with the Broward County school district (Allen, 2021). Still, the chaos that endured at each school and the constant media reports thereafter disgorges remnants of trauma and emotional instability for students, staff, and parents. Moreover, secondary and vicarious trauma was evident as millions across the nation watched on social media, news outlets, or volunteered on site and entered the narrative of “Parkland Strong”. The narratives overtime, revealed severe pre and post crisis miscommunication seemed to play a catastrophic role in recovery and postvention services. There were also gaps in bureaucratic responsiveness at the level of school security and communication. Additionally, social service systems were overwhelmed with referrals and requests for mental health care and support. Determining the path forward for prevention brings to light an opportunity for mental health providers to explore adaptive approaches to lead crisis management consultation in postvention. Survivors Remorse Considering the traumatic aftereffects of a school shooting, schools and communities need a space where trained and licensed therapists are integral to the journey ahead. The path forward must include a systemic outlook that focuses on mental health services at an organizational, communal, individual, and family level. The messaging and care shown in the postvention period is critical for repair and resiliency. Therapists helped thousands of students, educators, and community residents process post-traumatic stress disorder, feeling of survivor’s remorse, vicarious trauma,
