June 5, 2026
A Guide for Trusted Adults
Most trusted adults – parents, caregivers, grandparents, teachers, coaches, mentors, and youth leaders – spend time thinking about how to protect and support the young people in their lives. We prepare for emergencies, teach safety skills, and try to help children navigate difficult situations. Yet very few families have thought about what they would do if someone in their family, school, neighborhood, or community was lost to suicide.
Suicide is not a distant issue for most Americans. In 2023, the CDC estimated that more than two in five U.S. adults (42.4%) personally knew someone who died by suicide. This means many young adults and families will encounter a suicide loss at some point, whether they are prepared or not. For young adults, that exposure often occurs during a period of significant change as they navigate relationships, independence, education, work, and their future.
When a suicide loss happens, the impact does not stay contained. It can affect friend groups, school environments, and family dynamics all at once. In the absence of a clear plan, trusted adults are often left trying to support young people while also making sense of what to say, what to do, and what to watch for.
Experiences After a Suicide Loss
In the immediate aftermath of a suicide loss, young adults and those around them can experience uncertainty about how to talk about what happened.
- Young adults may have questions that adults may not feel prepared to answer. They may turn to peers who are also trying to make sense of the loss, or to online spaces, or even an AI companion to guide them through the situation and their feelings.
- Trusted adults might be unsure of what to say or how to start the conversation.
- Families affected may process grief in different ways and at different speeds.
- Schools may offer professional counseling services, but trusted adults across a young person's life may still feel unsure about how to navigate difficult conversations.
A postvention plan helps create a shared understanding of how to respond, so young adults are supported in ways that are consistent, timely, and connected to the right resources.
Understanding the Risks After Loss
Research consistently shows that people bereaved by suicide face an increased risk of depression, traumatic stress, complicated grief, and suicidal thoughts of their own. Even more concerning is that only a small number of people know how or where to actively seek out support. While individual studies vary, the research on postvention consistently highlights three themes.
What the Research Says
Reduce Risk
Postvention is not separate from prevention. Supporting people after a suicide loss reduces the risk of further suicides.
Act Early
People who receive outreach and support early are more likely to engage in services and begin their recovery process sooner.
Stay Connected
Effective postvention provides proactive, ongoing, and accessible support over time and throughout recovery.
What Having a Plan Changes
No one expects to figure out how to respond to a crisis in the moment it happens. We prepare in advance so we are not making important decisions under pressure. Postvention works the same way.
A postvention plan helps young adults and those who care for them understand what comes next. It provides guidance on how to talk about the loss, how to notice when someone may need more support, and how to connect to that support early.
With a plan in place, families are better able to:
- Start honest, age-appropriate conversations early
- Provide steady, clear guidance during a challenging time
- Reduce uncertainty about what to do next
- Notice when someone may need additional support
- Connect young adults to appropriate resources
A Practical Starting Point
Most trusted adults want to support and guide young adults after the suicide loss of a friend, classmate, or family member. What is often missing is a clear place to start.
The Be Connected Community Guide to Postvention was designed to help to help families, trusted adults, and communities prepare in advance, so the response does not have to be built during a time of grief and uncertainty. It provides a structured way to think through roles, communication, and coordination ahead of time.
Use the free Be Connected Community Guide to Postvention as a guide to build a postvention plan so that you’re prepared to support the young adults in your life.
Looking for more postvention support? Reach out to the Arizona Coalition for Military Families at prevention@arizonacoalition.org. Our team has resources, support, and even free training.
Sources
Siebrecht, A., & Straus, A. (n.d.). Postvention effectiveness. Arizona State University, College of Health Solutions.
Singichetti, B., Wang, J., Lee, R., Ballesteros, M.F., & Mack, K.A. (2025). Notes from the Field: Suicidal Thoughts and Knowing Someone Who Died by Suicide Among Adults—United States, 2023. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 74(12), 213–215.
Straus, A. (n.d.). Postvention effectiveness. Arizona State University, College of Health Solutions.
