In the latest Focus newsletter, CAFE TAC examines the phenomenon of “suicide clusters” on college and university communities, and how they might be prevented. Students in higher education face a myriad of challenges and threats to their emotional wellness. That’s why many institutions make an effort to publicize their counseling services, and campaign against stigma within their student bodies.
Despite these efforts, there have been several instances in which multiple suicides have occurred at a given institution in a short period of time. The reasons why these “suicide clusters” happen aren’t well known, but it is believed that one of the most effective ways to prevent them is to create a “postvention” plan with protocols to allow a community to address the shock waves of trauma that follow a suicide.
The new Focus newsletter, Postvention: How Colleges and Universities Can React to Suicide Clusters, takes a look at the phenomenon of suicide clusters, and examines how a postvention plan can make all the difference in how a community reacts when a suicide happens. Check it out here.