What Happens After a Crisis? You Need a Postvention Plan
The moment after a crisis ends is deceptively quiet. Relief might settle in—but under the surface, emotions churn. Confusion, grief, anger, and fear ripple through individuals and teams. If these waves go unaddressed, they can create lasting damage far worse than the original event.
That’s why postvention is essential.
At Sentinel Resilience Group, we help organizations build structured, compassionate postvention plans that guide recovery, strengthen trust, and prevent future crises.
Why Postvention Matters Responding to a suicide, a traumatic loss, or a major crisis doesn’t end when the immediate danger is over. In fact, how you respond in the days and weeks after the event can determine:
Long-term staff wellbeing
Trust in leadership and the organization
Risk of further crises or copycat behavior
Overall recovery and resilience
Without a clear postvention strategy, even caring teams can unintentionally isolate survivors, worsen trauma, or send confusing messages.
Elements of a Strong Postvention Plan An effective postvention strategy should be:
Immediate: Quick, compassionate communication and support
Structured: A clear roadmap for leadership and staff actions
Inclusive: Considering the needs of all affected groups
Trauma-informed: Protecting psychological safety at every step
Key components include:
Coordinated communication plans
Immediate and long-term emotional support resources
Manager and team debriefing processes
Memorial guidelines (if appropriate)
Monitoring and supporting those at elevated risk
How Sentinel Resilience Group Can Help We guide organizations through:
Developing tailored postvention protocols
Training leadership and crisis response teams
Facilitating team healing sessions and debriefs
Providing ongoing resilience coaching post-crisis
Our approach is practical, compassionate, and designed for real-world complexity.
Whether you're a corporate HR team, a school administration, a healthcare provider, or a nonprofit leader, having a postvention plan in place before you need it is a critical part of responsible leadership.
Prepare for What Comes Next You can't prevent every crisis. But you can control how you respond—and how your organization heals.
Don't leave recovery to chance.
📅 Schedule a consultation to create your postvention strategy ✉️ Contact Sentinel Resilience Group today to learn how we support organizational healing and resilience
