How the members of a group come together in response to a death by suicide—what TAPS calls Postvention—is critical for long-term recovery, healing, and health.
TAPS knows: In the last decade, we have served more than 9,000 survivors grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide. Through this crucial work, TAPS has developed a highly successful best-practice method of support.
The TAPS Suicide Postvention Model provides hope and healing to suicide loss survivors through a three-phase approach that includes Stabilization, Grief Work, and Post-traumatic Growth. Stabilization focuses on identifying and addressing suicide-specific issues that may complicate the grief journey. Grief work is the process of moving away from how our loved ones died and rebuilding relationships with them that focus on how they lived and served. Post-traumatic growth is the process of finding meaning from the loss.
To learn more about the TAPS three-part Postvention Model, please contact us at 202-588-8277.
In 2017, TAPS Suicide Prevention & Postvention was created to bring TAPS Suicide Postvention Model to organizations and providers around the world. We do this in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to:
TAPS Suicide Prevention & Postvention has developed a suite of customized trainings for organizations ranging from military units and veteran service organizations to private companies and other special-interest audiences. TAPS Suicide Prevention & Postvention’s experts are also equipped to provide trainings for mental health care providers who encounter, or might one day be required to address, suicide through their work.
TAPS Suicide Prevention & Postvention periodically hosts highly tailored weekend retreats for specific populations whose members are at high risk for suicide. The retreats offer hope and healing to participants by providing grief support in an intimate setting, opportunities for reflection, and programming inspired by our best-practice Postvention Model.
TAPS Suicide Prevention & Postvention regularly consults with groups that have recently experienced a suicide loss. These Postvention consultations are intended to “stabilize” organizations just as much as they are to support the individuals within those organizations who have been impacted by the death. During these consultations, TAPS Suicide Prevention & Postvention also provides critical resources to organizations that are meant to safely guide them through the collective grieving process.
Photo By: Cpl. U. RobertsTAPS Suicide Prevention & Postvention’s staff of experts regularly enhances the evolving national conversation around suicide by serving on national task forces that inform policy at the highest levels as well as delivering speeches, writing op-eds, giving interviews, publishing and presenting papers, and promoting safe messaging. All of our work is is informed by the lived experiences of thousands of our suicide loss survivors.
Vice President
Suicide Prevention & Postvention
Kim is an internationally known subject matter expert who uses her education, personal experience and information gathered from thousands of survivors to help others more fully understand suicide.
Senior Director
Suicide Prevention & Postvention
Known to many veterans as “Doc Springer,” she has helped hundreds of warriors reconnect with their tribe, strengthen their most important relationships, and build lives that are driven by their deepest values.
Director of Strategic Operations
Suicide Prevention & Postvention
Matt is a former Army officer, journalist, and writer. From 2002 to 2009, he deployed twice to Iraq, first as a platoon leader and later as a company executive officer and battalion staff officer, and once to Afghanistan, as an information operations officer.
Senior Director
Suicide Postvention
Dr. Stumpf-Patton is the surviving spouse of Marine Sgt. Richard Stumpf. She holds an Ed.D. in Education Counseling Psychology and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Certified Fellow Thanatologist. and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.
Manager, Programs & Logistics
Suicide Prevention & Postvention
Kim has planned and executed a wide range of TAPS events, including TAPS National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar. After the suicide death of her only sibling, USMC veteran Jon Hoffman, Kim’s heart is in caring for loss survivors, especially those touched by suicide.
Beth is a family practitioner, and retired lieutenant colonel, USAR. She lost her only child, Army Ranger Christopher Carter, to suicide. She uses her medical education, military experience and mother's passion for suicide prevention and survivor support.
To learn more about the work of the TAPS Suicide Prevention & Postvention, please contact us at (202) 588-8277.
