| dc.description.abstract | This phenomenological study was designed to explore the experiences of student affairs
professionals who lead institutional responses to student death by suicide. Although there
is extensive research to advise higher education professionals in suicide prevention and
postvention, there is little existing research to support and guide the professionals asked
to navigate the aftermath when a student dies by suicide. Purposive sampling was
conducted to yield five participants who engaged in two semi-structured interviews to
share their experiences. Participants also shared their institution’s student death protocols
for additional data analysis. The research was grounded in Kolb’s theory of experiential
learning and the concept of secondary trauma. Findings indicated that participants
experience a strong focus on the families of the deceased students, the experience is allconsuming, and they simultaneously navigate many groups of people as they execute the
student death protocols. Recommendations for higher education include appropriate
authority, additional supports, and better protective measures for responding
professionals | en_US |
