The postvention provided to 2 schools following student suicides was evaluated. A risk index for suicidal behavior among exposed adolescents was devised. The index clearly differentiated high & low scores on a range of outcome variables. While two-thirds of students attending postvention counselling had 2 or more putative risk factors for suicidal behavior, a further 231 uncounselled students had similar risk scores. Counselled students did not differ from matched controls at 8-month follow-up.