Parents who have lost a son or daughter to suicide are at risk of developing psychological ill-health that may become long-lasting and even life-threatening. Despite this risk, the aftermath of a suicidal loss is yet to be carefully studied. Reasons for the lack of such studies may be that the dangers of approaching surviving relatives are exaggerated and trauma-related inquiries avoided. Another obstacle may be methodological difficulties. An overriding goal of the studies considered here was to provide knowledge that may be used to improve the professional care of suicide-bereaved parents. We describe how we planned and implemented a population-based survey with a continuous focus on ethical and methodological considerations throughout the research process.