Ep. 7: Death & Dying: A Journey through Grief and Loss–with Guest Dr. Erica Sirrine

Ep. 7: Death & Dying: A Journey through Grief and Loss–with Guest Dr. Erica Sirrine 

 

            As someone who loves the Marvel movies, hated the character Thanos–like most I assume, and rooted for the good guys to triumph, it never occurred to me the meaning behind Thanos; who he was, what he represented. It makes sense that since he’s obsessed with Death (the literal embodiment of death, not just the concept) he calls himself Thanos, since it evokes the words Thanatology, the study of death. Why do I bring this up? Because our guest on this month’s episode, Dr. Erica Sirrine, a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in the field of death, dying, and bereavement, not only earned a PhD in social work but was awarded the distinction of Fellow in Thanatology by the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Thanatology–the study of death.

Dr. Sirrine has conducted and published research on grief and bereavement, including a recent study on college student experiences of grief and loss amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She maintains a blog on grief and loss and is the author of Sammy’s Story, an anticipatory grief counseling book for young children experiencing the serious illness of a parent. She has extensive expertise providing individual and group therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and families experiencing illness and loss, and has implemented numerous interventions and programs aimed at improving the emotional health of clients and currently serves as the Director of Social Work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

She frequently presents seminars on bereavement and loss throughout the United States and is known for her interactive and engaging workshops. A former university dean and professor, she has been distinguished as “Professor of the Year” and the National Association of Social Workers Heartland, Florida Unit’s “Social Worker of the Year.”

Resources from Ep. 7:

Clinical Trials

College Student Experiences of Grief and Loss Amid the COVID-19 Global Pandemic           OMEGA Journal of Death and Dying, A study by Dr. Erica Sirrine.
Colin Murray Parkes, consultant psychiatrist

Articles:

New York Times- The Biology of Grief: What Happens in the Body During Grief,

The Columbia Center for Complicated Grief- Complicated Grief,

Heal Grief: Mourner’s Bill of Rights

Blogs:

Grieve Well: 30 Ideas for the first anniversary,

hope and Grief Blog,

Open to Hope

Books:

Dr. Kenneth J. Doka- Disenfranchised Grief: Recognizing Hidden Sorrow

John W. James, Russell Friedman- The Grief Recovery Handbook

For more resources, visit: brainsforthecure.org

Hosted by Shannon Traphagen 

Please follow, share and like us : )

Enter Your Email

Get new posts by email

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply