In the past year, two of my peers at school have taken their lives through suicide and in researching in trying to cope with these losses I saw that teen suicide has increased significantly in the past decade. I thought it was the perfect time to launch a new series of the podcast which could hopefully provide solace to other teens either considering or recently grieving through suicide. As teens across the country feel this collective grief, I would love to be able to provide them with resources to cope and to express themselves.
– Chloe
Episode 1: Reaching Out for Support
For the first episode of my podcast season about teen suicide, I interviewed Brandy Lidbeck, author and grief counselor. We discussed the impact of a death by suicide and how to have conversations about this loss especially with others who are grieving also.
Episode 2: Breaking the Stigma
In the second episode of my podcast season about teen suicide, I interviewed Carla Fine, author and suicide survivor. We discussed the stigma surrounding suicide and ways to break it such as just speaking openly about it.
Episode 3: Processing Grief
In the third episode of my podcast season about teen suicide Emily Pan, author and suicide survivor joins me. We discussed the struggles of porcessing grief, and specifically feeling all of the emotions. Emily shares how writing helped her process her grief.
TEEN GRIEF
I’ve interviewed experts on teenage grief in my podcast, TEEN GRIEF. I hope that my questions answer some of yours.
I interviewed Lisa Athan, the executive director of Grief Speaks, about the work she has done with teenagers, the importance of listening during conversations about loss, and the individuality of each person’s grieving process.
“Death ends a life, not a relationship” – Morrie Schwartz. In this episode, I interviewed Susan Romero, middle school teacher and author of Teens Dealing with Death: Stories from My Students. We spoke about her and her students’ experiences as we discussed the community created by loss, the importance of acknowledging grief, and the ways a person can still be a part of your life even after death.
I interviewed Dr. Ken Doka, author of numerous books and articles and winner of awards in the fields of grief counseling, end-of-life care, and education. We spoke about the unique characteristics of grief as a teenager in addition to healthy coping mechanisms and strategies for living with loss.
In this episode, I interviewed Jan Warner, the creator of the incredibly popular Facebook page “Grief Speaks Out.” She is also the author of Grief Day by Day: Simple Practices and Daily Guidance for Living With Loss, which has sold about 27,000 copies. We had a very engaging conversation about the benefits of expressing your grief, reaching out, and helping others, even just with strangers on the internet.
Dr. Chris Davis, who is a professor and the director of the Stress and Coping Lab at Carleton University, had a thoughtful and personal conversation with me about the relationship between stress and grief. The connections we made included anticipatory grief, being vulnerable, and more.
In this episode, I interviewed Linda Goldman, who is a professor, author, and the founder of grievingchildren.net. Our discussion about grief felt years after the original loss includes personal stories as well as general advice.
I interviewed Stephanie Handel, who is a therapist at the Wendt Center in DC, the director of the DC Camp Forget-Me-Not/Camp Erin, and the coordinator of the DC Voices of Now teenage grief program. We had a conversation about all of her work that was centered on peer support, especially that of the camp.
In this episode, I interviewed Nancy Berns, professor of sociology at Drake University and author of Closure: The Rush to End Grief and What it Costs Us. We talked about the dangers of forcing closure for your grief and healthier alternatives, especially for teenagers.
Instead of another interview, the final episode of Teen Grief is about my own grief experience. I talk about my father’s passing, some of the ways I have felt the loss, the evolution of my grief over the past three years, and my journey creating Teen Grief. It is an important episode to me, and I hope you find something in it that means something to you as well.
TEEN GRIEF: CORONAVIRUS
In this 6-episode season called TEEN GRIEF: CORONAVIRUS, I focused specifically on the teenage grief experience during COVID-19 (recorded during the summer of 2020).
For my first podcast, I interviewed grief expert Dr. Kelsey Crowe, author and founder of Help Each Other Out, a grief connection network. I spoke with Dr. Crowe about how teens are affected by grief during coronavirus.
Episode 2: Resilience During COVID-19
I interviewed Dr. Maria Sirois, positive psychologist and expert on coping under pressure, to discuss how teens can best adapt to deal with grief during the coronavirus.
Episode 3: What Next?
The best way to prepare for the future is to address it. I interviewed education expert Ryan Craig, author of “College Disrupted” (2015) and managing director of University Ventures, about what the future of high school and college education looks like, as well as what we can expect for our academic futures.
Episode 4: Life at Home
I interviewed family therapist Olivia Salamon about how teenagers’ lives are changing at home because of COVID and how they can adapt.
Episode 5: College Admissions
Christie Ruggieri, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Drexel University, spoke with me about how students should approach their college applications in the wake of coronavirus. The information provided in this podcast is accurate as of June 10th, 2020.
Episode 6: Student Athletes
For the final episode of “Teen Grief: Coronavirus,” I interviewed sports psychologist Dr. Jarrod Spencer to discuss what student athletes can expect looking forward and how to approach their mental health during COVID. The information provided in this podcast is accurate as of June 17th, 2020.