SOURCE: Diana Nash, professor of Psychology, Marymount Manhattan College, New York, NY; private practice specializing in grief and bereavement.
Newswise — When a teenager is killed in a car accident, or succumbs to disease, the tragedy often requires school counselors to help the victim's friends cope with the loss and come to terms with losing someone close to them. But, as weeks and months go by, where can they turn? It turns out social media sites like MySpace are used increasingly as safe havens for grieving teenagers and are truly helpful during times of the year, like the holiday season, when grieving process is especially difficult.
Diana Nash, a professor of psychology at Marymount Manhattan College and a counselor specializing in grief and bereavement, has begun research into the phenomenon of teens using MySpace, Facebook and other social media sites as a means of helping them through their loss.
"Turning to MySpace or Facebook is the most natural thing in the world to teens. It's the world they live in and a good place for them to express emotions, especially the powerful emotions of death and grieving. During a tragedy, teenagers have even more trouble talking to their parents or other adults than usual. Online is where they seek out others in grief and console each other."
For stories about this topic, Nash can:
"¢ Provide examples and anecdotes from her practice of how and why teens use these sites to grieve (memorial sites, finding others in same situation, private messages, public messages)
"¢ Discuss the role of parents in helping teens grieve. Typically in these situations, parents aren't available to teens because of their own grief.
"¢ How social networking sites are especially helpful during the holidays for a teen who is grieving.
"¢ Discuss the especially interesting role these sites play for teenage males, who are taught by society to be tough and conceal their emotions, which is counterintuitive to the grieving process. At the computer, they can express their sadness, rage, etc., feeling safer expressing their emotions in that environment.
In addition to her position at Marymount Manhattan College, Nash is a licensed mental health counselor who runs a private practice specializing in loss and bereavement issues in New York City and conducts workshops around the world. She received the College's Faculty Tribute Award in 1996 and is also listed in Who's Who Among American Teachers. She earned a master's degree in counseling psychology from New York University. As a fellow certified in Thanatology and Bereavement, she is a member of the Association of Death Education and Counseling, the America Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association.
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