Mary-Frances O’Connor, Ph.D.
Professor of psychology and director of the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, University of Arizona
Meghan Riordan Jarvis, MA, LICSW
Psychotherapist, author, and podcast host
The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing
BONUS AFTER-HOURS EVENT: Attendees who purchase a copy of The Grieving Body from FAN’s partner bookseller The Book Stall are invited to attend an AFTER-HOURS event hosted by O’Connor and Jarvis that will start immediately after the webinar. Details on the webinar registration page.
Coping with death and grief is one of the most painful human experiences. While we can speak to the psychological and emotional ramifications of loss and sorrow, we often overlook its impact on our physical bodies. Mary-Frances O’Connor, Ph.D. (FAN ’22) specializes in the study of grief, and in her new book The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing she shares vital scientific research, revealing imperative new insights on its profound physiological impact. As she did in The Grieving Brain: How We Learn from Love and Loss, O’Connor combines illuminating studies and personal stories to explore the toll loss takes on our cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems and the larger implications for our long-term well-being. The Grieving Brain addresses questions about the effects of bereavement, including information about: What happens in our bodies when we’re grieving? Howe do our coping behaviors affect our physical health? What is the cognitive impact of grief? Why are we more prone to illness during times of enormous stress?
O’Connor is a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, investigating the effects of grief on the brain and the body. O’Connor holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in psychoneuroimmunology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.
O’Connor will be in conversation with Meghan Riordan Jarvis, MA, LICSW, a psychotherapist, author, podcast host (Grief is My Side Hustle), two-time TEDx speaker, educator, corporate consultant, and sought-after keynote speaker specializing in trauma and grief and loss.
This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.
Event Sponsors
- The Alliance for Early Childhood
- The Avery Coonley School
- Baker Demonstration School
- Beacon Academy
- Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School
- Brickton Montessori School
- British International School of Chicago, Lincoln Park
- British International School of Chicago, South Loop
- Catherine Cook School
- Chicago Jewish Day School
- Compass Health Center
- Countryside Day School
- Evanston Township High School D202
- The Family Institute at Northwestern University
- Family Service Center
- The Frances Xavier Warde School
- Francis W. Parker School
- Glencoe D35
- Glenview Public Library
- Gorton Center
- Haven Youth and Family Services
- Hyde Park Day School
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Kenilworth D38
- Lake Bluff D65
- Lake Forest Academy
- Lake Forest Country Day School
- Latin School of Chicago
- Leo Catholic High School
- Libertyville D70
- Lycée Français de Chicago
- Morgan Park Academy
- New Trier High School D203
- North Shore Country Day
- Northwestern University Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations
- Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy
- Regina Dominican College Preparatory High School
- Resurrection College Prep High School
- Rogers Park Montessori School
- Roycemore School
- Santa Clara University School of Law
- Science & Arts Academy
- The Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School
- Stevenson High School D125
- Township High School D113
- University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
- Wilmette Public Library
- Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart