For those dealing with loss — be it the death of a loved one or pet, divorce or unemployment — the holidays can be an especially depressing and even stressful time.
 
“For some, the holidays are reminder of loss and loneliness,” said Maurya Glaude, a practicing licensed clinical social worker, clinical supervisor and professor of practice at the Tulane University School of Social Work. “The idea of celebrating a holiday after losing a loved one can be a painful experience and may evoke sentiment and thoughts of past memories.
 

Tonya Hansel, DSW program director at the Tulane School of Social Work, is an expert on disaster mental health and trauma. She is available for interviews and can be reached at tcross1@tulane.edu or through Barri Bronston, assistant director of public relations at Tulane, at bbronst@tulane.edu. As communities around the world begin lifting public health precautions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Hansel says mental health challenges will likely remain.