What is Thanatology?

Jennifer Carlson, MSW, PhD, CEM, LCSW

January 13, 2023

Ask the Experts
Clinical Social Work
What is Thanatology?

Question

What is thanatology?

Answer

Thanatology is a scientific discipline examining death from many perspectives; physical, ethical, spiritual, medical, sociological, and psychological. It emerged in part out of the death of awareness movement that started in the 1950s in the United States and then the United Kingdom.

Thanatologists work in many different situations, all of which are emotionally complex. They include working for a hospice agency and supporting those who have lost a spouse or parent or offering support services to individuals and families bereaved because of a traumatic sudden death, such as an accident or a suicide. Thanatologists also play a central role in working with families when a family member needs end-of-life healthcare. Some thanatologists are also educators, working with children in schools or non-profits or with adults in colleges or continuing education for those in a variety of professions.

In addition, those who work directly in thanatology may spend time with those who are facing death due to life-limiting or terminal diseases. They may also work with family members of those who are dying, helping them to process loss.

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the webinar, Understanding Thanatology, presented by Jennifer Carlson, MSW, PhD, CEM, LCSW

Jennifer Carlson, MSW, PhD, CEM, LCSW

Dr. Jennifer Carlson, Ph.D., CEM®, LCSW, is a New England emergency management expert, facilitator, speaker, trainer, university faculty member, writing professional, and author of Write Your Story: A Self-Start, Write Your Own Biography and Exploring the Professionalization of Emergency [Disaster] Management.  For over 20 years, she has dedicated her life in service to the emergency management field, deploying on disasters from Hurricane Katrina to the Boston Marathon bombings through the American Red Cross and the State of Massachusetts. She currently works as a professor with Anna Maria College and has worked as faculty and teaching staff for emergency management courses, workshops, and Homeland Security content at MIT for FEMA, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Eastern Kentucky University, and at other locations across the country while deployed. Jennifer serves as the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Co-Chair for the Higher Education Academician Caucus and on the Scholarship Commission Nominations Task Force with IAEM. Jennifer also serves with the Department of Defense as the Affairs Director for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in Massachusetts and reviews journal articles for the Journal of Emergency Management.

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