Answering the call to create community and connect with alumni and friends isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic, five Family Social Science faculty members shared their research and expertise with the University of Minnesota Alumni Association this past spring. The webinars are available to all on the UMN Alumni site on YouTube. Find the links to individual webinars below.

Tai Mendenhall, associate professor, discussed strategies to improve the balance between self-care and relationship-tending in the webinar, “Health and Well-Being Require More Than Just Self-Care: Nurturing the Intimate Relationships That We Inhabit.”

Abigail Gewirtz, professor, Lindahl Leadership Faculty Chair in the Dept. of Family Social Science and Institute of Child Development, shared advice with parents on how talk to their children about the novel coronavirus based on information from her upcoming book, When the World Feels like a Scary Place: Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents and Worried Children.

Steven Harris, professor, discussed his research and some of the new challenges facing couples in the wake of COVID-19 with Jon Ruzek, vice-president of engagement, U of M Alumni Association. The interview is available on YouTube.

Jodi Dworkin, professor and extension specialist, discussed parenting college students, based on her research. She has also created a resource site for first-gen students and their parents.

Pauline Boss, professor emeritus, shared insights into her ambiguous loss research to reduce anxiety. Read more in this CEHD news blog post.