Benefits of Making Death Talkable | Heather Servaty-Seib | TEDxPurdueU

Heather Servaty-Seib is a thanatologist and a psychologist who is passionate about breaking down the taboos associated with talking about death. Rather than trying to control or eliminate our death anxiety, she argues that when we can face our anxiety and own it and use it--we will more highly value our own lives and the lives of others. Dr. Heather L. Servaty-Seib is a licensed psychologist and professor of counseling psychology at Purdue University. She is also currently serving as Associate Dean of Student Life in Purdue’s Honors College. Her research is focused on both death and non-death loss experiences with a particular emphasis on the interpersonal challenges faced by the bereaved. She is well-published in the field of thanatology and has recently been selected as lead editor of the Handbook of Thanatology. She is a past president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), received the ADEC 2013 Death Educator of Year Award, and is on the editorial boards of four loss-related journals. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx