Jessica Thomas

I am a professor at Lewis & Clark College where I teach on death, loss, and psycho-spiritual development. I hold a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology and also serve as President on the board of The NW Association for Death Education and Bereavement Support.

As a death and grief educator and therapist, I am passionate about expanding the ways in which we engage in conversation around death and dying. I strongly believe that exploring one’s own grief and loss experiences and sharing those experiences in community with others can promote a healthier society.

I’m the author of Choosing Light: Transforming Grief through the Practice of Mindful Photography and Self-Reflection and esteemed doctoral research, Mindful Photography and its Implications in End-of-life Caregiving: An Art-based Phenomenology.

“I honor my grief experiences as wisdom gained when I host a Within and Without Mindful Photography reflection group or train a facilitator or teach courses on death and dying. Bit by bit, I contribute toward a systemic shift in our society where we can be more death accepting rather than death denying and where there is more access to social grief support rather than grief isolation.”

— Jessica Thomas PhD. | Choosing Light