Jr Wester

Skills Offered

Jr is yet to share this information.

Personal Introduction

I am the founder of CEDAR: Community Education in Death Awareness & Resources CIC. We are a social enterprise dedicated to teaching people how to talk about death and deliver bad news. I became interested in working with communities as a result of my research in this field. Over the course of my experience as a bereavement and HIV crisis counselor, researcher and teacher in Death Studies, I heard hundreds of stories around the despair and isolation one feels after a loss. In particular, if the community in which the bereaved live ignores them these feelings of isolation are magnified and can become problematic. At CEDAR we aim to bring communities and individuals together by raising awareness, building confidence to talk about death, and helping people to prepare for death and/or help those who are bereaved. 

Qualifications

• PhD in Medical Sociology

• Lancaster University

• England UK (2003)

• MPhil in Sociology/Death Studies

• University of Reading

• England UK (1999)

• BAS in Organisational Behaviour & Industrial Psychology

• Loyola University of New Orleans

• USA (1994)

• I hold Certifications in teaching

• psychotherapy and suicide intervention.

Experience

Prior to returning to academic research, I worked as a senior business analyst with a medium-size bank in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. In the UK I have worked as a researcher and instructor in a variety of sociological and cultural topics at the university, college and community levels. I have also held positions on several boards including a mental health charity and an organisation working to overcome discrimination of elderly LGBT people. I currently run the social enterprise I founded, as previously mentioned.