Death Educator as Deacon

Abstract

By viewing the physician as priest, i.e. the individual who provides access to the values of health and long life, the death educator can be seen as deacon, the person who serves the priest as a helper. Physicians and death counselors are primarily healers; clergy and death educators are primarily preachers. The power relationship between physician and death counselor is well-established, with the former maintaining the most significant power; the power relationship between the clergy and the death educator is more egalitarian. Death educators and counselors need to be aware of their role relationships with other relevant professionals, and a theological model can be useful in understanding these relationships.