Paul Thayer
Clinical Associate Professor
Dr. Paul Thayer teaches the family-centered-care courses in the Child LIfe and Family-Centered Care program. His areas of expertise include grief and loss, professional ethics, and family studies. Before coming to BU, he was an associate professor of child life at Wheelock College and a pediatric hospice director.
Pronouns: he/him
Recent News
Education
Doctor of Ministry, Religion, Psychology, and Culture, Boston University
Master of Divinity, Yale University
MA, Counseling Psychology, Assumption College
BA, Psychology, University of Connecticut
Courses
Working with Families
Bereavement Care
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Professional Ethics
Lifespan Development
Research
Selected Publications
Thayer, P. (2008) The impact of church closings on Catholic adolescents: Implications for clergy, church leaders, and parents. Saarbrucken, Germany: VDM Publishing
Thayer, P. (2007). But is it a field? Child Life Bulletin, 25(3).
Thayer, P. (2007). Entering the zone of ethical proximal development: The child life specialist as a teacher of ethics. Child Life Bulletin, 25(2).
Thayer, P., Ashworth, K., O’Brien, A., Harris, A. & Wallensack, K. (2006). Child life services: Right or privilege? Child Life Bulletin, 24 (4), pp. 1-5.
Thayer, P. (2006). Navigating family relationships in child life. Child Life Focus. 24(3) pp. 1-8.
Thayer, P. & Nee, R. (2008). Spiritual care of children and families. In Ann Armstrong-Dailey & Sarah Zarbock (Eds). Hospice care for children, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Faulkner, K., Thayer, P., & Coulter, D. (2006) Neurological and neuromuscular symptoms. In Oxford textbook of pediatric palliative care. New York: Oxford University Press.
Thayer, P. (2001). Spiritual care of children and parents. In A. Armstrong Dailey, & S. Goltzer, (Eds.), Hospice care for children, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Selected Presentations
Thayer, P. (2007). Professional boundaries in hospice care. Hospice Education
Network, video recording.
Thayer, P. (2007). Caring for children of adult hospice patients. Hospice Education
Network, video recording.